Film-Noir Research

1. Film-Noir Research By Flora Pettitt

2. Definition Film noir literally means ‘black film’ in French, this refers to that way it is shot –in black and white- but also to the dark, often pessimistic themes and storylines iconic of the noir genre. Classic film-noir started during and after World War 2 and drew on resulting anxieties and insecurities of the time period. Film-noir is not always thought of as a genre itself, but rather the style or tone of a film will define it as noir, many films will have aspects of noir without actually being film-noir’ themselves. Themes: In terms of the narrative elements, the disruption to the characters’ lives -a murder for instance- often comes near the beginning of the film meaning that most of the film is devoted to dealing with the consequences like catching the criminal and putting the protagonist’s life back in order. Crimes committed from lust, jealousy, revenge or for personal gain are pivotal elements in noir films with sub plots of double crossing, sexual longing, identity crisis and manipulation of characters by others.

3. Generic conventions Film-noirs are usually very visually exciting, the mise en scene, lighting and editing being very important to creating mood that enhances the themes expressed. Many films will frequently involve flashbacks, interrupted time sequences and dream scenes that support the narrative in interesting and engaging ways but often employ techniques that obscure the narrative sequence and make the plot harder to understand, full of enigmas and unexplained things that keep the audience guessing. Voice-over is used to explain the story and to tell us what the characters are thinking without using diegetic dialogue between them. A prime example of this is in Sin City where the whole film is narrated by different characters as their storylines take priority, this serves to show us what the characters are really feeling and thinking which can be different from what they are telling other characters on screen.

4. Classic femme fatales include Mary Astor (right) who stared along with Humphrey Bogart in the Maltese falcon, she was elegant, glamorous and powerful with just a little vulnerability. Characters The femme fatale: Neo-noir femme fatal characters’ costumes and actions have changed greatly since classic noir: in the 1940’s the women were usually beautiful and rich and most often in positions of power and of high status. Diamonds and pearls, fur coats, elegant dresses and perfectly finished hair and make up are all aspects of classic femme fatales. In contrast, contemporary noir femme fatale characters can come from more varied walks of life but predominantly from worse off backgrounds. Women who have struggled or overcome extreme hardships in their lives and become stronger for it. The women in Sin City for example are prostitutes and wear more risqué outfits such as thigh high boots, bondage, leather adorned with studs and chains.

5. Classic detective costume: a suit, dark coat or jacket and a trilby The detective: The detective is an important part in film noir, he is the hard headed, straight talking man we should like and want to succeed in figuring out the crimes and problems he is presented with. However, many detective characters turn out to be ‘anti heroes’ in the way that they are constructed with character faults and less than ethical ways of acting. Classically, his one weakness is the femme fatale character who is often on the wrong side of the law but uses her sexuality to manipulate him and tempt him away from his cause. He may also have a weakness for gambling or risk taking. Humpfrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon Often, the detective character is falsely accused of a crime they did not commit or framed by an enemy and has to clear his name, usually within a time limit.

6. Lighting Because film noirs are often in black and white lighting can be used to great effect. Chiaroscuro-the shadows caused by Venetian blinds, banisters or bars cast upon an actor or wall that can partially obscure things in the scene, adding to confusion and atmosphere. I think the placing of light and shadows can be extremely effective in creating but also hiding emotion in the characters’ expressions and in the room around them . In this image from ‘Sin City’ one character has the shadow of bars across his face while the other’s face is partially obscured from view by the bars themselves. This separates the two men, not just physically, by the connotations are that they are on opposite sides in other issues. From ‘The Spirit’ by Frank Miller

7. Setting and Locations • Typical Settings and locations: • Cities, industrial towns –urban or country settings are almost never used because they do not convey the same message as a busy crime filled city • Back allies, under bridges –places that show the darker, scarier side of society • Bars and clubs –frequented by unsavoury people, criminals, gangsters, prostitutes etc... • Street lamps –provide diffused, eerie lighting and cast long sinister shadows. Most often, important scenes in a film noir will be set at night or at twilight, with heavy rain and wind being used to create atmosphere ‘The Third Man’ Stranger On The Third Floor ‘Sin City’

