The term film noir comes from the french term for black film. Classic film noir in the criterion collection cinema cities. Complete film noir 1940 thru 1965 page 1 of 15 consensus film noir 1940 thru 1959 19601965 iinternet movie database 23march2011 e film noir encyclopedia. Therefore, the composition of this list may be controversial. The film study guides in this booklet have been used. Film noir definition of film noir by merriamwebster. Aug 17, 2011 the third man is director carol reeds 1949 noir starring among others joseph cotten, and is adapted from graham greenes novella of the same name. The film noir encyclopedia directors guild of america. There are certainly books on film noir that might display more engaging prose, be more accessible to the casual fan, or just outandout be more noirish and sexy. Characteristics in addition to unsettling narrative themes of ambiguity and violent death, certain stylistic characteristics immediately come to mind when discussing film noir stark, angular shadows. Film noir movies include many different genres of movies. Campus circle about the author john grant hewitt, nj is the scottishborn author of some 60 books, including encyclopedia of walt disneys animated characters, masters of animation, and a number of movie pocket references. The philosophy of film noir, 2006 online research library.
Action cinema cinema and media studies oxford bibliographies. With over 200 entries on films, directors, and actors, the encyclopedia of film noir is the most complete resource for film fans, students, and scholars. Brian mcdonnell new zealandbased film studies scholars mayer and mcdonnell list and describe approximately films, actors, and directors of the film noir genre in alphabetically arranged entries. Oct 01, 20 john grants a comprehensive encyclopedia of film noir will please newcomers and obsessives with the attention to detail and gorgeous photographs. The genre was prevalent mostly in american crime dramas of the post world war ii era. Its sleazy milieu of claustrophobic alleyways and deserted docklands alternates with. Films may be categorized according to a variety of systems. There are two terrific filmnoir series taking place in new york right now, one at film forum, femmes noir, the other, at the museum of modern art, lady in the dark. May 06, 2020 first sound film was in 1927 with the jazz singer. Other common elements of the tradition have a female representing the femme fatale character, snappy dialog, an urban setting, lowlighting, crime, and. Film noir is one of hollywoods only organic artistic movements. In such cases the absence of friction would make it impossible to create or to destroy vortex motion.
French critics assigned the term film noir in 1946, citing a trending confluence of american film elements antiheroic characters, biting dialog shot from the hip, and bold visual design. Taylor, based on the novel, dentre les morts, by pierre boileau and thomas narcejac, with contributing writer maxwell anderson uncredited. Film noir simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A hybrid genre that fuses the moral landscape of the western and the urban settings of film noir and police procedurals, the action film as we know it today is a relatively new genre, having taken shape in the late 1960s and early 1970s and become a fully recognized and immensely popular cinematic form in the 1980s. An encyclopedia reference to the american style, that noir films have no precise antecedents either in terms of a well defined literary genre or a period in history ward, 1. By tracing the advent of film noir in the context of industry aims, target audiences, censorship and. Raymond chandler, who debuted as a novelist with the big sleep in 1939, soon became the most famous author of the hardboiled school. Lets try to create a list of 14 characteristics starting with features common to all most film noirs. Film noir definition is a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music. Neonlit dark streets at night that are wet as if it had just rained. Lang was soon forced to take on a variety of lowbudget projects, and was temporarily blacklisted during the mccarthy era due to his association with writer bertolt brecht, a known communist sympathizer. At that time, the term signified an unexpected strain of maturity in contemporary american film, marking the end of a creatively ossified era and the beginning of a bold new one. Neo noir definition of neo noir by the free dictionary.
As a result, night and the city is one of the strongest examples of film noir expressionism and it presents london as an urban hell a world of dark shadows, desperate individuals and derelict buildings. Below, we have eberts ten essential comments, slightly abridged, on what film noir is 1. Genre comes from the french word meaning kind, category, or type. Joseph gordon levitt brendan is a typical film noir character, his brain works fast but his mouth works faster. Encyclopedia of film noir geoff mayer, brian mcdonnell. Noir has its roots in hardboiled fiction, such as raymond chandler and james m. John grants a comprehensive encyclopedia of film noir will please newcomers and obsessives with the attention to detail and gorgeous photographs. It is indeed a beacon of light in an artful landscape of darkness.
