To conclude for the time being, I hope I have given a brief over view of the gender conventions of film noir along with the background history and conventions of film noir as a genre. I feel I have backed up some of my opinions on the gender conventions present in film noir but would liked to have taken the research further and looked in more depth into the feminist theories behind certain opinions on femme fatales as well as film noir in general. However, due to word counts and time restraints it was not possible yet. I hope to continue my research anyway and perhaps continue to post here after the marking process is complete.
Film noir is certainly an interesting subject which can be explored from various angles, I would have liked to explore genre definitions in relation to film noir being classed as a genre rather than a style and to look at the future of noir be it in the form of neo noir films or the current onslaught of video games inspired by film noir. The current resurgence of film noir, noir related writing and work is also intriguing and the reasons behind the resurgence would also be worthy of exploration.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
The Noir Man
Most often in film noir the main character is that of the hard-boiled detective. A tough, cynical, straight talking man with a troubled past and an overtly pessimistic view of the world and its occupants. A man who doesn't trust easily and is especially distrusting of people of power in the government and the police and yet is so often led astray by the femme fatale character of the piece. These men are a smorgasbord of flaws they are hard drinking, chain smoking, poorly dressed womanisers and yet they are still depicted as the hero (or antihero) of the piece.
The character of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon is described as the archetypal hard-boiled detective by Blaser(2008) and as "being nearly as amoral, ruthless, and greedy as the criminals he defeats". These hard-boiled detectives usually live by a code of behaviour or honour, again not unlike criminals, dictated by their profession a simple code of professional responsibility, loyalty and integrity which is never above the world of sex and violence they inhabit.
"...these are people who live on both sides of the law and at the expense of both criminals and innocents" (Jeffries, 2010).
Disillusionment, martyrdom, fatalism and guilt all abound in the hard-boiled characters of film noir. So often it is the case that the protagonist must lay down his own life in the end, sometimes for the good of others but often just because the world is too much and this was always going to be the end result. To quote Spike from Cowboy Bebop which is heavily influenced by film noir, "I've got to, I'm tired of running. I've got to clean this up."
References
Printed References
Krutnik, F. (1991) In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity. London. Routledge
Faison, S. (2008) Existentialism, Film Noir, and Hard-Boiled Fiction. New York. Cambria Press
Filmography
Out of the Past (1947). Directed by Jacques Tourneur. USA. RKO Radio Productions
The Maltese Falcon (1941). Directed by John Huston. USA. Warner Bros.
Cowboy Bebop (1998). Directed by Shinichiro- Watanabe. Japan. Bandai Visual
The Rules Of Film Noir (2009). Written by Matthew Sweet. London, BBC4, 24 May.
The character of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon is described as the archetypal hard-boiled detective by Blaser(2008) and as "being nearly as amoral, ruthless, and greedy as the criminals he defeats". These hard-boiled detectives usually live by a code of behaviour or honour, again not unlike criminals, dictated by their profession a simple code of professional responsibility, loyalty and integrity which is never above the world of sex and violence they inhabit.
"...these are people who live on both sides of the law and at the expense of both criminals and innocents" (Jeffries, 2010).
Disillusionment, martyrdom, fatalism and guilt all abound in the hard-boiled characters of film noir. So often it is the case that the protagonist must lay down his own life in the end, sometimes for the good of others but often just because the world is too much and this was always going to be the end result. To quote Spike from Cowboy Bebop which is heavily influenced by film noir, "I've got to, I'm tired of running. I've got to clean this up."
References
Printed References
Krutnik, F. (1991) In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity. London. Routledge
Faison, S. (2008) Existentialism, Film Noir, and Hard-Boiled Fiction. New York. Cambria Press
Filmography
Out of the Past (1947). Directed by Jacques Tourneur. USA. RKO Radio Productions
The Maltese Falcon (1941). Directed by John Huston. USA. Warner Bros.
Cowboy Bebop (1998). Directed by Shinichiro- Watanabe. Japan. Bandai Visual
The Rules Of Film Noir (2009). Written by Matthew Sweet. London, BBC4, 24 May.
The Noir Woman
Women in film noir are most often depicted as one of two stereotypes that of the Femme Fatale or that of the Good Woman.
The dark lady, the spider woman, the evil seductress who tempts man and brings about his destruction... She and her sister (or alter ego), the virgin, the mother, the innocent, the redeemer, form the two poles of female archetypes. (Place, 1989.)
