film noir

Here's a great little clip.

Review

So, last week we were introduced to the concept of genre. Genre films work within particular conventions (like character types, setting, iconography, narrative elements, themes, styles). So, when a romantic comedy is released, the film is sure to fulfill certain expectations held by the audience (there will be witty banter, some terrible misunderstanding, and ultimately some kissing) and by the film's producers (romantic comedies make money off of couples on dates).

The screwball comedy was one such genre that was popular during the Studio Era. "Fast-talking dames" and "little men" made masked sexual references, tripped each other, and ultimately fell in love. We learned about how the genre addressed issues of gender and class. And how our modern comedies continue this tradition of delivering social commentary in funny, accessible ways.

Introduction to Film Noir

So, you've read Belton's discussion of film noir, so you know it's origins. With an influx of Hollywood films in post-war France, French audiences were stunned by the films' dark subject matter and pessimistic perspective. So, they called them "black films." Now, film historians usually place film noir between 1940 (with the release of Stranger on the Third Floor) and 1958 (with the release of Touch of Evil). But a closer look at the genre, and how genres are developed in general, is helpful in understanding the evolution of the film noir.

The progression of a genre has often been organized into specific stages: 1) primitive, 2) classical, 3) revisionist, 4) parodic. During the primitive stage, the conventions of the genre are not fully established. The creators of the texts are not consciously trying to follow a set of narrative and stylistic guidelines. Rather, multiple texts, sharing certain similarities, are created around the same time. (A helpful example would be to think of early hip-hop music. Before the music went mainstream in the early 80's, their were primitive manifestations of the genre. James Brown's "Funky Drummer", Parliament's "Give Up the Funk", and Jamaican deejays like U-Roy all foreshadow hip hop music. So, then guys like Kool Herc, Africaa Bambataa, and Grandmaster Flash came along, incorporating those elements from funk and reggae and created hip hop.)

So before we had film noir, per se, there was its primitive manifestations in pulp fiction, gangster films and German Expressionism. Hardboiled crime novels (like the work of Dashiell Hammett) and pulp magazines (like the work of Raymond Chandler) were popular in the early 20th century. The stories emphasized crime, murder, sex--all the trappings of the film noir. The magazines (like the later films) were cheaply made and contained a gritty realism that was uncommon in popular culture of the time. Many of these stories were later adapted by filmmakers for the big screen.

Before film noir was established as a genre, variations of these crime stories started to appear in films. But while including elements like detective characters and crime narratives, these early gangster films were not working within the established conventions of a genre (yet). So, films like Howard Hawks' Scarface and Fritz Lang's M laid some of the narrative and stylistic foundations for the genre.

These films were very much informed by the German Expressionist movement. After the first World War, Germany was in ruins and the German people were forced to cope with their horrible circumstances. Art (and specifically film, for our purposes) was one very important way in which they addressed the ugliness of war, poverty, and industry. The Expressionist movement sought to illustrate the violent emotions experienced by the people with the use of unconventional, often disturbing, artistic methods and subject matters (think of "express" as to make something inward manifested outwardly). So the films, for example, are highly stylized, using shadows in the lighting, diagonal lines in the design, overly theatrical acting, and static, symbolic characters. Robert Weine's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), and Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) (three of the most popular German Expressionist films) avoid realism, but through the use of stylization are able to communicate the anxieties of the German people.

Here's a clip from Metropolis. The protagonist is recognizing the horrors of industrialized society.

When the Nazi regime was growing in power, many of these filmmakers left Germany and came to the U.S. to work in Hollywood. They were responsible for the classic horror films like Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Dracula (among many others), as well as many of the early gangster films. Film noir is so incredibly informed by the style and themes of the German films, probably because the film noir genre voices similar anxieties (but in an American context).

Eventually, probably around 1940, the potential popularity of the genre was recognized, and the genre entered its classical stage. During this period, the conventions were established and expanded upon. The film noir was commercially successful, in part for its realistic depictions of some of the harsh circumstances faced by the nation' people. (We'll talk more specifically about the genre conventions of the classic film noir a little later).

Now, we're going to have to break chronology for a bit, because while the next stage often comes after the classical stage, there is no clear shift from classical to revisionist. During the revisionist stage, the conventions of the genre are evaluated and often revised. So, for example, Orson Welles' Touch of Evil makes explicit the film noir's commentary on cultural conflict, establishing the story literally on the U.S./Mexico border. However, the standard scenario is mixed up a little. The film's protagonist is a Mexican detective (played by a mustachioed Charlton Heston) with a white American wife (Janet Leigh), who is pitted against a crooked American cop (a fat Orson Welles). So, there are some obvious reevaluations of convention going on here.

Here's the opening shot from the film. It is famous for its incredible length (without a single cut).

And finally, after the conventions have been identified and deconstructed, they are often parodied. So, Mel Brooks, the Monty Python crew, the guys behind Scary Movie (and its many, many subsequent films) are poking fun at the conventions of a genre. Films like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as well as Garrison Keiller's "Guy Noir" radio sketches are examples of parodies.

Here's a clip from Dead Men that you might enjoy. The film was created by splicing clips from the classic films with the performance of Steve Martin. See if you can identify some conventions of film noir (from your reading of the chapter in American Cinema...) that are being referenced.

Conventions of Film Noir

In order to understand the social significance of the genre, its necessary to be aware of some of the conventions. First of all, film noir can be identified by its use of specific character types and iconography. So, dark streets and tommy guns are so commonly used in film noir, that they become signifiers for the genre and its commonly expressed themes.

