Film Noir: The Night Of The Hunter

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen! I am sure that most of you love Hollywood crime dramas that incorporate heated relationships between main male and female characters. Rewind to the early 1940s through the late 1950s, add sharp black and white cinematography, and you’ve got Film Noir. Film Noir can be defined as film that conveys moral natures and real-life situations, usually dealing with crime, seductive women, and guilt, through dark lighting and shadows. Film Noir encompasses detectives, femme fatales, love, beautiful cinematography, and snappy dialogue. A famous film involving a detective is The Big Heat. Dave Bannion is the detective in the film, and he is a tough cop who uses any means needed to uncover the truth. When a gang suspects that he is catching on to the scheme, a bomb is put on his car to blow him up. However, the bomb kills his wife instead, and he is fueled by vengeance to return justice to the gangsters. Many Noir films have hardboiled detectives, and
Film Noir uses shadows and dark lighting to heighten the meaning and attitudes of the films. Night of the Hunter uses discreet symbols in different scenes of the film that represent different aspects of the morals of the characters. For example, the main female character in the film is a good, Christian woman; triangles show up in the background of certain scenes to symbolize the Trinity, reminding the audience of her strong Christian faith that will overcome the horrible man trying to take away the children she is watching over. Another film, named The Killers, is also a prime example of black and white cinematography that strengthens the drama, mood, and effect of the film. While most Noir films are black and white, some are in beautiful color. Leave Her to Heaven and Rear Window are must-sees! The color in the films is