Film Noir- Schrader, J.A Place & L.S Peterson

I found that Schrader’s analysis of film noir was extremely clear and easy to read. I think he brought up one of the most important misconceptions of noir, which is that many people assume that it is a genre. He explains that noir is not a genre because it is not defined by its setting and conflict, but rather on tone and mood. He also points out that noir is specific to a certain time period in film history (1940’s). He then underlines four distinctive elements of film noir: War and post-war disillusionment (patriotic films were no longer as necessary), post-war realism (real, authentic locations), German influence (influence of chiaroscuro—expressionist lighting), and finally the “hard-boiled tradition”, which refers to a more cynical way of writing inspired by pulp fiction and journalism. Finally, one other important thing to note is the stylistics of film nor. Schrader picks up on certain trends across noir films that can be recognized as defining elements.  For example, the majority of scenes are lit for night, the actors and settings are often given equal light emphasis (shadows cover actors face), compositional tension (filming around the actor) is preferred rather than physical action, there is often a romantic narration, and a complex chronological order of events.  J.A Place & L.S. Peterson examine the technical elements of noir that make these films specifically notable in cinematic history. Noir lighting is low key, which means the ratio of key to fill light is great, creating areas of high contrast and rich, black shadows. This is different from an evenly illuminated image that comes from the use of high key lighting. For example, the noir heroines were shot in “tough, unromantic closeups of direct, undiffused light, which removes elements of softness and vulnerability—this enhance the idea of the “femme fatale” as being seductive and evil. There is also an increased depth of field in the filming style by “increasing the amount of light entering the lens” or “using a lens of wider focal length”. Furthermore, The mis-en-scene is supposed to disorient the viewer to create notion of chaos and uncertainty. Off-angle and claustrophobic shots are used in order to accomplish this. Finally, film noir is recognized for its characters having a non-existent moral compass. As Place and Peterson put it, “right and wrong become relative,” and this can correlate to the distorted, unsettling shot and framing techniques.