HUM 110: Introduction to American Film JC Clapp, North Seattle College

 World War II, post-war disillusionment (1940s)  Soldiers returning home and women losing their jobs  Post-war realism – audiences wanted authenticity and “realistic”  Influence of German Expressionism

 Crime/mystery/thriller/gangster genres  “Hard-boiled” pulp fiction detective  No happy endings  Use of flashback and voice-over common  Tight dialogue, witty banter, use of slang  Violent (murder usually, and corruption)  Sexual undertones, suggestive double entendre, verbal sparring  Moral ambiguity, fate  Isolation of cities

 Isolation  Claustrophobic  World feels off-balance (constant juxtaposition of light/dark)  Doom  Fear  Betrayal  Hopelessness

 Traditionally shot on black and white film  Harsh low-key lighting causes stark shadows and silhouettes (the impact of German Expressionism)  Rich, dark blacks with high contrast light – called “chiaroscuro”  Beams of light used as highlights or spotlights  Heavy use of wide-angle lens with deep depth of field  Light used to create vertical, horizontal, or angular lines

 Urban City: sprawling, sordid, seductive, dense, alienating, corrupt, dirty  Dark rooms, night, neon lights  Rain-soaked streets with litter and steam coming from manhole covers  Lavish furnishings in cramped spaces  Back alleyways and back doors  Taxis, bars, apartment buildings  Men in suits and hats, women in dresses  Cigarettes/Smoking

 Saxophone solos  Jazz influenced with piano or trumpet

 a woman: glamorous, sexually available, dangerous, determined, beautiful, strong-willed, scheming, manipulative  Desires wealth/power  Wears revealing or provocative clothes with dark lipstick – has curls, high heels, gloves, fur coats  Smokes seductively  She mixes cocktails, lounges in dressing rooms, and floats around in charge

 single man, usually a detective or private investigator (former cop), psychologically flawed  tough, cynical, morally ambiguous, smug  tempted and seduced by the Femme Fatale  Clean shaven and in a suit and hat