Film Noir

When I first heard the term “Film Noir” I had no idea what it was or what it meant. After reading Paul Schrader’s “Notes on film Noir”, I realized that it was all the black and white old school mobster movies that I used to watch on TV Land as a kid. Film Noir came about after World War 2 and dominated the film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. It showed a different type of America, a story that was usually pretty dark and didn’t always have a happy ending. These were the first type of films that were taboo to show to viewers. Most of the films had the commonality of a struggling veteran returning from war to an America that they weren’t use to. They were not content living in a cold, dark world with corrupt politics where gambling, killing, and doing illegal things seemed to be the norm. Another commonality was the use of night scenes, vertical lines as opposed to horizontal, and lighting for the actors to make them look more mysterious and up to mischief. The lighting really was a new thing that “film noir” created, the lighting immediately showed the viewers that the film was going to be dark. Schrader’s points out that “Film Noir” is starting to rise again but in its own unique way. He points out part of its popularity rise is its use of vintage look that appeals to viewers and also points out that it didn’t matter if the movie was good or bad. It was all about the style and the viewer was entertained watching the journey of these characters throughout the movies. It’s interesting to note that Schrader’s piece was written in 1972, and he talked then about the revival of this type of film. I remember watching Taxi Driver, a film made in the 70s, and it had the dark presence and style similar to that of Film Noir. Over the 40 years that Schrader wrote this, it is still relevant. Movies today are seemingly darker and darker. Take the classic Superman film series as an example. Where Superman’s costumes in previous movies were bright blue and red, the new film has Superman in an almost all black outfit with a dark red cape. The same goes for a lot of other superhero movies that have been coming out. I bring up the superhero films because it’s easy to see the changes that filmmakers have been making primarily to please us, the viewers. Today it is commonplace to have dark films with depressing, or conflicting topics, and this has evolved from Film Noir over the years. “Film Noir” was very unique in the 40s and 50s and is still relevant today as its own unique style and as a stimulus for change in film themes and artistry.