Film Noir is a genre of film based around the 1940's. The films are normally in black and white, theses colours are used because at this time Warner bro's- the main makers of these films, had little money and the dark shadows would prevent the viewer from seeing the set and other things that shouldn't be in the shot.
The plot to these films are often the same- there is a detective who is quite hard faced and who doesn't speak much, a woman who is very beautiful and who seems innocent (femme fatale). The woman almost always is in some kind of trouble, she goes to the detective for help and he then tries to help, towards the end of the film we find out that the woman has the power and she has deceived the detective who at this point cares about her, the woman is then brought to justice and the detective will probably then fall in love with the 'good, reliable' woman. in every film there is some sort of enigma- something the plot revolves around- it is usually and object that someone wants.
The reason there are so many of these type of film with the same plot is because most people like these kind of films and therefore it is a good,easy way to make money.
In Film Noir the iconography is:
- A trilby hat and trench coat for the detective.
- Alcohol consumed by the detective quite a lot.
- The detective smokes a lot.
These three aspects allow the viewer to instantly know what type of film it is, alongside the black and white/ dark colours, these are the features that define Film Noir.
In these films there are may different shots used, a key ones are high and low angle shots. If the woman is a level above the man and a low angle shot is used to look up at her, this shows her superiority, the same effect is given when there is a high angle shot down onto the man, this shows his lack of superiority.
Other shots used are- close ups to show someones reaction, establishing shots to show where the film is set, mid shots and long shots to show what the characters are wearing. These all set the scene and allow the viewer to be drawn into the film.
Lighting is a big thing in these sorts of films. In general there is little lighting, most blinds are down so no light is let in through windows, there is usually 1 light which highlights the characters face and makes lots of shadows to create tension in the film and add to the effect.
At the start of the film there is normally a voice over or titles to tell you what s going on, in Maltese Falcon there is no voice over but titles to tell the viewer what is happening. A voice over is effective as well as it allows us to have an insight into what the detective is actually thinking and to give us information fast (another way to do this is to have a picture of the front page of a newspaper).
In these films the costumes are dated and usually formal. They represent the upper class with the detective wearing a trilby hat, suit, and trench coat. The props used are normally things such as guns and other such things related to detectives. Most of the scenes are set in a office, or outside in a well known place such as a big city.
Music also plays a big part in Film Noir, in most scenes there is music in the background to create tension- in light hearted scenes the music is up beat whereas in more serious scenes the music is quite low, this adds to the mystery. When something big in the plot is revealed the music increases in tempo to put the viewer on edge.
The detective uses language such as 'darling' and 'sweetheart' to try and show superiority and give the woman innocence. It also shows the difference in gender roles at the time because if a man did that now he would be seen as being sexist. This adds to the whole narrative of the film and the idea that the men in this film should be seen as the better person. An English accent is also commonly used for the femme fatale as it is viewed as high class and a woman like this should be of that class.
In 'The Maltese Falcon' a famous film noir, all of these aspects are included. The detective- Sam Spade and his partner get a visit from a woman- the femme fatale, whom turns out to be a murderer and she gets sent to prison.
In the opening we see the 2 main characters so it immediately sets the scene and the plot, Establishing, mid and low angle shots as well as close ups. The costume, lighting, locations and props are all typical to film noir, the detective wears a suit and trench coat, it is in black and white with only one light used. There is a gun used and the start of the film is based in an office. Throughout the rest of the film the features mentioned above are all used, therefore showing all of the classic aspects of film noir.
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