I feel
that Film Noir is just that; Movies that are “black” in nature. Dark in theme, mood, and context define the
genre. The black and white that the
movies were shot in give a gloomy feel.
Crime gives the overall dangerous tone to the movie. Even the heroes of the films tend to be more “anti-hero”
than true hero. Cynical, moody, broody, and jaded at the world in general, they
usually fight the good fight anyway or even sometimes forced into it due to
circumstances. The villains are usually
corrupt to their core, focused entirely on greed, lust, power, or ambition.
Visually,
the movies are dark and gloomy, full of shadow and rainy weather. Dense urban sprawl gives a maze-like feeling
of being trapped, where every turn looks the same as the one prior. Even newer films are sometimes shot in black
and white to enhance the overall gloomy feel.
The lack of true color makes the grey seem to fade in with the black,
making it hard to see the bright-side of anything.
The
heroes are sometimes closer to villains themselves, yet have at least one or
two saving qualities that make up for it.
A strong sense of justice or just being full of black humor can endear
one to an audience, even if his means are nearly bad as the villains they are
going against.
Current
Noir differs from the past usually because they aren’t shot in black in white,
though this is not always the case. The
overall feel and tone of the current generation of Noir is the same, even if
the settings are more relevant to the times.
Futuristic sci-fi and modern urban have become the new style for Noir. Few movies are made in this style anymore,
however. The overall feeling is that
they won’t be successful to spend any money on.
These movies are left the Independent film industry, and are likely all
the better for it.