8. Typical Shots and This style of filming uses unconventional camera angles and movements including skewed shots, very low or high angle shots and wide shots . This image is taken from ‘The Third Man’ a classic film-noir thriller by Carol Reed. It is tilted just enough to make the viewer feel like there is something wrong, it also makes us feel tension and anxiety because it looks as though it is balancing. Odd angles like this very low angle close up, can make the viewer feel uncomfortable which can help the narrative. This shot of the man and woman running up the stairs is at a really interesting angle that makes the characters look vulnerable

9. Diaboliquement Vôtre Diaboliquement vôtre (1967) directed by Julien Duvivier is classed as a crime/ thriller but has elements of noir. I especially like the opening sequence; after the titles have come and gone(about 1 minute 20 seconds) the footage of the country lane flashing by is interspersed with shots moving down a hospital corridor thus informing us that the character driving the car is now in hospital this in turn signifying a road accident. Shots of the country lane are overlaid with blurry images of surgical instruments, bright hospital lights, doctors and nurses which confuses our sense of reality; we do not now which scene is real, if one is a dream or if they are from different time periods. The car crash is explained as the film goes on but I like how we are given a hint of it right a the start and the audience can try and figure it out first. I would really love to experiment with editing techniques, using unusual ways of creating narrative.

10. Sin City Sin City is a film adaptation of a series of neo-noir comics or ‘graphic novels’ written by Frank Miller. It was directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez and was released in 2005. The film is based on three of Miller’s original stories which follow one another and have slight connections but are more like separate parts that split the film into three. In a way this makes it quite disjointed but similar themes and the fact that it is all set in the same town holds the film together. Sin City demonstrates many typical film noir characters: femme fatal women not afraid to use their sexuality to get them where they want, a police officer framed for a crime he did not commit trying to do the right thing and save a young woman, and a deformed serial killer with a grudge.

11. Colouring and tone/visual style In terms of visual style I find Sin City fascinating, unlike most of the classic film noirs we have been looking at that are black and white but slightly grainy and grey, the contrast in Sin City has been heightened until the black and white are extremely strong, representing the film’s comic book origins. Benicio del Toro as Detective Jack Rafferty Jaime King as Goldie Some of the subjects are coloured digitally making certain objects stand out such as Goldie’s yellow hair, and Dwight McCarthy’s red shoes and Cadillac. This colourization draws our attention to certain objects and people and adds some relief from the black and white. All the blood is a striking white and almost has a glow to it which in a way makes the gore and violence of the film less real.

12. Memento (2000) Directed by Christopher Nolan Memento is a neo-noir about a detective who has short term memory loss and who must discover who killed his wife and who is lying to him about it. It is not in black and white but it is clearly a film-noir because of the conventions and themes. In this trailer I especially like the shots of the protagonist pulling back his sleeves and shirt and finding all the tattoos that tell him about his life, it is an interesting way for him to discover something. I also like the close ups of documents and pieces of writing that tell us that in the film he will be searching for information.

13. Our initial ideas I would like to make our trailer in the style of contemporary noir as opposed to classic because I think it would give a unique selling point and make it more likely to be watched by a younger audience. I really like the visual impact created by Sin City’s heightened contract and areas of colour and I think we could use these techniques to make our trailer more effective, it would also make it look more contemporary. Unlike Sin City I think we will focus on enigmas and lies and deceit by the characters rather than violence and gore. I would also like to focus on the female characters rather than the male because from what I have found out although they play important roles in the film, the detective is generally the main protagonist. I think focusing on the female would make our trailer unique and a little unusual and would show a slightly different side/aspect of film noir.