Film Noir

From Unawiki

Film Noir, French for black movie, is a cinematic term to describe Hollywood crime dramas made in the 1940s and 1950s often emphasizing cynical attitudes and sexual motivation. Many stories adopted crime fiction of the era of depression. The styles and themes were mostly imported to Hollywood by European film makers, so the Black-White visual style rooted in German Expressionist Cinematography. Other style features were the deep-focus or depth of field camera work, ominous shadows and skewed camera angles. While interiors were displayed with low-key or single-source lighting causing dark, gloomy appearances, exteriors showed urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt and dark alleyways. Men were either portrayed as heroes, conflicted hard-boiled detectives, private eyes and cops, or anti-heroes, corrupt characters, villains or gangsters. Also women were either displayed as trustworthy, loving women or the unscrupulous femme fatale. Famous examples are Fritz Lang’s ‘The Woman in the Window’ or Billy Wilder’s ‘Double Indemnity’. Also modern films show tendencies towards the Film Noir like ‘Matrix’ or Robert Rodriguez’ ‘Sin City’.