How to Choose a Film Noir Movie
Personally, I love film noir. In my opinion, only horror movies are more capable of providing glimpses into the subconscious desires that drive human beings to commit sometimes depraved acts of self-destruction. The best horror films are those that resemble nightmares in the way they disguise and distance our repressed wishes. The best film noirs differ only in that they don’t distance and disguise what is repressed. Horror films derive their popularity by being distinctly unrealistic; film noir is hyper realistic.
But this article isn’t about the deeper significance of film noir; it’s about how to choose a film noir for a great movie experience. Although the golden age of film noir was the late 40s through the late 50s, it is not true that no film noirs have been made since then. The look of the genre has changed with the almost universal use of color, but as Roman Polanski proved with Chinatown, a brilliant film noir can be made without the use of shadows that black and white cinematography provides.
Okay, here’s the basic elements that any film noir should have: preferably shot in black and white with extensive use of chiaroscuro lighting, shadows in other words; an urban setting; complex plot and story, often involving unexpected twists and turns; a voice-over narration, usually by an actual character, usually with a world-weary inflection; a lead male character who is typically involved in the legal system in some manner; and a femme fatale who usually plays the mug for a sap. In addition, there might be creative use of camera angles, either show from high up or down low, or slightly off-kilter. Expect a fusing of violence and eroticism, often including implicit homosexuality. And, of course, a general feeling of paranoia that tightens as the film progresses.
You would think that having such a strictly defined set of necessities would limit the description of film noir movies, but just the opposite is true. Many films are described as film noir that contain few of the ingredients listed above. I love Raging Bull; it’s my favorite movie of all time, in fact. Many critics who should know better have referred to it as a film noir; it is many things, but it is not a film noir. No way. Some people call Taxi Driver a film noir. Again, no way. Some of Hitchcock’s movies have been described as film noir, including Vertigo and Notorious. I’ll grudgingly accept that Strangers on a Train might qualify, but no other Hitchcock movie even comes close. Pulp Fiction has been called a film noir despite having few of the classic noir elements. In fact, Tarantino himself is often called a film noir director. I think the confusion here stems from the fact that film noir typically contains elements of the gangster/crime film genre. It can be confusing, but there is a difference. Reservoir Dogs definitely has the feel of a film noir, but it is missing one of the foundation elements: the femme fatale. If any Tarantino movie is a film noir, it would be Jackie Brown.
You can see, then, the difficulty in knowing how to choose a film noir. Most video stores don’t have a specific section and online video outlets often include movies that aren’t, while excluding movies that are. Go figure. At any rate, now that you know what to look for in a film noir, it’s time to look at some specific examples. You may have already seen some of these films without even knowing this is what they’re talking about when you hear people talking about film noir. There’s no better way to understand how to choose a film noir than watching a few of the classics and learning what a film noir really is.
As I said, there are disagreements over whether certain movies qualify as noir. However, there is very little room for argument over the bona fide masterpieces of the genre. While no two noir enthusiasts can agree on what the very first noir film was, almost everybody is in agreement on what the first true noir classic was. Check that. Actually, there is disagreement on this as well. Some point to The Maltese Falcon as the first noir masterpiece. I disagree; that’s a detective movie. I share the view that the first noir masterpiece was Double Indemnity. Released in 1944, directed by the great Billy Wilder and starring Barbara Stanwyck as the very model of a femme fatale, this one has it all. Fred MacMurray is himself the model of the sap who falls hard for a pretty face and starts down a long path of self-destruction; his narration is one of the best of the genre. The paranoia starts building from the moment the two stars murder her husband and it never lets up. Double Indemnity is probably the very best of the pre-Cold War era film noirs. Most of the noirs of the 40s get their paranoia courtesy of good old-fashioned criminal guilt. By the 50s noir’s paranoia was more universal.
Perhaps the ultimate 50’s version of film noir is Kiss Me Deadly. Coming out smack dab in the middle of the decade and directed by Robert Aldrich, this film is based on a Mike Hammer novel written by Mickey Spillane. But Aldrich turns it from a detective story into a film noir. It begins with one the most unforgettable opening sequences of all time and ends even better. More on that later. By this time in the development of film noir, the Cold War paranoia sparked by the fear that for the first time in history the world could come to an end with the push of a button had replaced the simple fear of getting caught by the police that had marked earlier noir movies.
Kiss Me Deadly may stand out as the absolute unparallel example of how convoluted a noir movie can be. (Others will argue that The Big Sleep should hold that title. While The Big Sleep is almost incomprehensible, it is not film noir.) To try to explain exactly what happens in this deliriously fast-paced flick would require a completely separate article. Basically it comes down to Mike Hammer’s pursuit of a suitcase containing some valuable and mysterious object. (No doubt Tarantino was paying homage to this film in Pulp Fiction.) Okay, now back to the ending. I would never dare reveal the final scene of this movie, but to satisfy your curiosity I will tell you that you do finally get to know what the mysterious object in the suitcase is. My favorite closing movie scene of all time is the haunting fade-out to I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. The ending of Kiss Me Deadly is definitely in my top five.
