Film Noir

The Film Noir era is one of the most fascinating movements in cinematic history due to its harsh, honest representation of American life at the time. I believe that the darkness of these types of films and their qualities of mood and tone are very representative of the ways in which the morale of the nation can effect cinema. During the Depression, it was important to create films that were uplifting and lighter in mood; in the 1940s after the war, there was no longer a need for that verification for normalcy. Instead, the public desired a more honest view of America- feelings that correlated with the post war realism. The "hard boiled egg hero" was a great deal tougher than the sugar coated,  American cinematic heros the public was used to.

The ways that the films are shot, the lighting used and the actors are represented is very anti-traditional to what viewers were used to, components that contributed to the darkness of the type of film. They all make Film Noir stand out stylistically. An example is the extreme high angle long shot, an oppressive angle that looks down on its helpless victim like a rat in a maze. Directors would use bizarre, off angle comparisons of figures placed irregularly in the frame. In Beyond Reasonable Doubt the image of a typical couple in love was undercut by placing the couple in a weird, unbalanced positioning in the frame. All of these stylistic elements add to the perception of an unstable or unsafe world and the consistently dark mood of these films.

Film Noir is also interesting in that it is both a praised as one of the best periods in film but also the least known. I think that this can be attributed to the concept that people more often enjoy feel good movies with excitement. In the first reading, the author states that the main reason for the neglect of Film Noir is the fascination American film critics have with sociology, where Film Noir depends more on choreography.