film noir and drama - genre partner project
TRANSCRIPT
WHAT IS FILM NOIR?
Film Noir is a film tone that typically has these
features…
It is often dark
Has a murder mystery
A femme fatal character
A private eye
Lots of silhouettes.
FACTS!
It began as an artistic movement in 1910-1920.
It took off in the 1930s onwards.
Film Noir literally translates as “Black Film.”
Film Noir developed during and after WW2 and
highlighted the pessimistic attitudes at the time.
HOW HAS IT CHANGED OVERTIME. .?
Film Noir hadn’t been altered much till 1970.
The only change was a sub-feature named Neo-
Noir
It reversed the role that typical Film Noir movies
originally set out to do. It reminded the audience
that they were only watching and not participating in
the story happening on screen
MILDRED PIERCE
Director: Michael Curtiz
Distributing company: Warner Brothers
Released: 20th October 1945
Basic Plot: A woman who dotes on her two children faces
rough times after her husband abandons her, she starts up
her own business, and her new husband is killed in her
own home.
SUNSET BOULEVARD
Director: Billy Wilder
Distributing company: Paramount
Released: 17 August 1950
Basic Plot: A fading silent movie star gets her return
to the screen when a script writer (who becomes her
lover) writes her a way into the life she didn’t wish to
leave behind. A murder mystery surrounds this.
TOUCH OF EVIL
Director: Orson Welles
Distributing company: Universal Pictures
Released: 23 April 1958
Basic Plot: A Mexican officer cuts his honeymoon short to
deal with the death of an American man who had a bomb
placed in his car. Whilst investigating his suspects, they
have plans in store starting with the Mexican officer’s wife.
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Director: Edmund Goulding
Distributing company: Twentieth Century Fox
Released: 28 October 1947
Basic Plot: A threesome, consisting of an ambitious
carnie, an alcoholic husband and a fake mind
reading wife work the crowds at the carnival.
THE BIG SLEEP
Director: Howard Hawks
Distributing company:
Released: 31 August 1946
Basic Plot: A private eye is hired by a dying man to
investigate a few family issues before he passes on. As he
probes further, he finds it leads to the disappearance of a
favoured employee that left with a known mobster’s wife.
WHAT DID I LEARN FROM THESE MOVIES. . .?
Film Noir, has very similarly linked features
throughout all movies in this style.
Creating dark shadows and silhouettes is key in
Film Noire.
The femme fatale character has to be incredibly
seducing to make it 100% believable.
•Drama has always been an essential genre.•Dramas, as the name suggests are very dramatic and can leave the viewer in shock or leave them excited about what they have viewed.•Music is always used very well in Dramas to enhance the mood that has been set. •Romantic dramas started to be released in the 1950’s and were very popular and still are, with female audiences.
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION OF DRAMA
TITANICDirector: James CameronDistributing company: Twentieth Century FoxReleased: December 19,1997.Basic Plot: The maiden ship, Titanic sets off for New York and love blossoms between a young socialite and a poor artist.History: It is a 1997 American drama/romance movie. The production of the film began in 1995. The movie was partially funded by paramount pictures and 20th century fox.
CASABLANCADirector: Michael CurtizDistributing company: Warner BrothersReleased: 23rd January 1943Basic Plot: Set in Africa during the 1940s, Humphrey Bogart stars as a man with a past trying to hide the past. He meets his former lover at his own bar and things begin to get complicated.
BEASTLYDirector: Daniel BarnzDistributing company: CBS FilmsReleased: 22nd April 2011Basic Plot: It is like the "Beauty and the Beast" but in modern times, where a vain New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to get over his looks to find true love.
DEJA VU
Director: Henry JaglomDistributing company: Jagtonia FilmsReleased: 16th October 1998Basic Plot: A shop owner and an Englishman meet and falls in love at the very first time but the man is married and the woman is to marry her business partner.
HONEYDirector: Bille WoodruffDistributing company: Universal PicturesReleased: 12th March 2004Basic Plot: It is about a young dance teacher in a local community center who manages to become a backup dancer in music videos. She ends up dating a barber which leads to problems with her new found career.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIREDirectors: Danny Boyle & Loveleen TandanDistributing company: Universal PicturesReleased: 9th March 2008Basic Plot: A young teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?“ As the movie progresses, you see how his life story helped him answer his questions correctly and win “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”
HOW DO THE FILMS FIT IN WITH THE CONVENTIONS
Titanic: The characters where very emotional which is a typical convention of Drama.
Casablanca: The story of love in this film is a plot which is often seen in Dramas.
Beastly: When the two characters meets and fall in love even though the male has been cursed in order to find true love makes it very dramatic as it shows that love has no ugly side.
CONVENTIONS
Déjà vu: When things get complicated among the lovers
and things start to collide.
Honey: Having exactly what you want in life before it goes
wrong. This typically happens in Dramas.
Slumdog Millionaire: Shows how love prevails no matter
what, which is typical of Dramas.