JC - Film Noir Genre Analysis

The 'Noir' genre originated in the early 1940s, from the influence of German Expressionism in the arts. The power of the Nazi party within Germany led people to flee the coutry, and many artists emigrated to Hollywood, having a direct influence on film-making and introducing a genre that is established and still in operation today.

Film Noir is now most commonly applied as a sub-genre to Thriller (and thus is useful for research purposes), and its common themes are stylistic Hollywood dramas, which emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation, described as pessimistic and representing a world that is inherently corrupt. The classic Film Noir era is said to represent the social landscape of the time - depicting the heightened anxiety and alienation experienced following the end of World War Two.

The main characteristics and conventions of Film Noir are:

Visual Style

• Low-key lighting - to produce light/dark contrasts; often includes the use of venetian blinds or banister rods (iconography)
• Low angled, canted (dutch) angled, and wide-angled shots
• Night-for-night shooting

Narrative

• Flashbacks
• Convoluted, complex storylines
• Voiceovers

Plots and characters

• Characters are often morally flawed, misunderstood and full of existential angst
• Common stock characters include 'hardboiled' detectives, femmes fatales, corrupt policemen and jealous husbands
• Crime - murder in particular - is usually an element of Noir plots
• Protagonists within storylines are often described as alienated
• Urban sets