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An offshoot of the gangster
films of the 1930’s, film noir (literal French translation "black
film") was a style of filmmaking that lasted from the 1940's
to the 1960's. Riddled with cops, criminals, private detectives and
femme fatales, film noir reflects the dark underbelly of human nature.
Influenced by German Expressionism, film noirs are characterized by
their expressionistic lighting. Often shadowy, dark and dismal, these
films expose the moral complexities of their characters. Inhabitants
of smoke filled bars, seedy apartments and desolate city streets,
film noir heroes are tough and cynical. Their stories often unfold
as a series of flashbacks that reveal the element of their undoing—usually
a seductive yet dangerous woman. |
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