Film Noir

This is a tribute to film noir (The Endless Night: A Valentine to Film Noir). Please notice the use of shadow and the gritty style of the film.

There are certain kinds of classic movies I like. I enjoy the 40’s and 50’s crime stories. The suspense created and the bad attitudes of the characters is what appeals to me. I was not aware that a lot of films I was enjoying are known as film noir (French term meaning “black film”). Below you will find a better explanation of what that term means:

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood’s classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.

Here are a few films that I enjoyed that are a part of this school of film…

“Out of the Past”

(Jane Greer’s first flick)

“Double Indemnity”

(I love Fred MacMurray in this)

“The Killing”

Do yourself a favor and find sometime to see one of these great movies.