Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Independent Study
Independent Study
This style of film thrived in the mid 1940s to the mid 1950s under directors like Billy
Wilder and Orson Welles. Some of the general conventions of film noir are corrupt
police officers, femme fatale and misogynistic men. Furthermore, in regards to the
aesthetics of film noir a common feature is the use of shadows through low key
lighting. This is done create tension and mystery within the film and to play along with
the dark, criminal feel to the genre. Different camera angles, such as low angle and
wide angle shots are used in film noir to show which character is in control or has the
power in a situation.
The male protagonist is often a detective or a socially alienated individual, often working in red light
districts or desolate office buildings. Often set in a large city dominated by crime and corruption, the
protagonist often gets caught up in it. A common theme with the male character in film noir is
loneliness, this is portrayed through the shadows in the film as they give connotations of darkness
and fear. In addition, the male character is often seen as smoking and drinking away his troubles
after suffering defeat to the antagonist of the film. The men in film noir are often stereotypes,
masculine and fearless, faced with moral dilemmas presented by the antagonist. In John Hustons
The Maltese Falcon, private investigator Sam Spade plays the protagonist of the film who looks to
put his partners killer behind bars. Although he is the hero of the film, film noir doesnt play with the
basic conventions of protagonist and antagonist. In many moments of the film Spade could be
depicted as an anti-hero type figure, a flawed and morally ambiguous character. Furthermore, the
male protagonist is commonly miss portrayed at the beginning of the film as a hard-nosed, tough
guy and sincere individual. But throughout the film when faced with dilemmas his true colours shine
through and the audience can see he is of course the hero.
Within the sub-genre of film noir there are lots of different character types, a
significant and common one is the Femme Fatale. An often very attractive, sly, and
seductive character whom builds up the trust of the male protagonist only to
heartlessly betray him. The classic femme fatale commonly turns to murder to free
herself from the shackles of a relationship with a man that tries to control her. She
represents a strong, independent woman who uses her sexuality and looks to get her
own way. This is shown in Out of the Past when Kathie Moffett escapes a confining
relationship with Whit Sterling but Whit hires a detective to retrieve her. This plays in
with the idea of a femme fatale because its supposed to represent that a woman is a
mans possession, film noir goes against this ideology. The female character in film noir
often acts as a distraction or a temptation that the male protagonist must overcome,
she is destructive and not good for the male but is irresistible.