Blog 1: Film Noir

     French Film critics coined the term noir to describe a new genre in American film after the end of WWII. Unlike the feel good and patriotic pictures of the wartime and prewar eras, these new films were dark and dangerous, filled with a violence and corruption that was a complete reversal of the earlier American film trends.

     The silver screen noir genre was influenced directly by the paperbound works of Chandler, Cain and Hammett, whose protagonists were more human, flawed, and earthbound than do-gooders. These dark and brooding men would stop at nothing to discover the truth, be it for their own satisfaction or by some skewed sense of purpose.

     The expressionist visual elements that brought these dark hero's to life were often based upon wet, nighttime urban settings to create an ambiance of smoke hewn cynicism and fatalistic desires. The rain soaked alleyways juxtaposed with unique camera angles often served to accentuate the moody, gloomy nature of the protagonists.

     A distinctive element within the noir style is the femme fatal, a beautiful and deceitful woman who pushes the protagonist into physical or morally compromising situations that disrupt his plans or goals. Unlike the picturesque perfect housewives of the prewar era, these women were independent and cruel mistresses who only acted for their own benefit.

     All of these elements were combined into films which dealt directly with the issues of the day. Corruption, Violence, Danger... these were real, ongoing, concerns that faced postwar Americans, and the films were a means to bring to light and cope with a turbulent time.