The view of women in film noir can be attributed to the men who created these films the directors, writers and producers. As Janey Place(1989) states "Film Noir is a male fantasy" and as with many fantasies it comes from a place of both fear and desire, a view interestingly summed up by Mckenzie(2005) "If they are good, they are undesirable; if they are unattainable, they are better; and if they will surely kill you, then they are the best".
So often femme fatales are defined by the misogynist fears of men; those of manipulative, self serving women who are mysterious, predatory and duplicitous. The male fears of women who have power via their sexuality are very old fears, the one thing man has no power over and yet desires the most. These character can be viewed as an attempt to gain power over these fears by punishing the women in the films who act in this way.
The quintessential femme fatale of film noir uses her sexual attractiveness and ruthless cunning to manipulate men in order to gain power, independence, money, or all three at once. She rejects the conventional roles of devoted wife and loving mother that mainstream society prescribes for women, and in the end her transgression of social norms leads to her own destruction and the destruction of the men who are attracted to her. (Blaser 2008)
There is of course the other side to all of this that looks at these women as strong independent women who do what they must to survive in the gritty, paranoid mans world of film noir using whatever means necessary and they resort to this after being confined to the traditional roles of mother and wife for so long by society and the media.
References
Printed References
Place, J. (1989) Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan, London: BFI.
Harvey, S. (1978) Woman's place: The Absent Family in Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan.
Filmography
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Directed by Tay Garnett. USA. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947). Directed by Orson Welles. USA. Columbia Pictures.
Mildred Pierce (1945). Directed by Michael Curtiz. USA. Warner Bros.
Online References
J & S Blaser (2008) Film Noirs Progressive Portrayal of Women. Available at www.filmnoirstudies.com/essays/progressive.asp Accessed April 2010
Jason McKenzie (2005). It's Not Just Black and White: Gender Roles in Film Noir. Available at www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Summer05/McKenzie1.html Accessed April 2010
The dark lady, the spider woman, the evil seductress who tempts man and brings about his destruction... She and her sister (or alter ego), the virgin, the mother, the innocent, the redeemer, form the two poles of female archetypes. (Place, 1989.)
The view of women in film noir can be attributed to the men who created these films the directors, writers and producers. As Janey Place(1989) states "Film Noir is a male fantasy" and as with many fantasies it comes from a place of both fear and desire, a view interestingly summed up by Mckenzie(2005) "If they are good, they are undesirable; if they are unattainable, they are better; and if they will surely kill you, then they are the best".
So often femme fatales are defined by the misogynist fears of men; those of manipulative, self serving women who are mysterious, predatory and duplicitous. The male fears of women who have power via their sexuality are very old fears, the one thing man has no power over and yet desires the most. These character can be viewed as an attempt to gain power over these fears by punishing the women in the films who act in this way.
The quintessential femme fatale of film noir uses her sexual attractiveness and ruthless cunning to manipulate men in order to gain power, independence, money, or all three at once. She rejects the conventional roles of devoted wife and loving mother that mainstream society prescribes for women, and in the end her transgression of social norms leads to her own destruction and the destruction of the men who are attracted to her. (Blaser 2008)
There is of course the other side to all of this that looks at these women as strong independent women who do what they must to survive in the gritty, paranoid mans world of film noir using whatever means necessary and they resort to this after being confined to the traditional roles of mother and wife for so long by society and the media.
References
Printed References
Place, J. (1989) Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan, London: BFI.
Harvey, S. (1978) Woman's place: The Absent Family in Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan.
Filmography
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Directed by Tay Garnett. USA. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947). Directed by Orson Welles. USA. Columbia Pictures.
Mildred Pierce (1945). Directed by Michael Curtiz. USA. Warner Bros.
Online References
J & S Blaser (2008) Film Noirs Progressive Portrayal of Women. Available at www.filmnoirstudies.com/essays/progressive.asp Accessed April 2010
Jason McKenzie (2005). It's Not Just Black and White: Gender Roles in Film Noir. Available at www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Summer05/McKenzie1.html Accessed April 2010
Film Noir History and Conventions Part 2
As well as German expressionism film noir as we now know it has it origins in the pulp crime fiction novels of various authors including Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett and Cornell Woolrich all of whom began by contributing to the crime pulp magazine Black Mask that consisted of urban crime fiction in a hard-boiled style inspired by the state of corruption and rampant urban expansion in America at the time. These writers would go on to write many of the pulp novels that would spawn many film adaptations.
These novels would influence the stories and style of film noir in many ways the heroes/antiheroes, villains and corrupt officials along with the private eyes, gangsters and killers were all the source of entertainment in the novels and would go on to be the same in the films. The dark decaying underworld they occupied and the disillusionment and cynicism of the characters therein can also be traced back to the pulp fiction of the time and the mood in general in America at the time.
