During this period, film noir was associated with a discreet, black and white graphic style that has roots in the german expressionist film making techniques. Film noir refers to a type of film or a style of filmmaking which shows the world as a dangerous or depressing place where many people suffer, especially because of the greed or cruelty of others. It presented the underbelly of the traditionally optimistic and utopian american dream and drew upon numerous cultural influences, such as german expressionism, american hardboiled fiction, french poetic realism of the 1930s, tabloid journalism, italian. Film noir is not a clearly defined genre see here for details on the characteristics. Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. A guide to film noir genre roger ebert january 30, 1995. Film noir emerged out of a nexus of american sociopolitical crises, including the great depression, world war ii, and the cold war. In subsequent decades, genresavvy filmmakers have stretched the definition of neo noir far beyond the scope of this initial cycle.
Da keine eindeutige definition des film noirs existiert, ist naturgema. Film noir definition of film noir by the free dictionary. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film. Film noir refers to a type of movie or a style of filmmaking which shows the world as a dangerous or depressing place where many people suffer, especially because of the greed or cruelty of others. Film noir definition is a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music.
Note on film noir by paul schrader in 1946 french critics, seeing the american films they had missed during the war, noticed the new mood of cynicism, pessimism and darkness which had crept into the american cinema. You can complete the translation of film noir given by the frenchenglish collins dictionary with other dictionaries such as. Film noir definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Directors utilized high key cinematography that dominantly featured bright direct light and cascading shadow, offkilter camera angles, and asymmetrical compositions to emphasize spooky or sordid storylines meant to thrill and intrigue. Should you now feel like conducting a film noir investigation of your own, we can offer you a few leads, including the five essential rules of film noir, roger eberts ten essential characteristics of film noir, noirchaeologist eddie mullers list of 25 noir films that will stand the test of time, a collection of film noir s 100 greatest.
A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a mexican border town. Hollywoods classical film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Therefore, the composition of this list may be controversial. Film noir is one of hollywoods only organic artistic movements. Film noir meaning in the cambridge english dictionary.
The fall of max payne is one of absolute brilliance, done in a fantastic film noir style, and told through beautiful comic book panels. It is also a french term which means, black film, or film of the night, which was inspired by the series noir. Hollywoods classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. A guide to film noir genre roger ebert roger ebert.
Film noir translation english german dictionary reverso. A critical introduction, bloomsbury publishing usa isbn during this period his own films were being studied alongside classic film noir together with european arthouse cinema and the. Film noir of this era is associated with a lowkey, blackandwhite visual style that has roots in german expressionist cinematography. Definition of film noir noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish hollywood crime dramas. The film noir genre generally refers to mystery and crime drama films produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir deals with morally ambiguous themes, in contrast to the dominant convention in hollywood. Film noir pronunciation in english cambridge dictionary. The genre was prevalent mostly in american crime dramas of the post world war ii era. The cowboy casanova himself is a shady figure, never seen in full light, but his outfit looks more like a film noir detective than a cowboy.
The term was originally applied by a group of french critics to american thriller or detective films made in the period 194454 and to the work of directors such as orson welles, fritz lang, and billy wilder. Jahrhunderts, mit dem beginn des zweiten weltkriegs einherging. From the chilly tech noir of blade runner 1982, to the absurdist crime films of the coen brothers, to christopher nolans technically dazzling noir inflected blockbusters, the subgenre has continued to thrive. The darkening stain was most evident in routine crime thrillers, but was also apparent in prestigious melodramas. Where to begin with neonoir bfi british film institute.
Although the hardboiled detective is the stereotypical noir hero, the central male characters in film. A movie which at no time misleads you into thinking. Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Movies of this genre were characteristically shot in black and white, and. Film noir 1940s1950s hostile, threatening world difficulty of determining truth or reality protagonist must solve a sensational crime, usually murder the alluring, independent, usually dangerous woman is often a mystery, requiring solution sexuality a driving force. Noire, flixist has teamed up with its sister sites japanator and destructoid to give a bit of background on what noir were spelling it that way is all about. Film noir as a style combined elements of the hardboiled fiction of the day with german expressionistic techniques imported by those directors. Film noir literally black film or black cinema was coined by french film critics first by nino frank in 1946 who noticed the trend of how dark, downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many american crime and detective films released in france to theatres during and following world.
The heroes of noir generally share certain qualities, such as moral ambiguity, a fatalistic outlook, and alienation from society. They also exhibit an existential acceptance of random, arbitrary occurrences as being the determining factors in life. Notable films include out of the past 1947 and the big sleep. Use filmnoir in a sentence filmnoir sentence examples. With reverso you can find the french translation, definition or synonym for film noir and thousands of other words. The definition of a film noir is very argueable and loose. One of the best examples of a noir film coming from the hardboiled tradition is double indemnity, the script was written by raymond chandler from james m. A french term meaning black film, or film of the night, inspired by the series noir, a line of cheap paperbacks that translated hardboiled american crime authors and found a popular audience in france. Film noir is defined as a genre of urban crime movies from the 1940s and 1950s with a melodramatic, bleak or cynical feel. American heritage dictionary of the english language, fifth edition. The essential elements of film noir explained in one grand.
We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the classic period of american film noir. Of or relating to a genre of crime literature featuring tough, cynical characters and bleak settings. A genre of crime films popular in the 1940s and 1950s, characterized by the use of expressionist, chiaroscuro blackandwhite cinematography, complex mystery plots, and stock characters such as the cynical detective and femme fatale.
There are two terrific film noir series taking place in new york right now, one at film forum, femmes noir, the other, at the museum of modern art, lady in the dark. Film noir french for black film is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Some state film noir as a time period in which the film was made. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an expert in this field, e. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. The american friend, a classic from german director wim wenders that until now was.