Film Noir is a reflection of‚ and reaction to‚ the world within which it was created. With the majority of the films shot from mid-40s through to late 50s‚ Film Noir is a lens into the fears and values of that time and society. With the world coming to terms with the horror of what human did to human in World War II‚ the genre also had to deal with how the world at home had changed. We can see in the basic conventions of the genre these fears and realisations. Corrupt society‚ flawed men riddled
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anti-hero. The anti-hero is also admired even though he utilizes shameful methods to achieve his goa. This is because he represents the good in a corrupt world However‚ this is not the case in Noir stories. According to Foster Hirsch in his book The dark side of the screen: film noir‚ the anti-hero in Noir films is best described as “a constant smoker and a heavy drinker‚ (…) usually though not always engaged in criminal detection‚ a cop or a gumshoe. Moving through the criminal underworld with a shield
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2 Since the development of television and film‚ society has utilized the art form‚ specifically the plots of crime films‚ as a mechanism that draws on widespread attitudes toward crime‚ victims‚ law‚ and punishment prevalent at the time of the films making. The capacity to understand film history allows one to see more effectively underlying assumptions regarding the nature of crime in America as well as international society as a whole. The Silent Film Era (1897-1927) often reflected empathy for
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The purpose of this analytical essay is to broach two specific subjects in the film Casablanca. First query of analysis is how the opening credits are presented. Do they relate to meaning? Why does the film start in the way it does? Examining how the opening credits are presented‚ there are two striking elements that are being portrayed; the choice of music and the choice of narrative. In regards to the first constituent‚ music‚ the choice landed on a piece of immoderate dramatic quality. The
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"Chinatown" as Film Noir Films that are classified as being in the film noir genre all share some basic characteristics. There is generally a voice-over throughout the film in order to guide the audience’s perceptions. These movies also involve a crime and a detective who is trying to figure out the truth in the situation. This detective usually encounters a femme fatale who seduces him. However‚ the most distinctive feature of the film noir genre is the abundance of darkness. Roman Polanski’s
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Casablanca - Cultural Context Some aspects of cultural context War/Politics: The main backdrop to this story is that of war and politics. There are many war stories but Curtiz chooses the unusual setting of Casablanca – it’s a cultural and political melting pot that provides a richly textured cultural context in which the characters can interact. Much of this is explained in the opening scene (see section on Key Scenes below). Several cultures co-exist or are represented – the locals
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The 1945 film Leave Her to Heaven directed by John M. Stahl is a perfect example of a classic noir film. There are an exceptional amount of reasons why Leave Her to Heaven is categorized as a noir film. In noir‚ we see shadows‚ neon lights‚ mirrors‚ white clothing‚ femme fatales‚ murder‚ seduction‚ lies‚ guilt‚ dark locations‚ suspicion‚ crime‚ sometimes the exception of technicolor‚ and many more elements that without a doubt create a phenomenal noir film. Leave Her to Heaven is one of the few noir
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Double indemnity was made just after the war‚ during a period of time where men felt insecure‚ as women had become more powerful and independent. This is represented in the film by a negative portrayal of Phyllis. A common type of woman featuring in noir films is the femme fatale‚ which challenges the most traditional role of the woman and the nuclear family. She refuses to play the role of devoted wife and loving mother that society prescribes for women. She finds marriage to be confining‚ loveless
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Casablanca essay Casablanca is a classic Hollywood movie where the setting is in French unoccupied Casablanca of 1940’s World War II era. The good portion of the movie has a love story theme centered on two people whose names are Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund. In the movie‚ Rick is the owner of Rick’s Americana bar and there his predictability is minimal as it can keep the audience guessing on his nature. He did play the part of the hero but kind of hard to notice his heroic nature in the beginning
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is a classic movie characterized as film noir. A film noir is “a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism‚ fatalism‚ and menace‚ a type of movie that is full of mysteries.” (Maltese Falcon) I think that film noir is a movie in what women try to seduce men into thinking things whether they are true or not‚ using their power of beauty to trick men and make them go down for something women did. I believe “The Maltese Falcon” is film noir‚ l the
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