2. The film noir genre was
born from crime films.
Audiences grew bored
with the criminal
protagonist of gangster
films.
They wanted more of a
hero during war times
It is a more intelligent
genre: German
Expressionists heavily
influenced it with their
mise-en-scene.
Some film noir films have
criminals & private eyes,
but not all private eye or
crime films are film noir.
The majority of film noir
were produced from
1945-ish to 1950-ish.
They became simplified
and too common, but they
did leave a lasting
impression on later
filmmakers.
3. There is no true
definition of what
constitutes a film noir, yet
many films that are
considered film noir
contain similar
characteristics.
Pictured at right:
Humphrey Bogart in The
Maltese Falcon (1941)
4. Mean, nasty places
where anything can
happen at any moment
Violence and crime
occur often, usually
randomly
Sex: strip clubs, bars,
sultry women abound
Cities are grimy, dirty
places with lots of
shadows.
5. In most film noir, fog
obscures and renders a
familiar environment both
unclear and unknown.
Fog’s opacity is symbolic
of the mysterious,
unknowable quality of
both fate and the future.
Its presence usually
foreshadows a turning
point in the film’s plot.
6. What lies under the
water?
The audience can rarely
see below the water’s
surface
This creates apprehension
& suspense on the
viewer’s part.
The water is often
symbolically murky,
choppy, or tumultuous
7. Film noir uses high contrast lighting with lots of
shadows.
Sometimes props are the only source of light
This is called low key lighting.
Little key lighting (principle source of light)
Mostly fill light (lights from side or back)
Comedies and musicals usually use high key
lighting to create uniform light with little contrast,
film noir are the opposite of this effect.
8. What low-key lighting effects do you see in this image of
Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)?
9. A still of the Brox Sisters in 1929’s Singing in the Rain. What do you
notice about the lighting?
10. A film noir is designed to be a
world of paranoia and
entrapment
Male protagonist feels trapped
and overwhelmed by a situation
Chance plays a larger role than
fate
Heavy use of mise-en-scene to
show craziness and entrapment:
Bars or lines in front or behind
character
Tight framing
Canted shots
Odd angles
Slow tracking shots
Backward tracking shots
Pickup on South Street (1953)
11. A “dangerous woman” who traps
or pulls the male protagonist
(usually a common, everyday Joe)
into a world of crime and danger.
She is sexy, dangerous, often filled
with “mad love,” greed, or
jealousy.
Often, one or the other, maybe
both, will die.
The Spider Woman: Why would
the femme fatale be called this as
well?
Ensnares the hero in a web of
danger, lies and death!
Angelina Jolie in TheTourist (2010)
Famke Janssen in Goldeneye (1995)
12. Automobiles, trains,
airplanes and boats are
featured prominently in
film noir.
These means of
conveyance may be
alternately utilized as:
Weapons
Places of isolation, or
Means of escape by the
characters of the film.
Casablanca (1942)
TheTourist (2010)
13. In film noir, a character’s
costume or make-up design
is meant to help illustrate his
or her character to the
audience
Film noir costumes may
convey:
Wealth
Innocence
Guilt
Danger
Temptation
Alexis Bledel, Jamie King & Mickey
Rourke in Sin City (2005)
14. Mirrors and glass – especially broken
glass – figure centrally into many film
noir.
Broken shards of glass are sharp and
dangerous, yet fragile – a metaphor
for life in a film noir.
Reflections in mirrors show that no
one is exempt from reality, and that
all characters are subject to the same
rules.
Mirrors – and the turning of a
mirror’s image – create apprehension
on the viewer’s part. Something or
someone could be on the other side!
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Sin City (2005)
15. Even though pure film noir died out,
its influence can still be seen today.
Small details have been appropriated
from the classics (symbols, lighting,
characters).
Some feel film noir must be black
and white, while others feel that
high contrast can be achieved
through use of vivid colors.
Examples: Mulholland Drive (2001),
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988),
TheTourist (2010) & The Black Dahlia
(2006).
16. Released by Warner Bros. Studios
in 1942
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Stars Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid
Bergman
Set inVichy-occupied WorldWar
II-era Moroccan city of
Casablanca
Elements To Watch For:
Film noir character
relationships
Film noir mise-en-scene
Sense of chance vs. fate
Hero not wanting to be a hero