Noir: An Evolution

Kaitlyn Gardner

Professor Sinowitz

Noir, Film, and Novel

November 3, 2017

Noir: An Evolution

Noir is a complex genre and mood. There is an ongoing debate about whether or Noir can be defined as genre or not. However, putting that debate aside in favor of saying that Noir can be defined as a genre we see that it can be divided into multiple periods. The period of Classical Noir that began in the 1940’s were influenced by the hard-boiled detective novels of the 1920’s and the turn of the century ideas after World War II. The ideas of sexual freedom fast paced adventure and the new values of the era inspired the change. Eventually, the genre settled into a more laid back and happier versions of the bleak film noir that preceded it. The main thing, which connects all of noir, commentary on the American Dream and the state of the government.

In order to define classical noir, we must first define what noir as whole is. The origin of the word "noir" is from French critics who decided that there needed to be a word to describe the influx of American based hard crime novels. The word was used to describe these films as a group only years after they were made. Therefore, we must determine if noir can be considered a genre if the filmmakers were unaware that they were making a noir film. However when it was established as a time where, “movies were treated as art rather than as commercial entertainment.” (Naremore 13).  Therefore they seemed to be comparable and influenced by the art movements of France, especially surrealism as it characterized as, “oneiric, bizarre, erotic, ambivalent and cruel.” (Naremore 19). Examining the noir films, we can see that this is something that noir characters and settings reflect. In the film The Big Sleep, we are uneasy every time the private detective, Marlowe enters a new house they seem to be unsettlingly empty and quiet.

Another definition of genre by Bernard Dirk states, “that it can be no more be pigeonholed then human beings”.  All genres have difficulty being defined as filmmakers are constantly trying to think outside of the box in order to create something unique. Film Noir is not different; many of the films differ in their characters, structure, and film techniques. Yet, there are elements that can be found mixed throughout all films. One of the most important elements is the mood. There is an impending feeling of doom in each of the Noir films from the beginning. One of the subtler but silently strong elements of film Noir is the underling theme of government criticism. Therefore, we can argue that as long as the filmmakers made films with the same themes underlining each film and common moods in each film.

One of the reasons that Classical Noir will never again be created is the system to create them no longer exists. When specific actors, writers, and directors, such as Humphrey Bogart were contracted to certain studios their films always gave off a similar feeling as they were cast in similar roles repeatedly. And because of the speed at which the studios were creating the films there was little variation in the plots although it was concealed though the switching of elements. Today, there is flexibility for actors because of the talent agency system, which allows them to pick roles, which will not gain them a certain image and give them more opportunities to at. However, the elements of noir can be repeated and imitated. Neo-Noir allowed for the resurgence of noir films. As long as the common themes and elements connect them, these films still are defined as Noir.  

There are many different influences of Noir, the most prevalent being Westerns and hardboiled detective novels. These create different influences on the genre of Noir. We can show the different influence of noir by showing its evolution of characters throughout noir film. The characters of a western show are tough and independent, just like hard-boiled detectives. They also influenced the independent nature of those hard-boiled detectives. The spirit of the Wild West also was reflected in early noir films. As in the Wild West, the free spirit of lawlessness showed in films as the

The times of when noir was made heavily influenced what was happening in popular American culture in the 1920’s. The era of the roaring twenties was known for its sexual freedom, fast paced culture, prohibition, and illegal activity. There was a shift in the popular culture that went from the American dream of landowning and popular culture to the goal of gaining wealth and power. These values showed in film noir, in the Maltese Falcon Mr. Gutman has no regard for human life or regard for the historical value of the falcon. He only cared for the money he could make by selling the statue. In the noir novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, the public defender shows how obsessed that the insurance companies are with keeping the money. Lastly, The Big Sleep shows an old man being extorted because of his daughters’ mistakes. Then in the 1940’s the focus of the popular culture shifted back from the life of adventure to one of stability. The suburbs, education, and a steady job with a good home life were seen as a priority over living a fast life like in the twenties. In a reflection of that, the noirs of the 1940s began to no longer have to the fast paced action that defined the films and novels of 1920s. The later films such as, Out of the Past and Touch of Evil focused on corruption and love. These films shifted from the aim of the crime being about money to pride, love. Although there were exceptions such as The Killing where money was important but there was a steady relationship that justified the crime as Johnny was trying to provide for Fay through his crime.

One of the other important shifts in seen in which character commits the crime. At the beginning of Film Noir we see the crimes being committed by mob bosses and criminals. The hard-boiled detective would chase after the wrong doers finessing his way into the femme fatale and other ladies bed and getting information. This showed the attitude of Americans as patriotic and trusting in the justice system as the after effects of victory in World War I. The popular culture expressed faith in humanity and in 1930’s gangster films reached an all time high. Their influence was reflected in the early noir movie as it showed fast paced action and lots of killing along with organized and precise crime. The Great Depression had a huge effect on these films as the mistrust that the government’s actions during that time created a theme of distrust and suspicion of the government. The anger of the Great Depression bled into American media. The government was portrayed as corrupted and seeking only to have an easy time solving crimes. There was also a fear of big business as monopolies had developed and driven the prices of many things out of the range of normal consumers.

Although theme is the strongest thread connecting noir as a genre other definitions of genre demand that there is some stylistic points in common. One of the stylistic marks of classic noir are the angles of power, which appear in films. The power dynamic is often the subject of some of the most intense moments of the films. In the film Out of the Past, there is a confrontation between the detective Jeff and the woman who he was chasing and eventually fell in love with, Kathy. Jeff’s partner, Fisher, comes to catch them and after a fist fight between Jeff and Fisher Kathy shoots Fisher before Jeff can react. Kathy insists that they kill him instead of letting him simply disappear. There is a still frame of Kathy simply looking down upon Jeff as he crouches in disbelief over the body of Fisher. This low angle in this shot shows Kathy looming over Jeff. It shows the power shift in their dynamic. The angles in this scene indicate that Kathy is looking down upon Jeff and taking control of him.

The second stylistic point of noir, which connects the films, is the lighting. The lighting helps to indicate many things in noir, power, mood, and symbolizes good and evil. There are many different uses for the lighting. In Out of the Past, when Kathy steps into the light symbolizing that she is revealing her true nature to Jeff. In the movie Touch of Evil, after a crime on the Mexican American boarder. Vargas, a Mexican cabinet official must prove that American detective Quinlan is guilty. The lighting helped to show the dangerous aura that surrounded Quinlan and revealed the sinister situation at the motel where Vargas’s wife was staying. Lighting is a powerful influence in noir, it can hide and reveal, emphasize, and then distort. It also played into the shadows by allowing the director to make an artistic choice by casting specific shadows.

In fact, Naremore sums up the evolution of Noir by saying, “film noir belongs to the history of ideas as much as to the history of cinema; in other words, it has less to do with a group of artifacts than with a discourse – a loose, evolving system of arguments and readings that helps to shape commercial strategies and aesthetic ideologies” (Naremore 11). With help of the French, the influence of detective novels and Westerns, and, finally, the common themes film noir has become a genre of influential films.