Elements Of Film Noir

The term film noir can be defined as a style of film which was marked by a period of pessimism, self doubt and fatalism. The term was applied by French critics in the 1946 to a group of US films that were made during the war and that were released in quick succession after 1945. Ultimately there has been much debate surround the ambiguity of the term, but it is now understood that film noir is more of a narrative and stylistic tendency and ultimately “a critical category” rather than a genre in itself. The movement is generally considered to have started in 1941 with the release of Huston’s The Maltese Falcon which is considered to have established many of the conventions of the film noir movement. Film Noir, as a movement is generally characterised
From the argument which Connor presents it is evident that the narrative elements of Double Indemnity can be described as “a product of the period.” This is due to the fact that the narrative elements of murder, sexual desire and greed can be described as a visual representation of the attempt to grapple with the rise of Fascism in Europe. So therefore it can be argued that Wilder’s narrative focus on greed, sexual desire, and murder is a result and to some extent a reaction to the rise of fascism in Europe and therefore “a product of the period.”

The time in which Double Indemnity was produced also plays a significant role in explaining how film noir can be understood as a product of the period. The film was released in 1944 during the later years of World War Two where the tendency of the masculine crisis began to emerge. Double Indemnity clearly shows the concern of the masculine crisis through the portrayal of Walter, a weak submissive male, driven by greed and sexual desire. Evidently, this is a portrayal of the man in the midst of the masculine crisis and furthermore emphasizes why film noir can be understood as a product of the
This can be described as a voyeuristic, low angle shot, almost as if Walter is gazing up at Phyllis. It is important to note that this “provides occasional disquieting images of one characters control over another. Additionally, clearly the relationship between Walter and Phyllis is an unequal one as one can understand that she is dominant and he is clearly submissive. This clearly shows that Phyllis is portrayed as the femme fatale, a character type who tends to be seen as a temptress and who tends to lead the male character astray. It is important to note that the “treacherous femme fatale” was established at the very beginning of the film noir cycle with The Maltese Falcon in 1941 so the fact that the character archetypes of the

hard boiled male protagonist and the femme fatale are still present once again shows that film noir can be described as a product of the period. So overall the direct relation to the rise of fascism in
Europe and the use of the archetypal films of film noir shows that Double Indemnity can be understood as a product of the