The encyclopedia is an essential reference work for students of film and for movie fans who love plying cinemas mean streets. One of the most comprehensive but far from complete references, alain silver and elizabeth wards film noir. Mar 29, 2020 a film genre isnt its theme or topic, but there may be overlap. Every film listed in the film noir encyclopedia 4th edition. This resource gives teachers additional tools for using film tested study guides, syllabi, student papers, references, and internet resources. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. The essential elements of film noir explained in one grand. It has deep ties to the careers of some of the biggest icons in the golden age of hollywood, including humphrey bogart, robert mitchum, barbara stanwyck, orson welles, lauren bacall, and so many more. It also features a set of visual and narrative attributes that can be found across many genres, from. Characteristics of film noir their iconography repeated visual patterning consists of images of the dark, nighttime city, its streets damp with rain which reflects the flashing neon signs. Stanley cortezs high contrast cinematography helps highlight a lot of the juxtaposition to be found in the film, and the overall themes of good versus evil and love versus hate as exemplified on harry powells hands.
He says things that a normal high school student wouldnt say. Classic period by alain silver, elizabeth ward, james ursini and robert porfirio. And to learn about any film noir that is not american, the reader will have to go elsewhere. The historical dictionary of film noir is a comprehensive guide that ranges from 1940 to present day neo noir.
Released the month before langs m, city streets has a claim to being the first major film noir. Gender in film noir filmcinema studies bibliographies. Audiences saw morally compromised people doing immoral things. Beginning in the early 1940s, numerous screenplays inspired by hardboiled american crime fiction were brought to the screen, primarily by european emigre directors who shared a certain storytelling sensibility. Tourist landmarks such as trafalgar square and piccadilly circus, along with other parts of the city, were transformed into a consistent. Lavishly illustrated with judiciously selected stills, the encyclopedia accepts the notion that film noir isnt simply a genre of the 1940s and 50s, of male apprehensions about women, of postwar economic malaise and idiosyncratic lighting techniques, or a style with an umbilical cord tied to the aesthetics of 1920s german expressionism. A french term meaning black film, or film of the night. Roger ebert lists the 10 essential characteristics of noir films.
This time he writes on classic noir characteristics, and brings together much of his thinking on the grim themes and louche stylistic mannerisms of the genre. Given its doomladen world, film noir offers the voyeuristic pleasure of watching transgression play itself out. The sound of noir matured and solidified in b films of the 50s and television shows of the 60s, and at the center of it all was henry mancini. Mccarthyism, the house committee on unamerican activities, and the caper. These elements can all be present in a film noir, but sometimes just one or two of these elements can be strong enough to create the tone and mood of film noir.
An encyclopedia of the american style, begins in 1927 and ends in the present, lisling over 500 motion pictures of various stylistic and ge. His peter gunn television work featured the most familiar noir theme since laura, and exemplified the extent to which big band and latin beats had become inescapably associated with the look and feel of. The primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an. Other common elements among many of the films are retrospectively.
Film noirs tended to use lowkey lighting schemes producing stark lightdark contrasts and dramatic shadow patterning. Film noir is a term used to describe crime drama movies from hollywood that are often focused on sex, crime, and corruption film noir movies were mostly made from the early 1940s to the late 1950s in the united states, and they were usually filmed in blackandwhite. The film noir encyclopedia is an instructive, analytical, intellectual approach to film noir. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an expert in this field, e. Sometimes the male heroes are featured as amnesiacs, a situation that absolutely creates a feeling of social estrangement and disillusionment. The primary literary influence on film noir was the hardboiled school of american detective and crime fiction, led in its early years by such writers as dashiell hammett whose first novel, red harvest, was published in 1929 and james m. A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. He is looked down on by the upper crust, populated with people like brad beamish, who bores everyone telling anyone who will listen that the coach should have put him.
