Style
Setting
Aspects of film noir

Often takes place in the
city

At night


Dark, low-key lighting and
Chiaroscuro (high contrast)
lighting
Dense shadows
Silhouettes
Oblique/skewed lines (not
perpendicular):
Oblique lines/angles create
visual tension
Strong atmosphere of
dread and paranoia
Unbalanced, complex
compositions
(think mise-en-scene)
Male protagonist/ alienated hero,
lone individual who embodies his
own moral code/code of law
Femme fatale: desirable woman
who is dangerous (she is like a
black widow who
weaves a web of entanglement)
All characters (even minor
characters) are morally
ambivalent/ unsure





Characterization




Plot/narrative
story telling






Usually convoluted and
incoherent plot lines/Narratives
have intricate plots
Subjective storytelling techniques
like voice-overs and
flashbacks
Sudden violence
Story is usually a mystery
Story usually does not have a
happy ending
Unsentimental dialogue
film noir in Chinatown