American Film
Comparative Study
American Film –
Comparative Study
Context
1. Why are the classic noir films obsessed with the
femme fatale?
2. Why are the male protagonists usually loners?
3. Why is the look of the films so stylised?
4. List some classic noir film titles.
5. What effect did the Second World War have on the
films? Think both style and content.
American Film –
Comparative Study
Context
1. What rules were in place in the 1940s that affected
the content of films made then?
2. What effect did it have on Film Noir?
3. The noir films had to adopt a series of subtle
signifiers to convey atmosphere. Give some
examples.
4. Why are the male protagonists usually loners?
5. What was a B-Movie and how did they affect the
noir style?
American Film –
Comparative Study
Style
1. What characterises costume in noir?
2. What themes/narrative structures
characterise the genre?
3. What is characteristic about noir lighting?
4. Where are noir films usually set?
5. What is characteristic about the dialogue in
Film Noir?
American Film –
Comparative Study
Narrative
1. What factors constitute a typical noir plot?
2. What is a common device used to structure a
typical noir plot?
3. How does narrative structure affect the way
we judge character actions?
American Film –
Comparative Study
Neo-Noir
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Can you name any examples of neo-noir?
What is the difference between parody and pastiche?
What factors separate neo-noir from classic noir?
What do we mean by ‘playfulness’ in neo-noir?
How has the production context changed from the 40s
to the 90s?
6. How has the portrayal of women changed from classic
noir to neo-noir?
7. How has the portrayal of men changed?
American Film –
Comparative Study
Edward
Hopper’s
paintings
were said to
have been a
visual
influence on
the noir
style. In
what way?
American Film –
Comparative Study
What is it about this
image from a noir film
that has clear genre
signifiers?
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
American Film –
Comparative Study
What is it about this
image from a noir film
that has clear genre
signifiers?
American Film –
Comparative Study
What is it about this
image from a noir film
that has clear genre
signifiers?
American Film –
Comparative Study
What is it about this
image from a noir film
that has clear genre
signifiers?
American Film –
Comparative Study
What is it about this
image from a noir film
that has clear genre
signifiers?
Double Indemnity
1. What factors make the film a ‘quintessential’
noir?
2. Give an example how a key scene
demonstrates:
•
gender issues
•
key noir style in mise-en-scene,
iconography, etc
•
40s ideology
The Last Seduction
1. What factors make the film a ‘quintessential’
neo-noir?
2. Give an example how a key scene demonstrates:
•
gender issues
•
•
key noir style in mise-en-scene, iconography, etc
90s ideology
3. Is The Last Seduction a B-Movie? Explain.
American Film –
Comparative Study
1. List comparisons between Double Indemnity
and The Last Seduction. Use examples.
2. List contrasts between Double Indemnity and
The Last Seduction. Use examples.