But after staring at a blank screen for five hours, i can see why the buck had been passed to me. I had a pitcher of juice and a blank screen to work with. Neonoir films also update themes and content to fit with current society. Snappy, cynical dialog noticeable lack of sentimentality, pervasive hardboiled characters trenchcoats, smoking unfiltered cigarettes moral protagonist in a seamy, wholly immoral.
Roger ebert lists the 10 essential characteristics of noir. Film noir, style of filmmaking characterized by such elements as cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, and frequent use of flashbacks. An analysis of the low budget and series film noirs provides information on those cult classics. The encyclopedia of film noir is designed to provide an accessible yet scholarly, userfriendly but researchinformed, comprehensive account of the phenomenon of. Alain silver and james ursini are the authors of film noir. Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish hollywood crime dramas. Film noir movies were mostly made from the early 1940s to the late 1950s in the united states, and they were usually filmed in blackandwhite. Film noir can be adapted to just about any genre western, scifi, etc, etc and can be set in any country or time period. At that time, the term signified an unexpected strain of maturity in contemporary american film, marking the end.
Then apply your knowledge to making your very own film noir. The film noir encyclopedia by alain silver, hardcover barnes. Film noir is a style of american filmmaking from the 1940s and 50s characterized by detective protagonists, seedy settings, shadowy lighting, and a fatalistic tone. They also exhibit an existential acceptance of random, arbitrary occurrences as being the determining factors in life. In 1946, french film critics coined the term film noir, meaning black or dark film, to describe a newly emergent quality in wartime hollywood films. Horror films may incorporate incidents of physical violence and psychological terror. But, besides these technical cinematic characteristics, there are a number of themes that characterize film noir, such as the inversion of traditional values and the corresponding moral ambivalence e. Film noir the art and popular culture encyclopedia. An exemplar of both the femme fatale and the woman in distress. A former police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with a hauntingly beautiful woman. Primary characteristics and conventions of film noir. A list of 154 films compiled on letterboxd, including after dark, my sweet 1990, against all odds 1984, at close range 1986, bad influence 1990 and bad lieutenant 1992. Women in film noir film noir mirror the culture of contemporary america. Genres refers to recurring, repeating and similar, familiar or instantlyrecognizable patterns, styles, themes, syntax, templates, paradigms, motifs.
Robinson 1945 25 noir films that will stand the test of time. Judy garlands 10 best movies film noir is a style that goes back decades, and has persisted into the modern era. Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Campus circle about the author john grant hewitt, nj is the scottishborn author of some 60 books, including encyclopedia of walt disneys animated characters, masters of animation, and a. A companion to film noir encyclopedia 4th edition neonoir list. Projections blog this issue has been revised, updated and redesigned, and will provide lovers of the genre with even more. Mar 02, 2009 in film noir the male protagonist is often a detective or an otherwise social alienated individual. Expressionism and film history expressionism actress. But there are a core group of elements that define film noir. Both films are suffused with a film noir atmosphere, as are woman in the window 1944 and scarlet street 1945. However, if you view it as being a mood movie, where neo noir makes those watching it feel the same emotions that film noir did in the past with its use of the same film techniques of lowkey lighting and disturbing misenscene for the modern audience, then yes it is. Hollywoods classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s.
