Intro to Film 10/25/11 Film Noir Film Noir is a term first used by some French critics to describe a group of American films made during and after World War II. The term Film Noir means black or dark cinema. Film noir is the classic period saying to have occurred between 1941 and 1958, beginning with John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon and ending with Orson Welle’s Touch of Evil. Film Noir is identified by its constant opposition of light and shadow, oblique camera angles, and the ways characters
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During the Great Depression and shortly prior to the outbreak of World War II, many of the films produced were “propaganda” type films. Each one designed to cheer the American people’s dismal outlook during the 30s and 40s. However, with World War II and post-war attitudes, these films did little to help the cynicism of the American people. They were more interested in films that were genuine, depicting the harsh view of society from the perspective of everyday people. Nino Frank explains what
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Film Noir A Culture of Seductive Crime Somewhere along a dark alley in the shattered shadowy streets of Hollywood a part of history lies in the tragically neglected culture known as “Film Noir.” An introduction similar to any number of introductions found in any Noir themed novel or film’s initial dawning. Aristocrat or plebeian does not come into account in this culture; those who are iconic to the startup have come from many different backgrounds and even belong to many different cultures
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In the article “Notes on Film Noir”, Paul Schrader, American screenwriter and director, examines the era of the Film Noir. Schrader discussed the origins of the film noir, and its significance for Hollywood and the American Society. The Film Noir began in the early 1940s and continued until the late 1950s. This era of film was said to have been influenced by postwar disillusionment and realism after World War II. The films of this time began to incorporate crime, violence, fear, political corruption
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In 1946 French film critics analysed the films produced in the United States during the war, and drew attention to a new mood of cynicism and dark pessimism that has penetrated into the American cinema. As Paul Schrader noted: ‘french cinephiles soon realized that it was only the beginning: with the first post-war years lighting in Hollywood films was getting darker, characters – more vicious, intonation - more hopeless, and the plots were getting increasingly fatalistic overtones’ (1972: 53). Never
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The early films noir (before being considered noir) were influenced by pulp stories and hard-boiled fiction by authors such as Hammett, Chandler and Caine, whose novels were often a base for the films; as a matter of fact, many of their novels were adapted to films. The attempts to explain film noir were often challenged by the fact that there is no official explanation instead various scholars have formed their own view on what film noir is starting by identifying it either as a genre, cycle,
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brought back Film Noir. This is a genre that usually describes crime dramas and mystery thrillers, but the direct translation is, “dark film” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). The original noir films were mostly in the 1940s and 1950s. This style not only had a mysterious feel, but usually darker lighting and a mysterious protagonist who has a troubled past. This genre lost popularity for some time, but then came back as neo-noir. Being that Chinatown was one of the films that brought noir back, it is
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one of the renowned film noirs in Hollywood cinema culture. The film noir is a French meaning a genre about time (Miyao Lecture 3). There are several characteristics that feature film noir: for example, almost all noir films are crime and action films and revolve around two overarching themes - the irretrievable-ness of time and the emphasis on trust and betrayal (Miyao Lecture 3). Moreover, film noir has its own cinematic techniques to distinguish itself from other genre films, such as flashbacks
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Film noir, which literally translates as ‘black film,’ was a term which was used by a French film critic Nino Frank in 1946 to describe what the film audiences of France where seeing in their theatres When World War II had ended and the Nazi regime had collapsed in 1945. The French audience where greeted with a back log of American films. These crime and detective films where noticed to be darker, more downbeat and moodier than the pervious post war films that these audiences watched. Film noir
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THE PLAGUE Essay Proposal Film noir is a cinematic term used to describe heavily stylized Hollywood crime dramas emphasizing on cynical attitudes, sexual motivations and recurring dark themes. However, film noir is not considered a genre and it is not defined by conventions of setting and conflict but rather by the subtle aspects and details of tone and mood. The two films being compared are Out of the Past and Sin City. Out of the Past was filmed in 1947 and directed by Jacques Tourneur.
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