Film Noir and the Hard-Boiled Detective Genre "Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains!" is a memorable line of Humphrey Bogart's Philip Marlowe in the 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep (The Big Sleep). That one quote encapsulates the presence of corruption, violence and even class distinction that is characteristic of film noir and the hard-boiled detective genre. The novel and the film both focus on Philip Marlowe, a private detective, during his investigative process. While the main plot remains the same, changes were made regarding the portrayals of characters, including Marlowe, likely in response to consideration of the audience and intent of the film. However, the setting was further developed through the …show more content…
For example, Marlowe discovers that Geiger's books store was a smut book racket, the identity of Carmen's blackmailer and his murderer, what really happened to Eddie Mars's wife and the identity of Sean Regan's murderer. Nonetheless, the resulting fast paced plot engages the viewer. Unlike reading a novel, watching a movie involves one's auditory senses. In this case, music was carefully composed and selected to emphasize the confusion and rush. For example, fast paced music creates a feeling of tension and can be used to build suspense. Sound was also used to establish the setting. The story takes place in Los Angeles. The big city setting is a characteristic of the genre to which the film and novel belong. Large, urban cities provide a background upon which corruption can flourish because they are a "hotbed of 'dirty crime' and, by association, 'dirty people' " (Ogdon 76). Additionally, in the novel, it is often raining, lighting or thundering. In fact, the novel begins in mid October with "the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills" (Chandler 3). While the sound of rain and thunder can be described in the novel, the film adaptation allowed the setting to come to life through the use of images and the sound of thunder in the background and rain falling on the street. This created the gloomy atmosphere found in the hard-boiled detective genre. In conclusion, the 1946 film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep is a successful adaptation of the novel and representation of the genre. True to the novel, Philip Marlowe is guided by his personal moral code throughout his investigations. The plot follows the basic formula of the detective novel. First the detective, residing in a large city, is introduced and he is presented with a case to
music to analyse—in fact, the music runs almost constantly throughout the film without very little
The Big Sleep (1946) is a film noir directed by Howard Hawks and was the first adaption from Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel of the same name. The film stars Humphrey Bogard as hard-boiled private detective, Philip Marlowe, and Lauren Bacall, as Vivian Rutledge. The title The Big Sleep is synonymous with death and the word “Big” refers to an everlasting sleep. While Sean Regan is found dead after subsequently disappearing, Marlow is always up throughout the night trying to track down leads. The dark mise-en-scene contributes to the gloomy and mysterious tone of the movie. Furthermore, the director never references the title in the film leaving the audience more perplexed. In the lecture, Gillian states that film noir is dependent on black and
role in telling us what to expect from the movie, and both do it to
Film Noir is a genre of distinct and unique characteristics. Mostly prominent in the 40s and 50s, the genre rarely skewed from the skeletal plot to which all Film Noir pictures follow. The most famous of these films is The Big Sleep (1946) directed by Howard Hawks. This film is the go to when it comes to all the genre’s clichés. This formula for film is so well known and deeply understood that it is often a target for satire. This is what the Coen brothers did with 1998’s The Big Lebowski. This film follows to the T what Film Noir stands for.
NAREMORE, J. (1998). More than night film noir in its contexts. Berkeley, University of California Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=42280.
On first inspection of Raymond Chandler's novel, The Big Sleep, the reader discovers that the story unravels quickly through the narrative voice of Philip Marlowe, the detective hired by the Sternwood family of Los Angeles to solve a mystery for them. The mystery concerns the General Sternwood's young daughter, and a one Mr. A. G. Geiger. Upon digging for the answer to this puzzle placed before Marlowe for a mere fee of $25 dollars a day plus expenses, Marlowe soon finds layers upon layers of mystifying events tangled in the already mysterious web of lies and deception concerning the Sternwood family, especially the two young daughters.
