Introduction to Film Noir

Film Noir was a term applied by french critics in the 1940's to describe american thrillers/detective films. Film Noir is not necessarily a genre but instead a describing a period of time in film; after World War 2 films were often dark and depressing with a rarely happy ending, usually showing thebad guys getting away with their crimes.


Conventions of The Film Noir Style


Film Noir films achieved their style through use of expressionistic lighting, including ominous shadows and having many scenes in the night/dark in a bleak urban setting. In the camera work there are disorientating visuals, depth of field and skewed, powerful camera angles. You would also usually see the characters smoking cigars or cigarettes, creating effective gloomy smoke in the air.


Key Characters

The Protagonist
The main character, usually male, who tends to be cynical and disillusioned, and often becomes an 'anti-hero' having a murky pasts and not being a typical good guy. However the audience usually feels sympathetic for the character and identifies them as the hero of the story. Clothing often featured trilby hats and dark suits.

Femme Fatale

The femme fatale is a french phrase to describe the main female in Film Noir, which translates to deadly/fatal female. The woman is beautiful and independant, as well as being seductive, mysterious and overall dangerous. She would almost always be wearing a lot of makeup including dark lipstick, mascara and eye liner, as well as having expensive looking dresses, shoes and jewellery. The protagonist usually gets caught up in her schemes, where she manipulates the man to become the 'fall guy'.

Story lines

Story lines were often twisted, the narratives being complex, maze-like, typically told with foreboding background music, including flashbacks with witty, sharp dialogue and a confessional, first-person voice-over narrator. A common plot device was the downfall of an innocent man who fell victim to temptation or was framed, as well as amnesia suffered by the protagonist. Revelations would be made during the story regarding the hero, explaining and justifying his own cynical perspective on life.