EXPLODING GENRE – WEEK EIGHT

‘Most of these films were about crime, often murder, and the harsh world of private investigators, police detectives, and the criminals they seek. These films centred on “a world of darkness and violence, with a central figure whose motives are usually greed, lust, and ambition, whose world is filled with fear. ” The setting was almost always an urban one, with rain-slicked city streets reflecting neon signs in the night. The world presented in these films was almost always totally corrupt and devoid of any human sympathy.’

(House 1986, p.62)

I didn’t actually know what a noir film is until this week. Now I realise it is a genre I really enjoy. Dan raised the question, what are the defining characteristics of noir films? There was a lot of talk in the readings about if it can be labelled it’s own, or if it is simply ‘a movement rather than a genre’ (House 1986, p.64), a period of film making rather than it’s own type of film.

As House states, ‘it is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood’ (House 1986, p.64). As an objective observer who is unfamiliar with film noir I would classify it as it’s own genre, because when you watch these films you recognise them as noir. They are unique and are identifiable from an impartial perspective. As Rebecca House discusses, unlike other genres, film noir is unique in how it is distinguished. It is the ‘elusive qualities of mood, style, and tone’ (House 1986, p.64).

There is a mood that noir films exhibit that is unlike any other genre. This feeling comes from the overtly fake sets, obvious lighting and sets. The producers care more about the way the story is told than the story itself. Films such as The Killers (1946) show that the story takes a back seat and the aesthetic becomes more important.

References:

House, Rebecca R. (1986). Night of the soul: American film noir. Studies in Popular Culture, 9(1), pp. 61-83.