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Film Noir Genre Study

Explore the emergence of Film Noir, its reflection of post-WWII anxieties, and the key elements showcased in The Maltese Falcon (1941). Dive into the dark and gritty atmosphere, hard-boiled characters, moral dilemmas, femme fatales, and more. Challenge yourself to create a Film Noir-style shot using 3-Point Lighting, interesting composition, and black and white aesthetics.

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Film Noir Genre Study

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  1. Film NoirGenre Study Literally ‘black film’ Bogart in The Maltese Falcon (1941)

  2. Background • In the early 1940s a new form of cinema emerged in the United States. Dark and gloomy it reflected the anxieties of a country entering a new era and was a rejection of the Hollywood glamour of the 1930s. • The early forties generated an economic boom as entered World War II. But after the war some became concerned by the clash between idealism and materialism. • Add to this equation paranoia of Russia and communism and we have the climate of suspicion and unease. • First: The Maltese Falcon (1941) Starring Humphrey Bogart as detective Sam Spade and the last in the classic period: Touch of Evil (1958) Orson Wells and starring Charlton Heston.

  3. Atmosphere/ Mood – these words should appear in film notes and essays about Film Noir movies • Melancholy • Alienation • Bleakness • Disillusionment • Disenchantment • Pessimism • Ambiguity • Moral corruption • Evil • Guilt • Paranoia.

  4. The ingredients of classic film noir #1 • Dark, shadowy, contrasting images filmed in black and white, often at night and usually in gritty urban settings.

  5. Ingredients of classic film noir #2 • Hard-boiled, cynical, disillusioned characters – who, nevertheless, are usually likeable.

  6. Ingredients of classic film noir #3 • A male protagonist facing a moral dilemma and/or some kind of threat • He is usually a hard working, “brooding, menacing, sinister, sardonic, disillusioned, frightened and insecure man who is alienated from society” (Tims1996). • He is a loner hidden in the big city who makes his way through desolate districts and other filthy and ghetto-like areas of his environment looking for possible hints/clues for his work. • There is no place for happiness, he does not become rich or find happiness with a woman. • It is through his eyes that the audience is shown a world dominated by corruption and greed, violence and crime where there is fine line between right and wrong.

  7. The ingredients of classic film noir #4 • The femme fatale (deadly woman): the one posing on the cover/poster with a gun, a cocktail glass and a smouldering cigarette. • She’s gorgeous, unloving, predatory, unreliable, manipulative and desperate. • She’s an alluring, sassy, independent and usually dangerous woman, who often suffers for her independence. • She is sometimes a sexual predator who tempts and weakens a male protagonist and sometimes she actually initiates male aggression and gains male power. • Unlike the ‘housewife’ the femme fatale’s independence, sexual prowess and ambitions jeopardise not only the protagonist, but the entire system.

  8. Ingredients of film noir #5 • Often a crime or detective story

  9. Ingredients of classic film noir #6 • Flashbacks – a wavering past and present, inextricably linked.

  10. Ingredients of classic film noir #7 • A voice-over narration • A frame story • The set-up • Establishes POV

  11. Ingredients of classic film noir #8 • Crisp, witty dialogue, sprinkled with great one-liners "With my brains and your looks, we could go places." ~The Postman always rings twice (1946) "You're like a leaf that blows from one gutter to another." ~Out of the Past (1947)  "I have no memory. It's like looking in a mirror and seeing nothing but mirror." ~Spellbound (1945) "When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it.“ ~ The Maltese Falcon (1941)  "I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.“ ~ In a Lonely Place (1950)

  12. Ingredients of classic film noir #9 • A healthy dose of paranoia or, • at the very least, a strong sense of betrayal, insecurity or sense of being trapped. Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)

  13. Ingredients of classic film noir #10 • Angst, American style • Anger • Revenge • Tension

  14. Ingredients of classic film noir #11 • No happy ending. • A happy ending turns a film noir into film gris or a melodrama done in noir style.

  15. Ingredients of classic film noir #12 • Disorientating camera angles, distorted close-ups and lighting that fills the frame with shafts of light and shadow to create a world of claustrophobia and fear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsmVL7SDp5Y

  16. Film Noir Lighting Challenge • Create 1 shot/photo using the film noir style…. • Use 3-Point Lighting • Rule of Thirds/Interesting Composition • Consider camera angles • Must have at least 2 Objects/Characters • Captures a moment in film (story) • Must be Black & White • Send to: vogt.marybeth@cusd80.com

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