Film NoirBy Chloe Carman

Film Noir (literally "black film" in French) is a genre of stylish crime dramas, difficult to define, but the 1940s and 1950s were the classic period. Whether works since then can be accurately classed as Noir is a subject of much debate among film critics. Film Noir, and the literature from which it is drawn, is clearly the progenitor of later genres, particularly cyberpunk.

Common subjects of noir films include murder investigations, heists, con games, and (mostly) innocent men or women Wrongly Accused of crime. The double-cross and cigarette smoking are mandatory. Complicated plots are further convoluted by Flashbacks and Flash Forwards — the narration tying everything together, assuming we can trust him.

Noir, in the classic and stylistic sense, is visually darker

than your average gangster picture, playing with light and

long, deep shadows instead of bright, documentary-styled

camera work. This visual motif is so iconic that homages

and parodies are almost universally Deliberately

Monochrome, using a transition between colour and black

and white where necessary. Scenes are often filmed on

location, and night scenes are shot at night. Camera

angles are often very creative and unusual, heightening

the viewers sense of unease, adding to the atmosphere.

The contrast between light and dark is sometimes used in

the cinematography to reflect the difference between the

villain and the protagonist(s). the combination of brooding

sets with convoluted plots and you have the basis of the

genre-defining works. It rains most every night in Film

Noir; filmmakers admit that this is entirely because at

night wet pavement looks cooler than dry. Also, the rain

makes it plausible that no one else is around.

The Anti-Hero is the most common protagonist of the Noir — a man alienated from society, suffering an existential crisis. Frequently portrayed as a disillusioned, cynical police officer or private-eye and played by a fast-talking actor, the Anti-Hero is no fool and doesn't suffer fools gladly. He faces morally ambiguous decisions and battles with a world that seems like it is out to get him and/or those closest to him. Expect any woman to be called a "skirt."

The setting is often a large, oppressive city (filmed in dark and dusky conditions to create a moody atmosphere), with Mexico often playing a big role. Familiar haunts include dimly-lit bars, nightclubs filled with questionable clientele (including, the Gangster) whom the lead may intimidate for information, gambling dens, juke joints and the ubiquitous seedy waterfront warehouse. At night in the big city, you can bet the streets are slick with rain, reflecting streetlights like a Hopper painting. Most of the characters (including the lead) are cynical, misanthropical and hopeless all the way through the film, and never find true redemption.

The tone and outlook of Film Noir must be bleak, defeatist,

and pessimistic — it always suggests a sliminess beyond

what it can show. Nobody gets what they want, and

everyone gets what's coming to them. Characters are

often armed — revolvers, Colt 1911s, and if they need

More Dakka, tommy guns. They'll probably wear a Fedora

or trilby hat with a trench coat. Frequently the ending will

be low-key and leave no one character happy or fulfilled.

Commonly, there is also a great deal of sexual tension

between the hero and the female lead; Noir stories are

quite risqué. The original Film Noir era followed the Hays

Code, so the odds of a female lead removing her clothing

are minimal. This applies to modern versions; gratuitous

nudity or scenes of excessive violence are hinted at rather

than portrayed. It is often what is not seen that adds to the

mystery and suspense.

Film Noir works are often low on exposition to heighten

tension, keeping the audience guessing until the final

unraveling. The conclusion takes place in the closing

moments, ties up all the loose ends, answers many (if not

all) of the major questions and keeps the morally

ambiguous theme of the work intact. These factors

contribute to the widely-held opinion that Film Noir works

are among the best artistic works of all time despite their

grim settings and contemptible characters.

Characters associated with Film

Noir:Anti-Hero

Bad Cop/Incompetent

Cop

The Chanteuse

The Cynic

Deadpan Snarker

Detective Animal

Dirty Cop

Femme Fatale

Hardboiled Detective

Jerk with a Heart of Gold

Knight in Sour Armor

The Mafia and other

organized crime.

Mysterious Woman

The Snark Knight

Other tropes associated with Film Noir:

Always Night

City Noir

Deliberately Monochrome

Dutch Angle

Emerging from the

Shadows

Everybody Smokes

Going by the Matchbook

Gray Rain of Depression

Minor Crime Reveals

Major Plot

Private Eye Monologue

Smoking Is Cool

Sympathy for the Devil

Weather Report Narration

All information from:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FilmNoir

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