Film noir story are frequently complex and often non-linear and made use of flashbacks. The films stood out for their use of language especially the hard-boiled slang of the novels. Much of this language was used to be more sexual and offensive than the critics at the time would allow, so innuendo and euphemism was used to get the films past the tight broadcasting standards of the time. An apparent obsession with legs and feet also comes across from several film noir films perhaps again due to the strict broadcasting standards which would not allow anything racier.
Voice-over narration is used often in film noir and the voice over is not necessarily always to be trusted. A good example of narration in film noir is that of Sunset Boulevard where in the film is narrated by the main character who is shown dead at the beginning of the film.
References
Printed References
Black Mask Magazine (1920). USA. Popular Publications.
Filmography
Sunset Boulevard (1950). Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount
Double Indemnity (1944) Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount Pictures.
These novels would influence the stories and style of film noir in many ways the heroes/antiheroes, villains and corrupt officials along with the private eyes, gangsters and killers were all the source of entertainment in the novels and would go on to be the same in the films. The dark decaying underworld they occupied and the disillusionment and cynicism of the characters therein can also be traced back to the pulp fiction of the time and the mood in general in America at the time.
Film noir story are frequently complex and often non-linear and made use of flashbacks. The films stood out for their use of language especially the hard-boiled slang of the novels. Much of this language was used to be more sexual and offensive than the critics at the time would allow, so innuendo and euphemism was used to get the films past the tight broadcasting standards of the time. An apparent obsession with legs and feet also comes across from several film noir films perhaps again due to the strict broadcasting standards which would not allow anything racier.
Voice-over narration is used often in film noir and the voice over is not necessarily always to be trusted. A good example of narration in film noir is that of Sunset Boulevard where in the film is narrated by the main character who is shown dead at the beginning of the film.
References
Printed References
Black Mask Magazine (1920). USA. Popular Publications.
Filmography
Sunset Boulevard (1950). Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount
Double Indemnity (1944) Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount Pictures.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Film Noir History and Conventions
Before the gender conventions can be analysed they must first be defined and to define them without defining the genre conventions within which they are depicted would give a very two dimensional view of the subject. So to start I will be looking at some of the more apparent of the stylistic conventions often attributed to Film Noir.
Film Noir is dark, unsurprising when Film Noir is French for black film, these films are dark not just in lack of light but also in subject matter, but for now let's concentrate on the style.
The visual style of film noir, Naremore (1998) writes, "is characterised by unbalanced and disturbing frame compositions, strong contrasts of light and dark, the prevalence of shadows and areas of darkness within the frame, the visual tension created by curious camera angles and so forth. Moreover, in film noir, these strained compositions and angles are not merely embellishments or rhetorical flourishes, but form the very substance of the film."
The most obvious of the style conventions is the lighting, or lack there of, giving much of the dark feel to the films. Shadows, too are used to great effect in Noir often creating a sense of foreboding, impending doom or plain old fear. Then there are the odd camera angles used to create much of the claustrophobic feeling associated with these film as well as many of the surreal and bizarre scenes they are used in.
Much of these major stylistic conventions can be traced back to the origins of Film Noir in it's German Expressionist cinema roots. Brought about by the mass migration of German filmmakers fleeing the Nazi regime and seeking artistic freedom in Hollywood during the nineteen thirties. These German filmmakers went onto create many of the films now considered Film Noir.
The German and other European influences can be seen in more than just the odd camera angles and expressionistic styling of these films though. The gritty paranoia and distrust of government officials can be seen throughout many, along with the depiction of many of these people of power acting like criminals or gangsters who carry a badge and work in the name of freedom. Much of this has obvious links to the situation and atmosphere in Europe during and prior to this period.
References
Printed References
Naremore, J. (1998). More than Night: Film Noir in its Contexts. California. University of California Press
Online References
Author Unknown. From German Expressionism to Film Noir. Available from Accessed April 2010
Filmography
The Night Of The Hunter (1955). Directed by Charles Laughton. USA. United Artists
M (1931). Directed by Fritz Lang. Germany. Vereinigte Star-Film GmbH
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). Directed by Robert Wiene. Germany. Decla-Bioscop.
The Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). Directed by Boris Ingster. USA. RKO Radio Pictures
The Rules Of Film Noir (2009). Witten by Matthew Sweet. London, BBC4, 24 May.
Film Noir is dark, unsurprising when Film Noir is French for black film, these films are dark not just in lack of light but also in subject matter, but for now let's concentrate on the style.
