Last lesson, we were introduced to our first unit, film noir, as we began watching the 1944 film "Double Indemnity". We were told to pay attention to the mood and style (composition, lighting, shadows, theme, setting, characters, etc), as these are the main characteristics of film noir. This lesson, we continued watching the film.
Film noir is a style of black and white American films that was heavily influenced by German Expressionism and has a distinctive visual style, with one of the most prominent features being the use of chiaroscuro lighting (strong contrast between light and dark). It is developed during and after World War II (from the 1940s to 1960s), blending in with the "post-war ambience of anxiety, pessimism, and suspicion" (filmsite.org). The term film noir, literally meaning "black film", was coined in the 1940s by French film critics who "noticed the trend of how 'dark', downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France to theatres following the war", according to filmsite.org. In addition to its stylistic techniques, the narrative structure and themes of film noir are also what differentiates it from other movies. Film noir movies tend to reflected the tensions and insecurities of the post-war period, highlighting themes like "fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia", in contrast with the optimism in Hollywood's musicals and comedies.
On the left is a very useful infographic from nofilmschool.com explaining the stylistic elements of film noir.
Double Indemnity started off with shots of a mysterious man, which is the male lead of the film, walking and entering a room. The background music has a dark and dramatic feel to it, giving the film a sense of foreboding. The male lead starts confessing into a phone about how he murdered someone and a flashback to how it all happened begins.
Since film noir films are shot in black and white, shadows in the film are largely emphasised, which thematically symbolise the dark and morally-ambiguous side of human nature. The lack of colour also gives the film an overall tone of gloominess and suggests that there is no happiness in the story. The use of dark shadows also helps with bringing a sense of mystery to the story and creating a sense of unknown and fear for the audience. It seems to suggest to me that all the characters cannot escape evil as it is everywhere within the film.
Another key feature of Double Indemnity that I noticed is its skewed / unbalanced compositions. The conventional style of balance in Hollywood films is disrupted and replaced with bizarre and irregular compositions using framing devices like windows, doorways, and stairways. This seems to indicate how the world within the film is unstable and lacks harmony.
Since film noir films are shot in black and white, shadows in the film are largely emphasised, which thematically symbolise the dark and morally-ambiguous side of human nature. The lack of colour also gives the film an overall tone of gloominess and suggests that there is no happiness in the story. The use of dark shadows also helps with bringing a sense of mystery to the story and creating a sense of unknown and fear for the audience. It seems to suggest to me that all the characters cannot escape evil as it is everywhere within the film.
Another key feature of Double Indemnity that I noticed is its skewed / unbalanced compositions. The conventional style of balance in Hollywood films is disrupted and replaced with bizarre and irregular compositions using framing devices like windows, doorways, and stairways. This seems to indicate how the world within the film is unstable and lacks harmony.
Next lesson, we will finish watching Double Indemnity. The plot of the film was a bit difficult to understand at first and there were a few unexpected plot twists, but I think that is what makes the movie so intriguing.
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