Film Noir: Unique Facts, Definition and History of Film Noir

Film fans are certainly familiar with the term Film Noir. Synonymous with dark and mysterious themes, many consider film noir to be a detective film or a femme fatales film – a female character who uses her charm and sexuality to ensnare and manipulate men – in black and white cinema.

You can't say it's right but it's not completely wrong either. So what exactly is meant by film noir? This time IDN Times will invite you to get to know more closely about film noir, starting from its origins to its influence in the modern film industry. Let's start.

1. What is Film Noir?

Film noir is a term used to describe a film genre that emerged in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. The term is taken from French which, when translated, means black film or dark film. Not without reason, the use of the term film noir refers to the dark and moody themes of films and the visual style used in these films.

In general, film noir plots revolve around crime, especially murder. The characters in it are ambiguous both morally and from their background. His character is also made unpleasant by having a cynical attitude and is thick with pessimism and fatalism.

For its own visual style, film noir is synonymous with minimal lighting, cinematography that has high contrast and shadows, and uses dramatic framing and camera movements. The atmosphere presented in film noir is not far from uncomfortable feelings such as tension and anxiety and focuses on the dark side of human nature.

2. The origins of film noir

You could say film noir was sparked from a dark history. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, the German Expressionist movement was born in the German film industry. Born in the post-World War II era in Europe, German Expressionist cinema is synonymous with absurd and grandiose sets, narratives that are thick with psychological fiction, and chiaroscuro lighting or lighting techniques that use contrast in light and shadow on an object to create a 3D effect. Considering that at that time many German filmmakers moved to Hollywood when the Nazi regime arose, they also brought the filmmaking style of Expressionism cinema which had a major influence on the creation of the film noir genre.

Film noir is here thanks to eccentric crime fiction like those written by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Both of them spawned a more realistic detective story and further explored the dark side of American life. The characters he created were very complex and far from perfect

3. Characteristics of film noir

Film noir has different characteristics from other film genre structures. Some of them are like:

Chiaroscuro lighting, this lighting technique creates intense shadows and high contrast between dark and light which is able to build a tense atmosphere full of mystery throughout the film.

The characters are morally ambiguous. The protagonist is generally a cynical and pessimistic detective who is trapped in a world full of crime and corruption. The femme fatale character is also an important identity in a film noir. Described as a seductive and dangerous woman, the femme fatale character uses her charm and sexuality to ensnare and manipulate the protagonist.

Carrying a dark and cynical theme. Most film noir explores the seedy and bleak side of America. This is combined with acts of crime, corruption, and acts of betrayal. The ending of the film noir itself is not far from gloomy with the protagonist meeting a tragic fate.

4. The influence of film noir on the film industry

Film noir has had a major influence on the development of the film industry. Its distinctive visual style and synonymous with dark themes inspired many filmmakers from all over the world to create other interesting genres including neo-noir, crime-thriller, to psychological drama.

In the Hollywood industry itself, film noir has more or less changed the way film activists produce and market their films. Given that many noir films are produced with limited budgets, filmmakers are encouraged to experiment with new techniques and dig deeper into their wild ideas. The success of these noir genre films was the forerunner of the birth of the independent film industry which is widely known for its extraordinary premise.

Film noir can be said to be one of the film genres that has had a major influence in the history of the world film industry. After getting to know this film genre better, are you interested in starting watching film noir?

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