Taking advantage of the post-war ambience of anxiety, pessimism, and suspicion, film noir is not a genre, but more of an entire movement within the film industry. French for ‘black/dark film’, film noir follows a world of darkness and corruption, where heroes are as crooked, violent and flawed as the people they’re trying to stop, where femme fatales use a deadly combination of beauty and cunning to get what they want and where the plot that contains them all takes jagged and rapid twists and turns.
Though the 1940 released ‘Stranger on the Third Floor’ is the movie now most commonly accepted as the first true example of film noir, it did not spark the classic period which took hold in the 40’s and 50s, this is instead credited to Billy Wilder’s 1944 film “Double Indemnity”. With a plot filled with deception, murder and corruption, it introduces the sultry Phyllis Dietrichson as the first fully-fledged femme fatale, who after snaring insurance salesman Walter Neff conspires with him to murder her husband and claim the insurance that Neff would set up. After dispatching of her husband and claiming her fortune, Phyllis then runs away with another man, a bloody confrontation insures, with Phyllis fatally wounding Neff, who manages to kill her before succumbing to confess. Neff dies soon after.
The femme fatale mould that was set by the character of Phyllis is that of a woman who tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as seduction and allure. In film noir these purposes are commonly related to money, or power, relying on the male protagonist to murder, steal or basically just do her dirty work for her before her dispatching of them in one way or another, keeping the spoils for herself. Other examples of femme fatales are Rita Hayworth’s character Gilda in the movie of the same name, Lana Turner’s role as Cora Smith in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “The Killers” character Kitty Collins played by Ava Gardener. Commonly these characters are in a loveless relationship with a rich and powerful man, which explains their glamorous and expensive attire; often they see the male protagonist as not only a way out of these relationships, but also a way of gaining even more wealth and power.
Alongside the femme fatales are the iconic noir counterpart of the male protagonist. As a large majority of film noir is centred on crime, most frequently murder, male and/or heroes are commonly detectives, private eyes or policeman. Conventionally they are a flawed protagonist, lonely, introverted, troubled and pessimistic, not a run-of the mill hero but are prominent in film culture in their ability to survive and bring back normality in their flawed world. In a world that’s been corrupted and lost any scrap of morality and secure certainty, men/heroes in film noir are seldom heroic at all, and more often than not become violent or corrupt also, warped by their bleak and immoral surroundings. Throughout their quest they are repeatedly tested, interrogated, attacked, persecuted and betrayed and so tend to become amoral and frustrated themselves, losing all faith in their world, despite these strong and mysterious flaws in character the conventional film noir male/hero still sets to unravel the mystery set and re-establish good. A common word to describe a film noir male/hero is an “anti-hero”, which means that even though they set out to do good actions and make the world a better place, their character and goals are antithetical to traditional heroism. They are well-known for a “shoot first and ask questions later” approach, and are more inclined to break the law to achieve their aims. Main examples of these anti-heroes are private investigator Sam Spade, private-eye Philip Marlowe, police detective Mark McPherson, investigator Jim Reardon and chief officer Mike Vargas.
Though the 1940 released ‘Stranger on the Third Floor’ is the movie now most commonly accepted as the first true example of film noir, it did not spark the classic period which took hold in the 40’s and 50s, this is instead credited to Billy Wilder’s 1944 film “Double Indemnity”. With a plot filled with deception, murder and corruption, it introduces the sultry Phyllis Dietrichson as the first fully-fledged femme fatale, who after snaring insurance salesman Walter Neff conspires with him to murder her husband and claim the insurance that Neff would set up. After dispatching of her husband and claiming her fortune, Phyllis then runs away with another man, a bloody confrontation insures, with Phyllis fatally wounding Neff, who manages to kill her before succumbing to confess. Neff dies soon after.
The femme fatale mould that was set by the character of Phyllis is that of a woman who tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as seduction and allure. In film noir these purposes are commonly related to money, or power, relying on the male protagonist to murder, steal or basically just do her dirty work for her before her dispatching of them in one way or another, keeping the spoils for herself. Other examples of femme fatales are Rita Hayworth’s character Gilda in the movie of the same name, Lana Turner’s role as Cora Smith in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “The Killers” character Kitty Collins played by Ava Gardener. Commonly these characters are in a loveless relationship with a rich and powerful man, which explains their glamorous and expensive attire; often they see the male protagonist as not only a way out of these relationships, but also a way of gaining even more wealth and power.
Alongside the femme fatales are the iconic noir counterpart of the male protagonist. As a large majority of film noir is centred on crime, most frequently murder, male and/or heroes are commonly detectives, private eyes or policeman. Conventionally they are a flawed protagonist, lonely, introverted, troubled and pessimistic, not a run-of the mill hero but are prominent in film culture in their ability to survive and bring back normality in their flawed world. In a world that’s been corrupted and lost any scrap of morality and secure certainty, men/heroes in film noir are seldom heroic at all, and more often than not become violent or corrupt also, warped by their bleak and immoral surroundings. Throughout their quest they are repeatedly tested, interrogated, attacked, persecuted and betrayed and so tend to become amoral and frustrated themselves, losing all faith in their world, despite these strong and mysterious flaws in character the conventional film noir male/hero still sets to unravel the mystery set and re-establish good. A common word to describe a film noir male/hero is an “anti-hero”, which means that even though they set out to do good actions and make the world a better place, their character and goals are antithetical to traditional heroism. They are well-known for a “shoot first and ask questions later” approach, and are more inclined to break the law to achieve their aims. Main examples of these anti-heroes are private investigator Sam Spade, private-eye Philip Marlowe, police detective Mark McPherson, investigator Jim Reardon and chief officer Mike Vargas.
Another key component of film noir is the settings, and how they’re shown and treated. Alongside the bleak and dark characters, the setting of film noir is damaged and broken down. It reflects the plot deeply with the battle of morality, heaven between hell by including a large number of churches and cathedrals. There are many contrasts of settings, with a mix between dark, winding streets and deserted, isolated landscapes. Gothic architecture adds a dark grandeur and mystery to plot alongside the labyrinth of the cities. It’s extremely common for these settings to include rain and snow, which not only look impressive but add a feeling of bleakness and depression.
Components like lighting are also pivotal in showing film noir, with a common trait being a deep contrast between light and dark, focusing on morality and battle between good and evil. Certain images of destruction and death are also highlighted with deep intensity. The lighting commonly expresses the feeling of enigma, mystery and suspense by plunging the world of film noir in severe darkness. The use of shadows also reinforces the contrast between the many sides of a character, separating their virtuous side from their vicious.
Camera angles showcase the setting at sharp angles and floating overviews, which adds aesthetic prowess used to capture the viewer’s attention and also to disorientate them. Low angle and high angle shots also express the emotion of superiority between characters.
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