Although I have excluded from the genre certain films that others consider as examples based on certain lacking of traditional elements, it is true that film noir does allow for exceptions to traditional conventions. For instance, Orson Welles’ masterpiece Touch of Evil doesn’t really have a femme fatale or a mug who gets played for a sap, but it nonetheless is usually thought of a film noir; in fact, it’s typically considered to be the last great black and white classic of the genre. I agree. Film noirs can vary; it’s not a cookie cutter genre. Probably my favorite film noir that takes a detour from established traditions is The Phantom Lady. I have already written in detail about why this is such a great movie in another article, but I’ll take this opportunity to explain how it carves its own path as a film noir. The lighting and use of shadows in this movie is noir-perfect. The stifling sense of paranoia is driven by the deadline to save an innocent man from execution. The unique quality is that it is a woman who must save the man’s life. This film turns the genre on its head by making a woman the one who solves the mystery. A truly fascinating movie.
In addition to the examples I’ve already mentioned, I also highly recommend watching Detour, The Killers, and, of course, Gilda, starring the inimitable Rita Hayworth as perhaps the ultimate noir good bad girl (as opposed to Stanwyck in Double Indemnity who is all bad). Watching these landmark film noir movies will give you a sense of what to look out for when you start to choose film noir that isn’t as well known. And that’s important, because many of the finest examples of film noir were not mainstream movies with big stars. A lot of the very best movies of this genre were B-movies directed on shoestring budgets by up and coming directors and starring either up or coming actors or established character actors. In fact, the iconic use of creative lighting found in almost every film noir can be attributed to working on small budgets.
What Hollywood has yet to realize despite almost 100 years of history is that creativity comes from a lack of financial resources, not an abundance. If you give a director 100 million dollars he doesn’t have to figure out creative ways to deal with a problem; he just throws money at it. Conversely, if you’ve only got a million dollars on which to make a movie you intensely understand that you have to be careful how you spend that money and it inspires you to creative methods of dealing with such problems as not having a huge set, or not being able to spent a week on location. Film noir movies look the way they look not only because shooting in shadows is atmospheric, but also because if half your set is in the dark you don’t have to spend money making it look realistic.
One of the problems facing the film noir enthusiast has been the lack of access. Ever since the early 90s when black and white movies starting disappearing from television it has been more difficult to find them. Many noir films-even some of the classics-either weren’t available on video or DVD or else were only available in crappy quality editions. Lately things have been looking better. For one thing, there’s always Turner Classic Movies, which currently runs shows a film noir or noirish movie every Saturday morning. And most of the big time noir classics are now available on quality edition DVD. Even better are the film noir collections that are available. Several boxed sets featuring little-known and rarely seen noir movies can currently be bought online. True, there is a vast difference in the quality of the transfer, but many times that’s due to the quality of the available print. As far I’m concerned, I’m willing to give up a little quality in return for availability. Besides, there’s something about film noir that almost improves things when the picture is a little grainy or the sound a little muffled.
Noir never died, but it certainly isn’t what it used to be. Several classics films from the French New Wave can be categorized as neo-noir. And noir occassionally pops up in color, the most notable examples probably being Chinatown and Body Heat. Noir has even been turned to for comic effect. Steve Martin’s ridiculously underrated and overlooked black and foray into noir Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid was one of the greatest comedies of the early 80s, but usually isn’t given credit. From the same period is perhaps the ultimate science fiction film noir, Blade Runner. Heck, noir even shows up comic strips. As any fan of Calvin & Hobbes can tell you, Calvin’s imaginary private eye Tracer Bullet has adventures that veer closer to noir than to traditional private eye movies.
Probably the most recent noir film to achieve a certain level of commercial and critical acclaim was LA Confidential. (Keeping in mind that most Tarantino films only contain elements of noir and shouldn’t be considered true examples of the genre). Of course, I myself have a little trouble with the movie version, which I think takes the ultra-dark noir ambience of James Ellroy’s novel and simplifies the plot far too much for easy public consumption. And while we’re on that subject, if you want to read a literary example of film noir – something not easily done – then read Ellroy’s novels, particular this one and The Black Dahlia.
Brian DePalma has directed a film version of The Black Dahlia, to be released later this summer or possibly in the fall if it looks to have Oscar possibilities. DePalma is at his level best when working within a genre so there is hope to be had that this film may be enough to bring film noir back full swing. Unfortunately, it is also true that DePalma has been a terrible slump for well over a decade now, so who knows. The good news is that Mark Wahlberg was replaced. The bad news – the really, really, really bad news – is that DePalma replaced David Fincher.
All fans of film noir are keeping their fingers crossed and holding their collective breaths.
