Understanding Film Noir

/ jeffstillwell
This educational video essay attempts to define the elusive genre of ‘Film-Noir,’ while simultaneously examining its origins through the lens of The Great Depression, hard-boiled detective fiction, German expressionist cinema, and other influences.
SPOILERS FOR:
Double Indemnity
Murder My Sweet
The Maltese Falcon

[@Mandemics]

I've watched a dozen "about Film Noir" videos today looking for the right one to share with my Intro to Film History class, and this is the winner. Thanks for the great resource!

[@mjohnson1741]

Awesome, Film Noir is my favorite genre! My favorites are Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity. Don't sleep on the smaller low budget film noir films like D.O.A., The Killing and Lady in the Lake etc...

[@sifatshams1113]

My brother and I went on an epic 30+ film noir marathon last year. It was fucking awesome, but eventually, he got tired of hearing terms like 'stool pigeon' and 'dames' and we stopped. Here's the full list for anyone who's interested: Detour Kiss Me Deadly The Killers The Killing The Postman Always Rings Twice DOA In A Lonely Place Laura Lady From Shanghai The Third Man Touch of Evil Scarlet Street Nightmare Alley Key Largo Act of Violence Raw Deal The Set-Up Mildred Pierce The Woman In The Window Criss Cross Sunset Boulevard Sweet Smell of Success The Maltese Falcon Night and the City The Hitch-Hiker Force of Evil Gilda The Big Heat Thieves' Highway The Big Sleep Double Indemnity Gun Crazy They Live By Night The Asphalt Jungle The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Ace In The Hole The Big Combo Out of the Past Murder, My Sweet Chinatown The Long Goodbye The Prowler Angels With Dirty Faces The Stranger This Gun For Hire Body Heat White Heat Pickup On South Street Crime Wave

[@charlesflinnill978]

I still call them "dames".

[@seandafny]

Lol 30+ movies is no joke

[@rowan982]

holy fuck any exceptional reccomendations out of the lot?

[@remitheratatouille9116]

That's a fuck ton of movies is there anything you'd recommend?

[@DG-gx4sg]

I got tired of hearing "care for a drink?"

[@ThePortjumper]

This channel is so underrated, good work man.

[@danieleyre8913]

Double indemnity still one of my all time favourites.

[@allenh.1522]

ok the video was super informative and it really helped me out but that was the smoothest way ive ever seen someone strike up a match 6:06. That was clean.

[@stephenkeen5737]

Excellent explanation. And not too many spoilers. It really helped me understand more. Just watched Double indemnity today, so good that you used that as a springboard. Thanks

[@agustindelavega6177]

OMG I love your channel. Here I've found the two best introductions to my most favorite topics in the world of movies: Noir and Jodorowsky. Fantastic work! Keep going!

[@andrewfairweather8084]

I just watched your in depth look at the genre of Film Noir. Bravo sir! Your pacing and attention to all aspects of what made film noir so unique was exceptional. I am a hugh fan of it and am always inspired by it even in many of my current projects. I will watch this again and again as it is done so well. Thank you.

[@Mr.Digit115]

have to admit i watched and rewatched it multiple times already myself,....check the other one out as ell, think its history of fn....

[@zisanshahriar2779]

I subscribed to you in good faith a long time ago and I am not disappointed. I haven't even started watching the video and I know it's gonna be great. Keep it up man, quality is better than quantity.

[@apachelogiano612]

Good video!! You went to the bases and did not stray. Good job. It's hard to talk about the Film Noir "genre," and you did it very well.

[@JodyBruchon]

I needed something that explained film noir to someone who didn't know anything about it. I'd have liked to see more coverage of what you call "neo-noir" but it gets the job done nicely regardless.

[@bighands69]

It is a mystery movie is the best way to simply describe the movie. It normally involves a mystery of some sort that is be unravelled. Classic examples of this would be Rear Window which is involves a mystery that has be be unpacked. Just to add noir was not a term used at the time of the films being made and was used much later.

[@holyflutterofgod]

Oh NICE! I've been knocking around a crime noir idea and didn't really know what elements of the genre to take or leave, so I appreciate the overview!!

[@dragonchr15]

As soon as I heard the music, I was thinking Twin Peaks and then you should that clip with Dale Cooper sipping coffee....

[@emmasedits6566]

thank you so much! this was very informative, i've been really into this genre lately

[@isisarisciamartins4503]

I love how you contextualize sociologycally and psychologycally your analysis, they are always VERY complete, unlike other channels about cinema, we see far beyond technical analysis here. Love love love your work, please keep doing it!

[@kevinh5349]

"contextualize sociologycally and psychologycally" - oh brother.

[@repugnant__6379]

Thank you for uploading, been waiting the week for it! Can't wait to watch!

[@repugnant__6379]

Neo noir is probably my favorite genre because of movies like blue velvet.

[@echothenardier8053]

I can’t help but wonder if the reason that the characters had to dig so deep to find the crime world had to do with the Hay’s Code (to discourage people from seeking crime out)

[@derekbrou]

I couldn’t hear my own footsteps, it was the walk of a dead man.

[@roadking99jokerst60]

I'm gonna use that , like I use anything I want to.

[@Owl_of_Omens]

I think you did a really good analysis, I didn't hear you mention that one of the big things about voice overs in film noir is because a lot of the actors had been working on radio before then as well and so they were emulating some of that style of the radio broadcast dramas

[@bluecollarlit]

I love this. Going to watch it more times. 1981 film, Body Heat. Please do a video on that. It's a total homage and love letter to the original 40s and 50s films noir!

