Playing with Shadows – an introduction to Film Noir dara Hogan

It’s a Wonderful Life - 1946

The Big Sleep - 1946

Take a moment Take a moment to look at each film still in turn What do you see in each photo? What adjectives would you use to describe each photo? What mood do you feel each photo evokes? Compare the two film stills

Towards a Definition Film Noir French critics used ‘Film Noir’ to describe American Films of 1940’s/50’s Common attributes Theme Setting Lighting Camerawork Dialogue

Origins Low Budget ‘B’ Movies Compete with TV Double Bill Newsreel Cartoons Serial B Movie Main Attraction Actors/Directors on way up (or down)

Low Budget No money for big stars, fancy costumes, elaborate sets, big stunts Had to rely on plot twists, clever dialogue, unusual lighting and camera work Less money meant less supervision Directors could experiment European directors brought new influences Why did European directors move to Hollywood in the 1930’s and 40’s?

Source Material ‘Pulp Novels’ ‘Hard Boiled’ Detective Novels Often trashy Sensationalist Sometimes accomplished writers acted as screenwriters Raymond Chandler

Lighting Typical Hollywood movies were very brightly lit Three Source Lighting Everything visible Happy, Happy, Happy Very Slow/Expensive

Lighting ‘B’ Movies often shot at night Tight schedule/small crew Often set at night Dimly lit rooms Shadowed streets Suited subject matter Portrayed a dark world

Camera Work Re-used sets/costumes Attempt to make them look different Strange Angles Shot through blinds Grid over faces Rain on a window pane

High Angle/Low Angle

Extreme Close Up/Depth of Field

Hero/Anti Hero Not traditional ‘Good Guys’ Outsiders Private Eye/Ex Cop No Friends/Family Morally Questionable Brains and Brawn Do the right thing?

Girl Next Door/Femme Fatale

Dialogue Narrator/Voice over Slang Double Entendre Broads Bulls On the lam Double Entendre

Quotes Marlowe: You know what he'll do when he comes back? Beat my teeth out, then kick me in the stomach for mumbling Tom Regan: All in all not a bad guy - if looks, brains and personality don't count. Verna: You better hope they don't. Brendan Frye: Uh-huh. And he wants cash on the nail. He's a pot-skulled reef worm with more hop in his head than blood. Why pay for dirt you can't believe?

Setting Documentary style Bars, nightclubs, gyms, doss houses Usually urban City seen as menacing and dangerous New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Gotham Documentary style Bars, nightclubs, gyms, doss houses Alienation Corruption

Complicated Red Herrings Double Crossing Storylines Complicated Red Herrings Double Crossing

The Big Sleep (1946) Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love. Director: Howard Hawks Writer: William Faulkner Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and John Ridgely

Miller’s Crossing (1990) Tom Regan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties. Director: Joel and Ethan Coen Writers: Joel and Ethan Coen Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney and John Turturro

Brick (2005) A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. Director: Rian Johnson Writer: Rian Johnson Stars:Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas and Emilie de Ravin

Suggested Reading Overview of Film Noir The Big Sleep http://filmmakeriq.com/2010/08/ultimate-filmmakers-guide-to-film-noir/ The Big Sleep http://www.filmsite.org/bigs.html Miller’s Crossing http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/publications/16+/pdf/modernnoir.pdf Brick http://www.freshfilmfestival.net/images/studyguides/FFF_Brick_Study_Guide_2008.pdf

IMAGES Google Images Advanced search, images listed as 'available to use, share or modify, even commercially'. Picture Credits: It's a Wonderful Life, 1946, Dir. Frank Capra, RKO Radio Pictures The Big Sleep, 1946, Dir. Howard Hawks, Warner Bros. Roman Holiday, 1953, Dir. William Wilder, Paramount Pictures Touch of Evil, 1958, Dir. Orson Welles, Universal Pictures The Man Who Wasn't There, 2001, Dir.Joel Coen, Working Title The Manchurian Candidate, 1962, Dir. John Frankheimer, United Artists The Maltese Falcon, 1962, Dir. John Huston, Paramount My Dream is Yours, 1949, Dir. Michael Curtis, Warner Bros. Detour, 1945, Dir. George Ulmer, Producers Releasing Corporation Double Indemnity, 1944, Dir. Billy Wilder, Paramount Pictures Miller's Crossing, 1990, Dir. Joel Coen, 20th Century Fox Brick, 2005, Dir. Rian Johnson, Focus Features