“Dark Film” and Sunset Blvd.

Through this attempt Tyler ultimately becomes Jack’s nemesis trope. Fincher uses noir thematic devices to maintain a psychotic theme within the film and also to express t... ... middle of paper ... ... time line of events. Which also goes hand in hand with Jacks insomnia, which shatters the barriers between reality versus fantasy, and memory versus dream for the spectator. Lastly the vast and bizarre camera angles from which the film was shot in help maintain the uncertain feeling for the spectator. David Fincher’s 1999 noir film Fight Club combines both thematic and stylistic devices to maintain a psychotic uncertainty for both the protagonists and the spectator.

Not only does the storyline’s heavy subject matter and typical character structure suggest the film noir style, but also Wilder’s techniques of photography and empty, worn-down settings make for a perfect backdrop for this dark approach at filmmaking. Often, films made in the style of film noir present audiences with a rugged, cynical, and disillusioned protagonist. While Joe Gillis of Sunset Boulevard does not necessarily match up to this persona at the beginning of the film, the arc of his character eventually molds him into such traits through his hopeless situation and building encounter with Norma. At the start of his story, Joe is depicted by a desperation intense enough that he is willing to give up his own dignity and respect by first lying to bill collectors and fleeing them in his unpaid car, then proceeding to beg for a Hollywood producer to buy his trite stories, and upon the failure of that attempt, stoops so low as to ask this same producer for money. It is this series of actions which eventually lead Joe up to the doorstep of this film’s femme fatale—a frequ... ... middle of paper ... ... undoubtedly makes for a more somber tone to any scene.

Despite it’s setting and characters being a bit unconventional for the Film Noir style (the film was a fairly realistic account of what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood), Sunset Boulevard is definitely a Film Noir, due to it’s use of an archetypal Film Noir hero, a femme fatale, and conventional film noir cinematography and storytelling. One characteristic that almost all Film Noirs have in common is a certain mold of protagonist. While most genres of movie have a heroic, or at least optimistic and generally positive... ... middle of paper ... ...e visual examples, plus the situation and Norma’s now completely insane attitude, show very well that Sunset Boulevard is, in fact, a Film Noir. Many people say that what makes a film good is how it can be distinct enough from other films to be groundbreaking and original, while staying true to the style it was made to be. If one believes this, they could easily say that Sunset Boulevard is an amazing Film Noir.

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.

Typical features of film noir include feelings of fatalistic pessimism, incidents of treachery, and a sense of a corrupt and violent society threatening the hero and other hero – like characters. Other features are darkness, secretive and mysterious people and mystery. A reason for the low lighting in film noir films is that in Hollywood studios, after the war they could not afford expensive ... ... middle of paper ... ...ld being real and being able to tell the difference and also if technology is a good thing to evolve e.g. artificial intelligence but the ideas that “The Matrix” has made me consider are things like what rather than who in the world are real and if the world that we live in is real or not, could we be made to think that this is the real world. The film that I enjoyed the most out of the two is “The Matrix”.

The term “genre”, when applied to film, implies setting, narrative structure, and story development. Style, on the other hand, encompasses stylistic elements, cinematographic techniques, and tone over subject matter. Thus, films of the same or similar genre can be directed in a different style, and appear completely different. For example, both Blade Runner and Star Wars obviously belong to the sci-fi genre; Blade Runner alone is regularly regarded as neo-noir. Examination of the commonalities of those films regarded as films noir will reveal that genre elements vary widely, while stylistic elem... ... middle of paper ... ... films that are universally regarded as noir.

Despite the divergent story telling twist Memento is none the less a film noir with all of the archetypal characters (i.e. a suffering protagonist, an alluring and sexy femme fatale) and a visual style and mood which includes low-key lighting, the use of blinds; the play on black and white scenes and a story line based on a violent death. Memento is complicated, timely, thought provoking and subversive yet it is still reminiscent of the classic hallmarks of the film noir.

Smoke was generally a symbol of danger. This genre is known for its mood and tone. Basically, the Film Noir genre represented among other things criminal activity and corruption that consumed the cities (Grant, 1986). This was brought about by wars that seemed to have influenced this style of film. Film Noir was represented in Principles where “….the theme is hidden in the style; and Bogus themes are often flaunted that contradict the style” (Grant, 1986:181).It was also not like the movies that were highly sparked with heavy lighting.

This new image to cinema illustrated a different version of America by offering unconventional endings where no one was left “happy.” French critics called this new form of cinema film noir, or black film. The new visage of Hollywood was aptly named, as it was displayed in black and white, featured dark and raw scenes, and founded themes of betrayal, sex, money, and death. For such dark films they had their unique look. They portrayed the darker side of human nature; the world how it really was. The line between legal and illegal got fuzzy.

The interesting thing in many of the movies like these, is the enemy is often portrayed in an extremely negative, almost so extreme, they could be compared to the Nazis. Hollywood uses that Nazis as the level setter for enemies, it does not get worse than them. It is interesting to see how Taratino portrays the ... ... middle of paper ... ... taken with a grain of salt, because everyone will show his or her true colors when the time comes. Inglorious Basterds creates an atmosphere that has never been matched in a war film. It addresses the most serious issues with the leisure of a comedy.