In our past three media lessons we have been watching the 1946 film noir 'Gilda' directed by Charles Vidor. After watching this film I have grown to become more interest in the genre/movement of film noir, and how it has influenced film-making today.
What is film noir?
Film noir was a movement in film-making that occurred throughout the 1940's, although some others refer to it as a genre of film. 'Film noir' is French for 'dark film' and uses black and white lighting as well as many other conventions to convey meaning and depth. Due to the dark tone of these films, and what the crowd wanted in the 1940's, film noir would often consist of crime, drama, and romance in order to produce a thrilling and exciting movie.
A key part of film noir is the lighting- directors would often play with shadows and clothing to create contrasts between black (connoting evil) and white (connoting good). The idea of good vs evil is a consistent theme displayed in many film noir movies, as well as themes of death, sex, gambling and love- all of which feature in a lot of modern British crime dramas in particular.
This era of film-making produced arguably the most talented directors and screen-writers to have ever lived- the depth and subtle meaning conveyed by various film noir conventions is something that is much rarer in a lot of modern film-making. However, some modern films have been heavily influenced by this movement.
How has it influenced film-making today?
In modern blockbusters, the art of film noir is almost obsolete, with conventions such as playing with shadows to give depth to characters being only apparent in some less popular films. I believe this is due to the demand the audience cast on film-makers; production companies tend to focus on special effects and entertainment in films as appose to approaching with a goal to create a work of art.
However, some film makers and genres of film are heavily influenced by the film noir movement. One of my favorite TV dramas, 'Peaky Blinders' directed by Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper, and Colm McCarthy, features many similar conventions used in films made throughout the film noir movement. Colors of Black white and grey dominate most shots as well as lighting being used to create further depth to characters and events.
Moreover, 'Peaky Blinders' is not set solely in black and white, enabling bold bright colours to stand out amongst monotonous and de-saturated colors. Furthering the influence of film noir, women are objectified as dangerous prizes, as well as gambling being a heavy theme with most of the characters being violent gangsters.
This technique is famously used in the film 'Schindler's List' in which a girls red coat is the only color other than black and white featured throughout the entire film.
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