- Published: November 14, 2021
- Updated: November 14, 2021
- University / College: California Institute of the Arts
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 36
Does Film Noir still exist in todays Cinema or will it always be tied to the look and feel and innocence f the 1940s? Critics and moviegoers observeda renewed interest for stylish crime dramas, which highlight sexual attitudes and cynical attitudes or commonly referred as film noir. According to Robert Porfirio (qtd. in Sanders 91), film noir is characterized by underlying mood of pessimism. It is a term used to denote a prominent movement in American cinema during the 1940s to 1950s. Film noir abandoned the traditional filmic language for symbols of chaos, irrationality, and alienation (Walsh 169). The despair and weariness of Americans during the 1940’s created an audience for film noir. The year 1944 to 1948 marked its heyday (Walsh 169).
The themes that characterized Film Noir are manifested in the “ Sin City,” “ Following,” “ Memento,” “ The Dark Night Strikes,” and the like. The “ Sin City,” a crime thriller released in 2005 featured black and white landscapes, brutality of the narration, and the violent action. This film presented a style, which paid tribute to Noir Film (Mayer and McDonnell 380). Meanwhile, a film of Christopher Nolan entitled, “ Following” also exhibited themes of Noir Film. The movie, which was released in 1998 relied on suspense, shadow, and pervading mode. Christopher Nolan also directed “ Memento,” which is a 2001 thriller featured in a reverse manner. It portrayed themes of Film noir such as suspense, alienation, and irrationality (Schellhardt 319). A movie released in 2002 entitled, “ The Dark Knight Strikes Again” similarly portrayed themes of film noir through its depictions of the Gotham City and its psychologically damaged hero (Spicer 53). The use of film noir as a style of cinema in the current movies indicated that its theme proved popular beyond the 1940’s to 1950’s.
Works Cited
Mayer, Geoff, and Brian McDonnell. Encyclopedia of Film Noir. USA: ABC-CLION, 2007.
Print.
Sanders, Steven. “ Film Noir and the Meaning of Life.” The Philosophy of Film Noir. Eds.
Mark Conard and Robert Porfirio. USA: University Press of Kentucky, 2007. 91-
105. Print.
Schellhardt, Laura. Screenwriting for Dummies. USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Print.
Spicer, Andrew. Historical Dictionary of Film Noir. USA: Scarecrow Press, 2010. Print.
Walsh, Andrea. Women’s Film and Female Experience, 1940-1950. USA: Greenwood
Publishing, 1986. Print.
