Calling all film nerds! Today I want to share with you the wonderful nature of film noir in two of my favorite Classical Hollywood films. Bright lights, glamour, and living "happily ever after" are all things film noir is not. Film noir creates a deeper meaning in film that is influenced by the social outcome of society. It brings forth a new style that tells the story of the darker side of American culture and challenges the spectator's emotions.
Specific techniques are used to provide a more realistic effect. Shadows, low-key lighting, deep focus and flashbacks add to the atmosphere of noir that is gloomy and depressing. Film noir takes ordinary people and places them in the reality of a corrupt American society. Noir films were highly influenced by the anxiety of The Great Depression and further expressed imagery of World War Two. These two time periods build the foundation and support of film noir.
It was during this time that the notion of "The American Dream" was erased from existence. Films such as Citizen Kane (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944) both provide themes of the failed American Dream and furthermore express the difficulty of interpreting life. These themes are common in most noir films and further express why audiences had an emotional connection to them. While exploring the historical aspects of the Great Depression and World War Two, film noir served as an outlet for individuals to experience mutual feelings with the characters on the big screen, and develop an aspiration for a perfect American society, which ultimately became non-existent.
The Great Depression and World War Two are events that caused the American society to crumble. This era brings the spectator closer to the fears and emotions that film noir created. These feelings of anxiety are predominately expressed through the characters. "American culture reflected an innocent appearance, but this was only repression" (Film Noir Reader). These repressions are expressed through the narratives of classic noir films, and depict characters struggling for some sort of freedom. The montage scene in Citizen Kane serves as an excellent example for this. During the scene Susan is assembling jigsaw puzzles. She desires to live her life and enjoy what it has to offer, but Kane refuses to leave. Like the palace itself, the puzzle never reaches completion. This gives the impression of a dream never being met. Pessimistic behavior trends from the aftermath of the Great Depression, which could be nothing more than an outlook on life.
The Second World War brought on certain aspects of guilt, motivation and weakness. In Double Indemnity Walter Neff expresses his guilt through the inner weakness of his masculinity by giving in to Phyllis Dietrichson (the desirable objective). Another interesting mode of guilt is brought through flashbacks. With this technique, film noir is able to bring the audience into the story and influence certain emotions that are expressed by the spectator. "Double Indemnity" and "Citizen Kane" both use this familiar film noir technique. "Double Indemnity" is a film that's entirely told through a narrative flashback of Walter Neff, while "Citizen Kane" is rather a story told through others in an attempt to find out who or what "Rosebud" is. Rosebud essentially represents the innocence of Kane's childhood, before he was taken away to live the "better life." It seems his whole life was devoted to reaching that goal, but never found it because he was missing that one piece of his life that he could not get back, his childhood. Drawing the audience into the film world was a useful tool for this historical period, because it developed mutual emotions.
The after effects of The Great Depression and World War Two created anxieties that blurred the ideals of the American Dream. Noir films created a sense of empathy for audiences that lived through this and ultimately influenced the start of film noir as culture. Style and genre bring forth the essential tools for noir films to function. They both work together to create the essence of what film noir provides to its audiences. The stylistic techniques of noir break the barrier of the Classical Hollywood narrative, and expose a darker side to the American persona. It is apparent in the films chosen that the genre and style develop equally.
Style creates a physical appearance such as the use of space and the manipulation of objects. Dark, overcast shadows mask the innocence of American culture. Genre provides the hard, outer shell that centers style in film noir. When exploring the core of film noir, one must look at the time period historically to understand its full effect and purpose. It is with this, one can fully see where film noir trends. Noir places the ordinary citizen in a position of unfortunate events, much like the fate of The Great Depression and World War Two. Social fears and irrationalities are expressed artistically through film noir and draw on emotions experienced during oppressive times. The jigsaw puzzle plays as a motif for the ideals of this time period, the aspiration to achieve the American Dream. This goal became non-existent, and was represented by a puzzle that has never been completed. It became clear that the dream was never met, and the result played on the fate of the individual.
Author's Note: This was an essay I wrote for one of my Film classes. All Footnotes and citations were removed to create a more personal touch.
Editor's Note: I asked for the sources, but appreciate the desire to make this personal. However, on all factual based articles, you must provide sources!
1. Hare, William. Pulp Fiction to Film Noir: The Great Depression and the Development of a Genre. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc, 2012.
2. Ewing E., Dale. Film Noir Reader 2: Film Noir Style and Content. New York: Proscenium Publishers, Inc, 1999.
3. Place, J.A., and Peterson, L.S. "Some Visual Motifs of Film Noir." 30-35. Film Society Lincoln Centre, 1974.
4. Winfried Fluck, "Crime, Guilt, and Subjectivity in 'Film Noir,'" American Studies, (2001): 392, accessed January 31st, 2013. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4115766.
