The film noir movement was a brief period of post-WWII disillusionment where film style changed dramatically to take on the unstable, lost feeling of people at the time. By examining films of the period, such as Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945) and Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944), the distinct, dark and dramatic visual style of film noir can be observed. These films not only exemplify the standard conventions of film noir, but Mildred Pierce also deviates enough from the narrative elements
Killing Me Slowly Killing Them Softly was released in 2012 with a spectacularly skilled cast whose talents seem mostly wasted on depthless characters doing boring mob work. It may play well as a “mob flick," but brings little to the table for those outside the fandom who are expecting a more well-rounded experience. Killing Them Softly tells the tale of small time criminal 'Squirrel' (Vincent Curatola), who hatches a plan to rob a mafia card game. He plans to get away clean by pinning the deed
FIST 100 Film Noir In the 1940s, the film genre, film noir, was defined and then redefined by two influential films of the era. Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder in 1944, was paradigmatic for the genre, setting up standards for following film noirs, while Mildred Pierce, directed by Michael Curtiz in 1945, subverted the expectations set by such earlier films. Despite this, the two of them are labelled with the same genre, so one must wonder wherein lies the definition of noir as a mode
The film The Maltese Falcon, created in 1941, is a Noir film. The theme clearly focuses on feminism and its role in crime. The two main characters are Samuel Spade, a private investigator played by Humphrey Bogart, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a deceitful women who manipulates others in order to attain her goals played by Mary Astor. Throughout the movie the audience gets a sense of how males and females use different approaches to partake in criminal acts. During the 1940’s women were viewed as
So like I stated above the two movies Taxi Driver and Nightcrawler have a lot of comparisons in which looking back on seem to stand out a lot more now than they did at first. A lot of people have said that they compare in many cases such as; mirror scenes, the deranged main characters themselves, the cars and driving at night, the overall dark, nighttime feel, personalities, age of the lead actors, bizarre date scenes, love interests of an inappropriate age, both ending in shoot outs and all still
1. What is the role of the “femme fatale” in Film Noir? What could be some of the reasons why this image of women emerged during the 1940s and 1950s? Femme Fatale is the role played by women in Film Noir films. It is basically the direct opposite character played by women in traditional films. It is the image of empowerment not seen in other genres. There is a strong sexual attractiveness, power, strength and also attractiveness shown by women in this genre. The movie that I liked that displayed
The film Donnie Darko is a film that can be left open for many different interpretations. A very prominent theme is that Donnie is suffering from psychotic episodes of Schizophrenia. The movie opens to Donnie waking up on a path along a mountainside, he laughs confidently without any type of wonder or fear as to why he is out there. When he arrives at home his family is unsurprised to the fact he was missing all night, which raises major suspicious. Suspicions about his family and how they view Donnie
most of the film and relates viewers to Ed Crane and his desolate, monotonous life. Through this tone the basis of a film noir is achieved, since these films are “defined by tone rather than genre.” (Schrader 266) All the wrong turns, or the right turns depending on perspective, lead Ed to a prison cell where he sits and writes his memoir awaiting the day he will be escorted to his death. By analyzing the final scene of “The Man Who Wasn’t There”
Curtis Hanson uses creative transitions through editing in the neo-noir film based on one book in a four book novel series, by crime author, James Ellroy. Hanson expresses the neo-noir film’s dual sides of corruption; criminals and the police, the realism of a 1950’s era, and artistic film transitions in editing. The drama thriller genre film fades-in to a transition montage of a news reel footage headline, which hints viewers to the films plot in combination of the voice over narrations of Sid Hudgens
The term Film noir is primarily used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivation. Hollywood's film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir from this era is associated with low-key black and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Crime is an element of almost every film noir, along with greed and jealousy. Horror is a film genre seeking