Film noir is a dark genre of film that emerged in the 1940s, characterized by pessimism, fatalism, and the portrayal of women as femme fatales. The genre declined in the 1950s but experienced a revival in the 1970s, reflecting a growing sense of distrust and questioning of government and society.
The term film noir describes a type of film that is very dark in its perspective. The word noir is French for ‘black’, and it was during the 1940s that film noir took its place. The term was coined by film critics shortly after World War II.
After the war, French film critics noticed a change in US films. Many of the films were no more than the sunny, upbeat fare that was prevalent before the war. The movies seemed to be darker and more pessimistic in outlook. It was as if Hollywood had woken up to the harsh realities of the world and the horrors of war. For some directors, making light-hearted romantic comedies after the atrocities of war was a nuisance.
Film noir was the flip side of life. Doomed heroes, manipulative people, and hidden personal and political agendas were around every corner. The lighting used in these films was very dark, creating long shadows and the claustrophobic atmosphere that pervades the films. Characters in 1940s film noir always seemed to be set in dark, smoke-filled rooms, like flies trapped in cobwebs.
Fatalism played an important role in film noir plots. The heroes or anti-heroes seemed set on a path that would ultimately lead to their downfall. They were usually ordinary people who were trapped in serious or unfortunate coincidences. A large number of these fatal accidents were instigated by the femme fatale.
The femme fatale was a portrait of women as they had never been seen before. She was the male lead’s titillating, illicit desire. She could induce a man to commit murder for her purposes. The murder would usually be that of the man’s wife. In film noir, gender roles had changed; the woman was usually the stronger character and sometimes the villain.
Impossible to resist the femme fatale. You have destroyed the notion of family values within the structure of society. She was there to bring excitement and danger. The femme fatale demonstrated that surface values were not to be trusted; beneath the surface, as in life, dark things lurked.
The noir genre experienced a decline in the late 1950s. People’s perspectives have become brighter and movies have reflected that. The American economy was booming and dark movies were no longer in vogue. Television was on, and film noir was thrown out for Elvis comedy series and musicals.
From the 1970s onwards, a revival of film noir was beginning to take place. Feminism was on the rise and governments were once again portrayed as entities that could not be trusted. Vietnam and the Watergate scandal had brought out the questioning instinct in the public, and films began to reflect it.
People were dismayed and distrustful of the government, and many felt a sense of alienation and confusion. A good example of the film noir revival can be seen in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film, Taxi Driver.
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