Film Discussions #1 Film Noir

High heels clicking on the wet pavement, a private eye - embittered by the cards life has dealt him - his face shadowed by the venetian blinds on his window, murder and moral ambiguity so thick you can cut it with a knife . . . aah, you're watching a classic film noir.

The name film noir refers to a specific type of film which really didn't show up on the screens until the 1940s, one could argue that the very first noir(ish) film was M, released in 1931 and directed by Fritz Lang. This film marks Peter Lorre's first starring role, who later became a staple of the classic noirs.

Peter Loree as Hans Beckert in Fritz Lang's M

The film noir look is very much taken from German Expressionism, which was popular in the very early 1900s. To be very specific, film noir, although a French phrase, is so very deeply influenced by German/Viennese directors and techniques that it could arguably go by the name Schwarzer Film, but let's face it, film noir sounds much better. Now, the intro above is very stereotypical, but there is a check list of things to look for in a film noir. Knowing these can also help you recognize a director who is influenced by this genre in modern films.

The (classic) Film Noir Checklist

VISUAL KEYS
black and white (obviously)
Low-key lighting
dramatic use of shadows/silhouettes (i.e. the blinds casting a shadow on an actor)
Dutch angles (camera tilted at an obscure angle to insinuate tension or unease)
use of mirrors, glass, or reflective objects to show characters (example - the murder of Muriel in Strangers on a Train)

an example of Dutch angle filming.

STRUCTURE
convoluted story lines (flashbacks and forwards used to disrupt the flow of the story)
narration usually by the protagonist
experimentation in structure (Sunset Boulevard - story is told by a dead man. Lady in the Lake - shot entirely from Philip Marlowe's point of view)

Strangulation scene from Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

PLOT/CHARACTERS
first and foremost a crime of some sort, most typically murder
the investigation of said crime by a seedy private eye or renegade police detective
a motive of greed or jealousy
moral ambiguity usually involving theft or adultery and seduction
double crossing and false accusations
CIGARETTE SMOKING!!
protagonist is usually very flawed (the beginning of the Antihero) and 
as mentioned above embittered

The "venetian blinds casting a shadow on the face" very classic noir technique.

SETTING
usually set in one of four cities - Chicago, New York, LA, or San Francisco
setting is presented rather labyrinthine or maze like
gambling spots, clubs, lounges and bars are often used
the climax most likely takes place in a complex and industrial setting (factory, train yard etc)
look for many night time shots and frequent rain

In general, you get the feel of pessimism.

another example of the creative use of shadows.

So, we've gone through our check list, now let's talk about some of the great faces and films of this excellent genre.

Jay Adler - The Big Combo (1955)
Dana Andrews - Where The Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Mary Astor - The Maltese Falcon (1941) also known as The Cameo Girl
Lauren Bacall - Key Largo (1948) Dark Passage (1947)
William Bendix - The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Humphrey Bogart - The Maltese Falcon (1941) Dark Passage (1947) Dead Reckoning (1947) (essentially any film Bogey had a role in during the 1940s is a film noir)
James Cagney - appeared and starred in films that brought about the film noir period - such as The Public Enemy (1931), and Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) then White Heat (1949) and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
Joseph Cotten - The Third Man (1949) Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Joan Crawford - The Damned Don't Cry (1950) Possessed (1947) Mildred Pierce (1945)
Tony Curtis - Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949) Criss Cross (1949) The Lady Gambles (1949)
Bette Davis - Another Man's Poison (1951) Deception (1946)
Kirk Douglas - Detective Story (1951) Ace in the Hole (1951) I Walk Alone (1948)
Glenn Ford - Affair in Trinidad (1950) Convicted (1950) Gilda (1946)
Ava Gardner - The Bribe (1949) The Killers (1946)
Sydney Greenstreet - a slew! including Ruthless (1948)The Verdict (1946) Conflict (1945) The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Rita Hayworth - Affair in Trinidad (1952) Gilda (1946)
William Holden - Union Station (1950) Sunset Boulevard (1950) The Dark Past (1948)
Veronica Lake - The Blue Dahlia (1946) The Glass Key (1942) This Gun For Hire (1942)
Burt Lancaster - a slew! including Cris Cross (1949) I Walk Alone (1948) Brute Force (1947) The Killers (1946)
Janet Leigh - Rogue Cop (1954)
Peter Lorre - M (1931) and a slew of films in the 1940s including The Verdict/The Chase/Black Angel (all from 1946) The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Ida Lupino - While the City Sleeps (1956)
Robert Mitchum - Night of the Hunter (1955) His Kind of Woman (1951) The Big Steal (1949) Undercurrent (1946)
Dennis O'Keefe - Woman on the Run (1950) Abandoned (1949)
Dick Powell - Cry Danger (1951) Pitfall (1948) Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Vincent Price - Las Vegas Story (1952) His Kind of Woman (1951) The Web (1947)
Claude Raines - The Unsuspected (1947) Deception (1946) Notorious (1946)
Edward G. Robinson - Black Tuesday (1954) and nearly every film he had a role in during the 1940s - Key Largo (1948) The Red House (1947) The Woman in the Window (1944) Double Indemnity (1944)
Ann Sheridan - The Unfaithful (1947)
Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity (1944)
Gloria Swanson - Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Robert Taylor - Rogue Cop (1954) Undercurrent (1946) Johnny Eager (1942)
Orson Welles - The Third Man (1949) Tomorrow is Forever (1946)
Shelley Winters - I Died A Thousand Times (1955) The Night of the Hunter (1955) Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949)


One thing that I will stress about this genre, in closing, it is not the happy ending type of film and redemption is uncommon. But if you want a film that focuses on the seedy underbelly of society, this is the genre for you.

I recommend - Murder, My Sweet, Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Key Largo, Gilda, Mildred Pierce, The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon

Great shot from The Big Sleep.