Film Noir or Not?

I've always been a fan of film noir motion pictures and television shows. Actually, I was a fan before I knew what the term film noir meant.   The literal translation is "black film". Usage started in the press by a film critic back in the 1940s who used it to describe a certain kind of film. Fritz Lang was one of the first to use these techniques for telling stories with motion pictures. Is it a genre?  I don't know.  I suppose it depends on who you ask. I say it is. In the 1940's through the 1950's there was a type of film produced that could be recognized by certain characteristics and these characteristics identify film noir... 

• Low light 
• first person voice-overs
• characters of questionable morals
• protagonists who are the unfortunate or downtrodden 
• unique camera angles
• locales are urban 

Many film noir movie's lighting is so low that the actors are frequently seen in strong sidelight.  And, who can forget  how the shade from Venetian blinds gives the effect reminiscent of prison bars. Camera angles are used to create that special mood.  The villain is much more threatening when viewed from a low angle. The "Dutch" or skewed angle is frequently used as well. The voiceover by the main character not only tells you the back story but lets you know what he's thinking.  Most likely the locale is a big city, and the seedy part of it.


Film noir movies are usually cast with seedy characters. The protagonist is most likely a hard-boiled private detective. Many of these scripts are based on pulp fiction of the forties and fifties; characters like Raymond Chandler's Sam Spade or Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.  A more modern version of this character can be seen as John McClane in the "Die Hard" films, although these are hardly film noir. The character is always flawed, but has a heart and is usually the good guy. The leading lady was hardly the virtuous sort either. The film noir genre ventured into television as well. Such films as "The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, Night of the Hunter, Sunset Boulevard, and D.O.A. really identify the genre.   In recent years film noir techniques have been used successfully by some directors.  Some examples are Rodrigues's "Sin City", Tarenteno's,"Reservoir Dogs"and Mann's, "Collateral".  One of the more interesting uses of the film noir "look" was in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner".  Science fiction film noir. 

 What's not to like about film noir? The overuse of flashbacks can be annoying and confusing sometimes, but otherwise, make that last shot a double, grab your best broad, and head on down to the Regency for a double feature!