Film Noir

Film Noir

What is film Noir:

Film Noir motion pictures that are often set in grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair.

Film Noir:

The genre of Film Noir, derived from the French term meaning “black film”, is a style of many classic black and white Hollywood crime movies. For a film to be defined as the Film Noir genre it has to consist of many different elements. Most Film Noir films are usually shot in dark colours and use the very sudden bright flashes of over exposure. Low angled cantered shots are also used frequently in this genre of film. These shots are used commonly to portray tension or psychological uneasiness. Film Noir films do not often show a person directly, instead by using disorientated reflections in mirrors or the use of unusual special effects a part of the person is seen. This type of film frequently uses flash backs and flash forwards to convey the plot and the current setting across to the audience. The protagonist or lead actor to also help portray the plot provides voice over narration often in film noir genre films.

Plot:

Another quality that separates film noir from other genres of the film is story line. A film noir storyline almost always has a murder or other crime as its central theme or plot. Often private detectives or police detectives are part of the cast and usually there are many suspicions, accusations and betrayals.

Femme Fatale:
One of the most important elements of film noir is the ‘femme fatale’, a beautiful and dangerous women knows what she wants and just how to get it. The actresses who played these roles gained in their own right and many times deserved and received equal billing with the films star. There is a special appeal for their characters and they are indispensable to great film noir.

Where:

This genre of film often takes place in very large or crowded places and urban settings. For example in places such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, with the action taking place in bars, nightclubs, lounges, dimly lit alleyways and streets in and around these cities. Film noir films often portray the underbelly of a society telling the stories of people who are ill-fated, although not usually as a result of their own wrongdoing.