Film Noir Thesis Research - PhD-Dissertations.com.
Excerpt from Dissertation: Film Noir Among the various styles of producing films, it has been observed the noir style is one that has come to be recognized for its uniqueness in characterization, camera work and striking dialogue.
This dissertation documents how a series of cynical 1940s Hollywood films set in historical eras served as a forum for Hollywood to reconcile the complex relationship between America and its European past. While these films are rarely discussed in the ongoing discourse surrounding film noir, this study posits that they function as “noirs of the past” by transposing the pessimism and trauma.
Note on Film Noir By Paul Schrader In 1946 French critics, seeing the American films they had missed during the war, noticed the new mood of cynicism, pessimism and darkness which had crept into the American cinema. The darkening stain was most evident in routine crime thrillers, but was also apparent in prestigious melodramas. The French cineastes soon realized they had seen only the tip of.
Essays on Film Noir. Film Noir Studios features some great reading by essayist John Blaser.This site offers numerous, insightful pieces and is a great resource for noir students and fans alike. Berkeley’s Noir Essays are a great collection of noir articles.This site features in-depth articles on women in film noir as well an excellent piece on the film noir scores of Miklos Rozsa.
Film noir is not a clearly defined genre (see here for details on the characteristics). Therefore, the composition of this list may be controversial. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an expert in this field, e.g. () () () ().
Film Noir. When you think that phrase, the mind is immediately drawn to images of leggy ice queens, rumbled losers in fedoras, guns, neon and certain deadpan cynicism. Film Noir wasn’t a self conscious movement in the way the French New Wave was. It wasn’t a brand name like a Marvel superhero epic. But it did tap into something dark in the American postwar zeitgeist and became for a spell.
Film noir characters are very real but their ending is not good. For example, Neff’s destiny arrives after him just after he is inside his apartment. “NEFF: So at eight o’clock the bell would ring and I would know who it was without even having to think, as if it was the most natural thing in the world” (Leitch 153). Eventually Phyllis shows up and they passionately embrace each other.
The golden age of film noir The cinema of the disenchanted. Early examples of the noir style include dark, stylized detective films such as John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon (1941), Frank Tuttle’s This Gun for Hire (1942), Otto Preminger’s Laura (1944), and Edward Dmytryk’s Murder, My Sweet (1944). Banned in occupied countries during the war, these films became available throughout.
It's only a master's thesis, but I find it more interesting and useful than some of the doctoral dissertations I've seen. Since the field is film studies, there is no mention of soundtrack albums or alternative performances. The focus is squarely on Rozsa's contribution to the cinema. The author appears to be fully capable of handling musical matters, though he seems to have had limited access.
In cinematic circles, much has been made of the film noir genre. While debates continue to circulate about what exactly film noir is and how films can be seen to fit this model, contemporary examples of the film noir produced in the last ten years have begun to exhibit an exciting and inventive postmodern tendency: a non-linear narrative structure. Narratives are scrambles, run backwards.
America's embrace of film noir came swift and furiously, the popularity of noir exists even in contemporary cinema. I would like to explore the implications as to why film noir has become one of the truest forms of American Cinema, perhaps even exceeding the western, as well as the reasoning as to why the American people have exalted a type of genre which is known primarily for its ties with.
Film Noir: Noir Overview Noir Contexts Noir Conventions Noir Films Noir Narrative Conventions. Storyline: In a common noir storyline a man, often embittered by life or tarnished by his past, meets a beautiful, mysterious woman (femme fatale). He is sexually and fatally attracted to her. Either as a result of their relationship or because she manipulates him, he cheats, murders or attempts to.
Film noir's version of Romeo and Juliet, made with amazing conviction by Nicholas Ray. A smart, soulful film full of evocative details, including a wonderfully intricate soundtrack. THIEVES' HIGHWAY 20th Century-Fox, 1949. Not nearly as uncompromising as the original novel, but a wonderful, politically-charged melodrama in its own right. This is the film that got me hooked on noir. SWEET SMELL.