The visual style of film noir, Naremore (1998) writes, "is characterised by unbalanced and disturbing frame compositions, strong contrasts of light and dark, the prevalence of shadows and areas of darkness within the frame, the visual tension created by curious camera angles and so forth. Moreover, in film noir, these strained compositions and angles are not merely embellishments or rhetorical flourishes, but form the very substance of the film."
The most obvious of the style conventions is the lighting, or lack there of, giving much of the dark feel to the films. Shadows, too are used to great effect in Noir often creating a sense of foreboding, impending doom or plain old fear. Then there are the odd camera angles used to create much of the claustrophobic feeling associated with these film as well as many of the surreal and bizarre scenes they are used in.
Much of these major stylistic conventions can be traced back to the origins of Film Noir in it's German Expressionist cinema roots. Brought about by the mass migration of German filmmakers fleeing the Nazi regime and seeking artistic freedom in Hollywood during the nineteen thirties. These German filmmakers went onto create many of the films now considered Film Noir.
The German and other European influences can be seen in more than just the odd camera angles and expressionistic styling of these films though. The gritty paranoia and distrust of government officials can be seen throughout many, along with the depiction of many of these people of power acting like criminals or gangsters who carry a badge and work in the name of freedom. Much of this has obvious links to the situation and atmosphere in Europe during and prior to this period.
References
Printed ReferencesNaremore, J. (1998). More than Night: Film Noir in its Contexts. California. University of California Press
Online References
Author Unknown. From German Expressionism to Film Noir. Available from
Filmography
The Night Of The Hunter (1955). Directed by Charles Laughton. USA. United Artists
M (1931). Directed by Fritz Lang. Germany. Vereinigte Star-Film GmbH
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). Directed by Robert Wiene. Germany. Decla-Bioscop.
The Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). Directed by Boris Ingster. USA. RKO Radio Pictures
The Rules Of Film Noir (2009). Witten by Matthew Sweet. London, BBC4, 24 May.
Introductory Post
Welcome to my opinions on films. This is the place where I can explain, expand and develop my opinions on films, genre and art. Just to be as clear as possible these are my opinions and in no way am I attempting to pass them off as facts, I feel it is necessary to state this as clearly as possible in a bid to prevent the many waiting and willing internet users from pouncing on me for being inaccurate or holding a different opinion to themselves. Obviously I intend to be as factually accurate as feasibly possible but so much of what I will be discussing will come down to personal opinion, so you have been warned!
For the time being I am going to be concentrating on looking into the gender conventions depicted within the genre of Film Noir. Before I continue I would like to point out that yes, Film Noir is a genre, despite what certain academics and others may believe (remember it's all opinions) and I see no reason why a certain style or group of stylistic conventions can not be classed as a genre, especially when they are so often backed up with narrative and character conventions.
Noir movies can be identified by a structure involving certain visual and thematic conventions. They generally have convoluted plots, often with a displaced sense of time. The labyrinthine narrative accentuates the feeling of anxiety and contributes to noir's overall mood of trepidation and hopelessness (Borde and Chaumeton, 1955).
In this series of blog posts I intend to define the gender conventions as depicted within Film Noir specifically looking at the characters of the Femme Fatale and the Hard Boiled Man, investigate and critique previous analysis of these conventions.
I expect to find that the gender conventions depicted, whilst being highly entertaining and creating some of the most incredible on screen chemistry in film history, are not very flattering to either gender.
Referemces
Borde, R. And Chaumeton, E (1955). Panorama of American Film Noir (1941-1953). Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1955.
For the time being I am going to be concentrating on looking into the gender conventions depicted within the genre of Film Noir. Before I continue I would like to point out that yes, Film Noir is a genre, despite what certain academics and others may believe (remember it's all opinions) and I see no reason why a certain style or group of stylistic conventions can not be classed as a genre, especially when they are so often backed up with narrative and character conventions.
Noir movies can be identified by a structure involving certain visual and thematic conventions. They generally have convoluted plots, often with a displaced sense of time. The labyrinthine narrative accentuates the feeling of anxiety and contributes to noir's overall mood of trepidation and hopelessness (Borde and Chaumeton, 1955).
In this series of blog posts I intend to define the gender conventions as depicted within Film Noir specifically looking at the characters of the Femme Fatale and the Hard Boiled Man, investigate and critique previous analysis of these conventions.
I expect to find that the gender conventions depicted, whilst being highly entertaining and creating some of the most incredible on screen chemistry in film history, are not very flattering to either gender.
Referemces
Borde, R. And Chaumeton, E (1955). Panorama of American Film Noir (1941-1953). Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1955.
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