film noir
Emily Ventress
1940s, American, mystery dramas
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ME
Film Noir (early 1940s to last 1950s) that normally have identifiable characteristics such as low lighting, smoking used as atmosphere, large use of shadows, certain characters such as the Everyman, the Femme Fatale, the Girl-Next-Door, henchmen etc.
Up until the 1970s film noirs were referred to as melodramas.
Film noirs became popular after the WWII as people became used to guns and violence and didn't
mind these on the big screens, these came to America during
the Great Depression.
crime
drama
1940s
certain characters
Characters
GALLERY
gallery
Mise-en-scene of Film Noirs
BY
EMILY VENTRESS
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ABOUT FILM NOIR
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about
FILM NOIR
The 'Everyman' is one of the main characters of a film Noir. He is the one who normally falls for the 'femme fatal', kills her ex boyfriend, gets in trouble and realises he should've fallen for the 'girl-next-door'. Typical conventions of the everyman is white, American man aged between 20-30 years. He normally is middle class and often wears suits or smart clothing.
Walter Neff Double Indemnity (1944)
Phyllis Dietrichson Double Indemnity (1944)
The 'Femme Fatale' is probably the most scene women in a noir film. She uses her attractiveness to minipulate men to do what she wants - usually to cause some kind of revenge on an ex-boyfriend. She represents how women should not be in power or control and how you shouldn't go for the powerful well payed women, you should go for more of a 'girl next door' figure.
Normal FIlm Noir storyline
1. Begins with the end - noramally will begin with the murder or
confession of somebody.
2. Credits - long old fashioned Hollywood styel credits with big
band, powerful, music behind
3. Understanding the Everyman - an introduction into what the
Everyman is like and what he's like
4. Everyman meets suductive Femme Fatale - Everyman starts to flirt a little and she gets him on side
5. Everyman does a job for Femme Fatale to show how big he is
6. Femme Fatale may die
7. Henchmen/man come after the Everyman
8. Everyman gets injured, killed or put into prison
9. Everyman realises he should've gone for the 'Girl-Next-Door
So What's a Neo-Noir?
A Neo Noir is a Noir based film that has a twist or many twists. For example Misfits (the TV show) recently made a Noir styled episode (episode 4, Series 4) but as Misfits is a program where each character has received some kind of 'power' after a huge storm, one of the characters, Curtis, has the power of being a zombie. Obviously zombies don't fit in with the Noir theme and there for this is a Neo-Noir. Within the Misfits show there is also some other unconventional things such as it's in colour etc.
Smoke
Shadows
Lighting
Shadows
