American Film Noir For Present Day - 1829 Words

American Film Noir Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation American Film Noir There have been several debates over a long period of time concerning the validity of film noir as a distinct genre. Essays and books have debated the term for years using various criteria and rubrics to back up their respective positions on the subject. As the 21st century brings new and creative trends from screenwriting to post-production and everything in between, the boundaries of noir become even less certain. One may even find a fitting parallel between the noir protagonist’s ambiguous and perilous quest with that of the hapless and naà ¯ve academic in search of an unequivocal definition of noir itself. This essay aims at summarizing the evolution of American film noir to present day, by using seminal works to determine how these films have become influenced by American cinematic trends of postmodern narrative structures and subjectivity. History of Noir The argument to be made is that, with the emergence of cinematic technological advances coupled with postmodernism’s abandonment of meta narratives and traditional socio-cultural identities, filmmakers are digging even deeper into the dark recesses of the human consciousness and using noir as a platform. It is not very surprising that to date no other genre relies more on the fragility and temperamental nature of the human condition more. Oftentimes characters in a noir narrative are either vindicated or condemned basedShow MoreRelatedEssay about Film Noirs Effect on Modern Cinema1365 Words   |  6 PagesFilm Noirs Effect on Modern Cinema High heels click on wet pavement, shady detectives stand in the shadows, shots ring out through the cold, dark city night-just another moment in film noir. These seedy, almost underground films are considered to be some of the best and most influential pictures in the history of Hollywood by anyones standards, most certainly some of the darkest. Even though the glory days of film noir have long passed and given way to big budget productions, their influenceRead MoreFilm Noir: A Style Spanning Genres Essay1016 Words   |  5 Pagesobjets d’art, including film – and the recognition or dismissal of film noir as a genre has been argued since the term was coined. While the term itself is valid, film noir as a genre is a misnomer. More properly, film noir should be considered a style unto itself, but definitively not genre, defined by the very definitions of the words â€Å"style† and â€Å"genre†. We will limit our subject matter here to the classic film noir period of 1941-1958, recognizing that all modern noir variants seek to emulateRead MoreMovie Noir : Film Noir1392 Words   |  6 Pagesdirected many film with different genres including Film Noir. Film Noir translates to â€Å"Dark Film,† the name was given by the French after watching Hollywood crime thrillers that began to show after World War II. These films typically had dark lighting style closely related to those in German Expressionist films. However, Film Noir borrows its form from influences of major Hollywood popular genres, using themes that were related to social context and civilian life in the United States. Two films that demonstrateRead MoreMovie Analysis : Noirs 2620 Words   |  11 PagesFilm noirs are unique because the viewer experiences the film in a special type of way that is different from typical comedy, romantic, or action films where a person actually sympathizes with the character and hopes everything turns out well for the people in the en d. Film noirs focus on themes such as doom, darkness, death, and failure. The characters in film noirs are usually flawed and unlikable, as they act hopeless and unexcitable even when things are going well or as planned. AdditionallyRead Morequot;Europe Goes to Hollywoodquot; Essay1176 Words   |  5 PagesWorld War and at present accounts for approximately 80% of market share in the majority of European countries, while European share of the American market is weak at 5.02% in 2001. The Hollywood advantage is concentrated in one very particular kind of moviemaking: films that are entertaining, highly visible, and have broad global appeal. The typical European film has about one percent of the audience of the typical Hollywood film, and this differential has been growing. American movies have becomeRead More Dames, Coppers, and Crooks: A L:ook At Film Noir Essay2891 Words   |  12 PagesCrooks: A Look At Film Noir nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Film noir is a style of black and white American films that first evolved in the 1940s, became prominent in the post-war era, and lasted in a classic â€Å"Golden Age† period until about 1960. Frank Nino, a French film critic, first coined the label film noir, which literally means black film or cinema, in 1946. Nino noticed the trend of how â€Å"dark† and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in FranceRead MoreAnalysis Of Alfred Hitchcock s The Thirty Nine Steps 1548 Words   |  7 Pagesintrudes on our lives and media networks. Escapism via watching the 1935 Hitchcock film version of the same name caused a soothing distraction. I smiled at the archaic smoky focus, disjointed edits and chance meetings - the suchlike didn t discommode me. Sometimes the only thing to do is partake in some silver screen therapy after having to pay observation service on a traumatic event or experience a timely irrit ation. Film script (s) and visualization in the pre-world-war era seemed simpler; perhapsRead MoreJames M. Cain s Mildred Pierce And The Movie Version ``896 Words   |  4 PagesThere is a common belief, in modern and traditional film industry, that almost every adaptation (loose, faithful and strict) from novel to film is considered a backslide or a disloyalty to the original author and readers. However, in 1945 Warner Bros. produced the movie Mildred Pierce based on the same name novel written by James M. Cain. This film not only became an exception in this general view, but also amazed the audience and even Cain himself by extraordinary performances and unique edit techniqueRead MoreEssay about The Power of Horace McCoy’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?2674 Words   |  11 Pagespremise of this essay is to highlight the capacity of Noir literature to defy Modernist values and pioneer later avant-garde literary movements. This student produced a focused, organized , well supported essay. Nearly half a century has passed since most films and texts in the Noir tradition were created, yet one may wonder how much is really known about these popular American products. Scholars remain fascinated by many aspects of Film Noir, yet it appears that its fictional precursors (such asRead MoreThe Impact of Hollywood in American Society1568 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough it started out as a novelty and a source of controversy, Hollywood has had an impact in American society significantly on political aspects in the 20th century as well as shaping our modern world. In 1894, two French Brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumiere introduced the portable motion picture camera and projector as a solution to the smaller projection of Thomas Edison’s original invention the kinetoscope. In April of 1896, the two men unveiled their vitascope and presented the