More importantly is the use of archetypal characters. In film noir, the protagonist is often male. He is relatively unintelligent, but persistent. He relies on instinct and physical force to survive. And he he is disenchanted with society. Oftentimes, the character is a detective that attempts to solve a crime (Laura, The Maltese Falcon, Touch of Evil).

These characters demonstrated a traditional masculinity that was valued during wartime: they were strong and determined. However, the atrocities of war awakened them to some consequences of this masculinity and its inevitable violence. They returned home, but were often unable to reintegrate into society. So, the male characters in film noir are often disenfranchised, only seeking to survive.

Female characters often fulfill one of two archetypal roles--the nurturing woman or the "femme fatale" or "spider-woman". The nurturing woman is beautiful but not sexualized. She functions to support the man and work in the domestic sphere. The spider-woman is the flip-side of femininity--she's sexually aggressive, intelligent, and has no place in the home.

This archetype indicates indicate a lot about the society's perception of gender. As we discussed last week, the American woman's increased involvement in public life during the early 20th century changed the societal conception of gender roles. The empowered female is positively manifested in the "fast-talking dame" of screwball comedy. However, American society was not altogether pleased with this cultural change. The general suspicion of this new femininity is evident in the dual representations of women in film noir. While this duality is not unique to the 20th century (the virgin/whore duality has been a trope since ancient times), the categorization of female characters as either nurturing, virtuous, and domestic or aggressive, sexual, and independent reveals how the newly empowered female was perceived as a threat by American society. The "femme fatale" is intelligent and autonomous like the screwball comedy heroines but this independence is seen as inevitably dangerous, especially to the welfare of the male characters. Whereas, the nurturing female character seems to demonstrate the society's longing for the traditional passive, non-threatening woman.

Watch a scene from the film Double Indemnity, and see how the representations of gender function in film noir. In this scene an insurance man has paid a visit to a housewife. It seems innocent...or is it???

Another convention of the film noir is its urban setting. The industrialization of America resulted in the growth of big cities. This migration to the metropolis had some definite effects on the American mentality, some of which are represented in the films. Poverty grew. The crime rate went up. The cities were often a place of cultural exchange and cultural conflict. Hugely populated cities and the influence of industry caused a sense of isolation to develop among individuals. While the nation was progressing economically and technologically, its people were left questioning the ultimate benefits of this progress.

This urban setting is depicted in film noir with a certain style reminiscent of German Expressionism. Much of the standard narrative takes place at night, with the city divided between dark shadows and bright neon lights. This contrast between dark and light is emphasized, some may argue, to emphasize the moral conflict going on in the films (and in the American mentality). Diagonal lines (caused by the shadows of window blinds, for example) divide the frame. The narrative is divided up with the use of flashbacks, often accompanied by a voice-over narration of one of the characters. All of these stylistic elements demonstrate the fractured mentality experienced by the characters (and some of society).

Finally, the film noir narrative usually follows the investigation of a crime. Its characters engage in physical conflict and are often killed. The film noir departs from the classical Hollywood narrative structure in its often pessimistic conclusions. Characters often betray and kill one another. But rather than this behavior being represented as immoral (for example, in a Greek tragedy or revenge play), the violence is depicted very amorally. The consequences that follow the characters' actions seem arbitrary. The crimes often go unsolved, or are only resolved with further violence. These narrative and thematic elements give a sense of helplessness and despair that was previously unrepresented in American film, but was absolutely linked to some existential dilemmas of the time.

This is the last scene from the neo-noir film by the Coen brothers, The Man Who Wasn't There. The film follows a barber who accidentally kills his wife's lover, unwittingly sends his wife to jail for the murder, and is then sentenced to death for a murder he didn't commit. How's this for a happy ending?


Neo-noir

Nowadays, film noir is no longer considered a living genre. The historical and cultural context from which the genre emerged is long gone. Americans have in some ways overcome their alienation, in other ways have embraced it. We are desensitized to depictions of violence and moral ambiguity. So, while the creation of film noir-esque work continues in films like Chinatown, Batman, and Sin City (among many, many others), the impact of these films is less substantial.

Here's a clip from a great neo-noir film The Big Lebowski. The Dude is, I think, the quintessential film noir protagonist. The clip won't embed, but you can watch it here.

This does not mean, however, that the societal commentary made by film noir is no longer of value to us. Ideas of gender, demonstrated in film noir, are alive today. The alienation of the urban (and now suburban) individual still exists. The presence of violence (on micro and macro levels) in society has only increased. So, I think that examining how our culture responded to these issues at the beginning of last century may be used to inform our response to similar issue at the beginning of this century.

Assignment

Look for an example of a representation of "dangerous femininity" in popular culture (that can be a novel, tv show, film, graphic novel, video game, popular song or music video). Your example cannot be from a film noir. Include a link to a website that corresponds to this work. Discuss how this representation of women corresponds with film noir's "femme fatale." What are the similarities, the differences. (You may want to refer to the Mary Astor character from The Maltese Falcon if you have trouble making specific comparisons between your example and the archetypal "spider-woman").

Please do not use an example previously posted by another student.

Quiz

In the assigned chapter from American Cinema, American Culture, Belton discusses how film noir may function as a genre, a movement/style, or a mode. Please explain how film noir corresponds to each of these categorizations.

Please email the quiz (as always) to our T.A. Jennifer Armston (not me).

Reminder

On October 12th, your first Film Analysis paper is due. Check out the assignment description in the "Assignments" section for details. You may want to do that soon.