GENRE
= type or category that most films fit most
comfortably in. These formulas were
crystallized in the Classical Hollywood
period and still define how most movies
are made and marketed today.
Samples of Genres
western
Gangster/crime
Science fiction
musicals
Film Noir Characteristics






“dark” or “black” film
a style, not a genre (scholastically,
although this is debated)
Influenced visually and thematically by
German Expressionism (sense of
impending and utter fatalism) and French
films of 1930s
Popular pulp novelists: Dashiell Hammett,
Raymond Chandler
Influenced by Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane
(1941)
Atmosphere and morality of film noir is
obscure and ambiguous
Film Noir
Film Noir Characteristics Cont’d:






Greed, corruption, lust, violence, and horror
Plots often convoluted
Hero is outlaw, misfit, or jaded gumshoe
(private eye) – “lone wolf”
“Femme fatale” (do NOT trust this woman!)
Corrupt politician, crooked cop, bad girl, insane
killer
Settings are often urban (night, dirty streets, rundown buildings)
“Femme fatale” (do NOT trust
this woman!)
Visual Style






- Tend to use dramatic shadows, stark contrast, low-key lighting,
and black-and-white rather than color
- Typical film shot in a 10:1 ratio of dark to light (typical movie is
3:1 ratio)
- shot on location in cities, night time shooting was common to
get that really dark look
- Shadows of Venetian blinds, dramatically cast upon an actor's
face as he or she looks out a window, are a commonly used
visual in film noir.
- known for its use of low angle shots and wide angle lenses.
- include shots of people in mirrors, shots through a glass, and
multiple exposures.
- shot on location in cities, night time shooting
was common to get that really dark look
- Tend to use dramatic shadows, stark contrast, low-key
lighting, and black-and-white rather than color
Shadows of Venetian blinds
Classical Film Noir








The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Key Largo (1948)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Notorious (1946)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
The Wrong Man (1956)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Classic Period (1940s and 1950s )
Neo-Noir
Neo-Noir
Examples/Recommendations:











Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)
Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)
Body Heat (Kasdan, 1981)
Blade Runner (R. Scott, 1981)
The Grifters (Frears, 1990)
Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992)
The Last Seduction (Dahl, 1994)
Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)
Fargo (Coen, 1996)
L.A. Confidential (Hanson, 1997)
Collateral (Mann, 2004)
Other Neo-Noir Examples:








Scarface (DePalma, 1983)
The Untouchables (DePalma, 1987)
Cape Fear (Scorsese, 1991)
Basic Instinct (Verhoeven, 1992)
Muholland Falls (Tamahori, 1996)
Sin City (Rodriguez, 2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
Brick (Johnson, 2005)
Chinatown (1974)

“The most American film genre, because no
society could have created a world so filled with
doom, fate, fear and betrayal, unless it were
essentially naive and optimistic.”
Roger Ebert
Double Indemnity (1944)
Billy Wilder (1906-2002)
Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990)
Fred MacMurray (1908-1991)
Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973)
Assignment

While viewing Double Indemnity (1944), create a
list of film noir characteristics and visual
elements evident in the film. Be specific and
create a minimum of 5 examples today.
Film Journal



25 pts
Watch a film noir (classical or neo-noir) and
discuss what characteristics of film noir are
evident in the film.
½ pg – 1 pg in length