Archetypes In Neo Noir Films

Neo-Noir is a genre described to have many similarities with classic Film Noir, but takes advantage of modern technology and fuses this with classic elements (1). The Watch Mojo website has created many ‘Top 10’ lists that rank films in a specific genre, one of which covers what they believe are the ten best Neo-Noir films, and have put the 1974 thriller Chinatown on the list. The movie is an accurate and worthy representation of the genre and deserves to be on the list as it consistently portrays its use of the Mise-en-scene aspects and motifs of Neo-Noir. These main characteristics being its unique lighting, setting, character archetypes, costume, visual motifs and camera-techniques, all of which are true to the Neo-Noir style.
One very important
This character is known as the femme fatale. The femme fatale is portrayed by a woman who can be seductive and charming but at the same time have evil or nasty intentions, although these intentions often appear unmotivated (4). Usually, the femme fatale will attempt to seduce the protagonist, gaining influence and often leading him into bad or dangerous situations. Along with her charm she is sometimes portrayed with a “complex psychological and social identity” (5), which is a way of obscuring her true intentions. Although, in some neo noirs it is not uncommon for the femme fatale not to have such malicious goals, but to still remain seductive, manipulative and retain influence over the protagonist for her own benefit. In Chinatown's case this is Evelyn Mulwray. She doesn’t murder or have any malevolent plans, though she still is constantly spinning lies and seduces Gittes to keep the truth hidden. However, while she does portray the femme fatale archetypes throughout most of the film, when her secrets are revealed she becomes a powerless wreak, with no signs of influence or strength. The femme fatale act is apparent in the story when Evelyn tells Gittes she doesn’t know who her late husband’s supposed mistress was – which is the case Gittes is working – and continues to act ignorant through nearly the entire
While retaining the base elements of film noir it does use modern technology that separates it from that era. It makes use of standout shadows and low-key moody lighting, and also includes many character archetypes, particularly the femme fatale. Chinatown also incorporates noir-style visual motifs such as venetian blinds and cigarettes, and the story folds out in the same type of urban setting that is seen in every neo-noir. Along with these, it dresses characters in the appropriate attire, and exercises camerawork known for being a noir. Using all of these elements Chinatown rightly deserves a spot on WatchMojo’s top 10