A Primer

In the early 1940s a style of filmmaking emerged in Hollywood that  was a clear departure from  what audiences  were used to seeing.   This new style was discernible by the hard lighting, deep shadows and peculiar camera angles, the very elements that most directors had tried to avoid since the earliest days of motion pictures.    These films would also differ in their stories, where the line between good and evil was often blurred, where a sense of despair  prevailed.    And, unlike most of the melodramas that served as a respite for moviegoers during the Great Depression of the 1930s, these films more often than not did not have a congenial ending. That style, which we now know as film noir encompassed a relatively short time span of less than 20 years and essentially ended by the late fifties. Yet today, the interest in these films, both from a technical and cultural perspective  is flourishing.  

For nearly three decades most of the noirs had all but disappeared from public view but their significance has always been recognized by film historians and scholars.   Film schools have long devoted serious study to the subject and a generation of filmmakers has been influenced.  We are now in the midst of  great renewed interest in the genre by those who are just now discovering that unique period of Hollywood filmmaking and the era it reflects.

ORIGIN OF THE TERM

Film Noir is a French term meaning “black film”.  The term was used by French film critics in the late 1940s to describe the style of certain American films they were seeing after WWII.

American films had been popular in France before the war but the German occupation meant that American films would not be seen in  France for nearly five years.  By the time American films returned to France audiences noticed a profound change in the style of  th films they were seeing.  The French critics termed this dark, shadowy style, “film noir.”  It would be some years before  the term was embraced by  American critics.

WHAT IS FILM NOIR?

Any discussion by knowledgeable  fans of film noir will likely provoke debate regarding the actual definition of film noir.  Read any of the many books on the subject or look into any discussion group and you will find a variety of opinions.

Some  think that any  post WWII black and white crime drama qualifies as a noir.  At the other end of the scales are those that subscribe to a narrowly defined set of elements both in storey and cinematic style for a film to be considered a true noir.  Like most  issues  the answer lies somewhere in between.  Everyone knows a western when they see one, which is good for having a clearly defined genre, but it  leaves nothing to debate.  Not so with noir, which evokes differing opinions on just about  every film.  That’s one aspect that makes the genre so appealing.

You might say film noir is in the eye of the beholder, but some things, at least from my perspective, are essential. Foremost, a noir is black and white. This goes to the heart of the genre.  That may seem  obvious but there have been a number of films made in color, which have tried to capture the noir style.  Some critics have even coined the term, “neo noir”,  to describe films like L.A. Confidential and City of Industry.