Edeson later photographed the maltese falcon 1941, widely regarded as the first major film noir of the classic era. Modern updates are made within neonoir in terms of media and visual elements. The shadows of venetian blinds or banister rods, cast upon an actor, a wall, or an entire set, are an iconic visual in film noir and had already become a cliche well before the neonoir era. The film fits the argument of film noir being a style over a genre as it doesnt share the usual plot components. Vertigo this post is my way of celebrating the 60 th. Georgia state university professor palmer covers the noir by zooming in on a few select examples from the film noir genre murder, my sweet, taxi driver, double indemnity, vertigo, etc. Neonoir refers to modern film that takes on the characteristics of filmnoir. The exact parameters of film noir are still up for debate some argue that true noir films were made during a specific period, the postworld war ii. It consists of a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, a filmography, and over 400 crossreferenced dictionary entries on every aspect of film noir and neo noir, including key films, personnel actors, cinematographers. Noir is a french word meaning black, and although film noir literally means black film, it refers to the mood of the films made between 1940 and 1959 on blackandwhite film stock, in which a male protagonist is usually led to his destruction by a femme fatale.
Dec 09, 2015 film noir can be adapted to just about any genre western, scifi, etc, etc and can be set in any country or time period. Multiple bigname directors have tried their hand at film noir, with. Ironically, it was these same b movie actors and directors, more attuned to the changing times, who saved the majors, ushering in the new hollywood, what was for. Film noir uncyclopedia, the contentfree encyclopedia. Watch scarlet street, fritz langs censored noir film, starring the great edward g. Wedding a style and story both with many noir characteristics, released the month before langs m, city streets has a claim to being the first major film noir. Abandoned 1949 the accused 1949 ace in the hole 1951 act of violence 1949. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienation and examining the tensions and issues of the cultural identity of a nation or historical period. To simplify the analysis, vortex motion usually describes motions in a frictionless fluid. Film noir is unique in comparison to other film genres in history. Film noir is a term used to describe crime drama movies from hollywood that are often focused on sex, crime, and corruption. Learn the basics of three point lighting and some of the tools for shooting film noir so you can start to analyse the look of films shot in this unique style.
Film noir of this era is associated with a lowkey blackandwhite visual style that has roots in german expressionist. Film noir and neonoir are cinema styles that date as early as the 1940s and continue into the twentyfirst century. Neo noir fails at its attempts to become film noir from that perspective. Neo noir synonyms, neo noir pronunciation, neo noir translation, english dictionary definition of neo noir. Film noir indicates a darker perspective upon life than was standard in classical hollywood films and concentrates upon human depravity, failure, and despair. The film noir encyclopedia silver, alain, ward, elizabethm, ursini, james on. Film genres are various forms or identifiable types, categories, classifications or groups of films. Film noir literally black film or black cinema was coined by french film critics first by nino frank in 1946 who noticed the trend of how dark, downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many american crime and detective films released in france to theatres during and following world war ii, such as the maltese falcon 1941, murder, my sweet 1944, double indemnity 1944, the.
This detective fiction then influenced cinema and became film noir, developing the tropes were familiar with from humphrey bogart and co. Those moods were often derived from the plots of cheap, pulp fiction crime novels. The heroes of noir generally share certain qualities, such as moral ambiguity, a fatalistic outlook, and alienation from society. Some jock had slipped me fifty bucks to write his media studies report on film noir. Cain whose the postman always rings twice appeared five years later, and popularized in pulp magazines such as black mask. Showing a film to a class or having students watch the film on their own is only a prerequisite to using film as an instructional tool. Many film noir characteristics were the result of an interaction between filmmakers, new filmmaking techniques, and a tension and uncertainty that lay underneath the patriotism and optimism of the 1940s. The genre established memorable cinematic elements and tropes that influence filmmakers to this day. When viewers think of film noir, they often picture actors like humphrey bogart playing characters like sam spade in the maltese falcon, the film based on the. Film noir is not a clearly defined genre see here for details on the characteristics. Horror film, motion picture calculated to cause intense repugnance, fear, or dread. The universal horror film that comes closest to noir, in story and sensibility, is the invisible man 1933, directed by englishman james whale and photographed by american arthur edeson. An encyclopedia of the american style, begins in 1927 and ends in the present, lisling over 500 motion pictures of various stylistic and ge neric descriptions. Cinema then influenced fiction again to create noir fiction, which differs from hardboiled, as it doesnt put the detective at the centre of the story.