Adapted from the novella written by James M. Cain, Double Indemnity is a melodramatic film noir that highlights the conflict its characters face through adultery and murder which develops from the dissatisfaction and alienation that arose in the era of modernity as shown in most noir films. Unlike most noir films, Double Indemnity set the bar in terms of structural themes to follow and elements that eventually came to be considered essential in the noir genre. The film was seen to be a full embodiment of what the genre should be. Double Indemnity is an archetypal noir film, which portrays noir elements through its style, the characters, its writers’ backstory and the history of Los Angeles, the city in which it is set. This essay will examine how Los Angeles is integrated not only into the location but also into the storyline of the characters and their motivations but also the filmmakers’ lives. It does this through characteristic noir motifs like “the urban cultural landscape, the lack of rootedness of the characters, and the self-deceptions that center their world” (p. 437) affect the protagonists in the film. Double Indemnity’s use of Los Angeles as its primary location exposes the innate decadence and decay of the city through film noir stylistic elements. Billy Wilder directed Double Indemnity and the film became the archetypal noir film because it embodied all the characteristics of a typical noir film, which include “claustrophobia, paranoia, despair and nihilism” (Place and Peterson, p. 327) course kit source. Los Angeles, the city used primarily as the location in the film becomes not merely a backdrop but a character in the film through its physical and implied characteristics. The context through the stories of Wild...
...o, while the novella’s archetypal structure glorifies Marlow’s domination of Kurtz. These two analyses taken together provide a much fuller and more comprehensive interpretation of the work. Conrad presents the idea that there is some darkness within each person. The darkness is is inherited and instinctual, but because it is natural does not make it right. He celebrates – and thereby almost advises – the turn from instinct. By telling Marlow’s tale, Joseph Conrad stresses to his audience the importance of self-knowledge and the unnecessity of instinct in civilization.
The noir style is showcased in Sunset Boulevard with its use of visually dark and uncomfortable settings and camera work, as well as its use of the traditional film noir characters. In addition, the overall tone and themes expressed in it tightly correspond to what many film noirs addressed. What made this film unique was its harsh criticism of the film industry itself, which some of Wilder’s peers saw as biting the hand that fed him. There is frequent commentary on the superficial state of Hollywood and its indifference to suffering, which is still a topic avoided by many in the film business today. However, Sunset Blvd. set a precedent for future film noirs, and is an inspiration for those who do not quite believe what they are being shown by Hollywood.
Elliot Gould plays private investigator Philip Marlowe, who uses his smart-aleck detachment carried along by a natural wave of 1970’s California that Altman exercises for both humour and social commentary. Rich drunks, drugged out youth, multicultural gangsters in touch with their heritage and their feelings, people more than willing to use their friends, all indicate a self-obsessed society, a force as relevant in the 1970’s as the ever-present title song.
ChinaTown, directed by Roman Polanski, is a non-traditional hard-nosed detective film made in the 70's. The typical elements of character type are there; J.J. Gittes (a private detective in LA) played by Jack Nicholson is the central character, sharing the spotlight is Fay Dunaway playing the femme fatale Evelyn Mulwray. This film breaks all types of norms when compared to the hard-nosed detective films it is modeled after. The film is filled with allusions to the Big Sleep, especially taken from scenes of Marlowe and Vivian. Chinatown has formal elements indicative that it is going to be in the style of traditional Film Noir hardboiled detective, until you examine the characters' personalities next to the story content.
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
The music suited the movie very nicely. By the type of music playing, you could determine what sort of scene was coming up, either fast and light...
... movie. During the chase scenes dramatic and heart pumping music makes the audience feel as if they were involved in the actual chase.
The importance of music in movies is highly regarded for manipulating the viewer’s emotions and helping them immerse into the story. Music is one of the prime elements in cinema. Without it a movie would feel dull and unexciting. There are three elements in a movie: one is acting, the second is picture, and the third one is music. It is a holy trinity; if incomplete, there would be a lack of sensation and excitement. Both acting and picture can stand independently from one another, but music is the one that makes the movie memorable.