[@MarkRoberts-bj2me]

Film-noir is a term coined by French cineasts around 1954 which literally means "dark" or "black" film. The French, who had been denied the viewing of Hollywood pictures during the war, noticed a different type of film with a unique treatment of the subject matter which they began grouping under the term Film-Noir. The classic period starts in '41 with "The Maltese Falcon" directed by John Houston and ends in '58 with Welles' masterpiece "A Touch Of Evil". Different genres of film can be classified as Film-Noir since the term is not a genre itself. There are Western noirs, Horror noirs and even Sci-Fi noirs. There are British, Italian, Japanese and French noirs as well. There are what are called Pre-Noirs, Color Noirs, and crossover noirs known as parodies and/or comedies. Then there is neo-noir which are films released after the classic period. The best example being Martin Scorsese's masterpiece "Taxi Driver". "hard-boiled detective films"........"dark and lurid fantasies of a population on the verge of collective insanity" Jeffrey Stillwell thankfully points out in his first few words that his understanding of "film-noir" is superficial at best. The generally accepted top ten film-noirs are in order: "Touch of Evil", "Sunset Boulevard", "Night Of The Hunter", "Notorious", Double Indemnity, "Out Of The Past", "Sweet Smell Of Success", "In a Lonely Place", and "The Maltese Falcon". Out of these 10 pictures appear one "hard boiled detective", a private dick named Samuel Spade played by Bogie in the classic "Maltese Falcon". "Touch Of Evil" characters include, a high ranking Mexican narcotics official played by Charlton Heston (Welles should have cast Richard Conte), a border city Police Captain named Hank Quinlan played by Welles himself and a Police Sergeant on the same police force named Pete Menzies played by Joseph Calleia. Cary Grant plays a U.S. Government Agent in "Notorious. Edward G. Robinson plays an insurance investigator in "Double Indemnity". "Hard boiled detective films" description of film-noir shot all to hell. "Touch of "Evil" - A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town. "Sunset Boulevard" - A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. "Night Of The Hunter" - A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery. "Notorious" - A woman is asked to spy on a group of Nazi friends in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them? "Double Indemnity" - An insurance representative lets himself be talked by a seductive housewife into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses the suspicion of an insurance investigator. "Out Of The Past" - (Guys, prepare yourselves for the overwhelming sexuality of 23 year old Jane Greer) A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames. "Sweet Smell of Success" - Powerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician. "In a Lonely Place" - A potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. But she begins to have doubts. (Bogie at his best along with his role as Rick in "Casablanca". Cineasts disagree whether "Casablanca" is film-noir however more and more often the picture is being defined as film-noir. "The Maltese Falcon" - The picture most consider, incorrectly, to be the essence of film-noir although it has inspired many a subsequent similar film-noir picture primarily because of the pulp fiction writers' stories that adapted so well to what would later be called film-noir. In the "Falcon". a private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette. These film-noirs primarily focus on vignettes of the seamy underbelly of post WWII life in America. They are not about "dark and lurid fantasies" or "collective insanity" as one can tell from the descriptions provided of the best noirs. A brief discussion regarding film-noir must mention the lighting. Most noirs were B-films shot on tight budgets. Many of the directors of these films were immigrants that had escaped Nazi Germany and were accustomed to shooting in the German Expressionist style. The type of lighting used in classic noir is known as "chiaroscuro" which creates dark areas on the screen and uses strategically placed shadows thus helping to hide the cheapness of the sets. However, the use of chiaroscuro also creates an atmosphere which cannot be duplicated by the use of color. One of many favorite techniques used by noir cinematographers involves the "pin spotlight". If one has an excellent Blu-ray pressing of "Casablanca", and the display has been calibrated correctly, the viewer can see how the use of the pin-spot lights and dramatizes the eyes of the beautiful Ingrid Bergman. This post merely scrapes the surface of film-noir. For a far superior journey into film-noir kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWnYdKiBrcpnr80 Explore it, watch it, fall in love with the films as many before have done.

[@antoinettekelso9339]

I was given Film Nior as a costume theme for zoom and had no idea where to start. Thanks, this was very helpful.

[@thirtyyearoldmulberryfield]

Preferably tho, before you jump to Neo-Noir, I'd like to see your take on noir outside the US, such as movies like Le Samourï, Stray Dogs, Drunken Angel, Alphaville, etc. Altho I guess some of these will inevitably crossover with the Neo-Noir.

[@willieluncheonette5843]

He can start with a few Melville's like Bob the Gambler and as you say Le Samouri, but Bob is in the classic noir time zone.

[@peterkrol]

Awesome video essay! I hope you can make another one about neo noir films.

[@thirtyyearoldmulberryfield]

YEEESSS!!! BRO! Been a fan of film noir since my wanna be film buff days in highschool. Hitchcock was my fav director at the time and gradually learned more about FN from his early years learning from F. W. Murneau.

[@mjohnson1741]

Hitchcock is a GENIUS! Vertigo and Rope are some of my favorites.

[@iansutton9746]

I just subscribed, based on your excellent too-short piece on film noir. Would welcome more on this genre and its more recent incarnations.

[@eamestv]

Informative and well done. A great time for movies.

[@soulchorea]

6:06 - I wanna learn how to light a match like that

[@rubydawn1]

Lol I remember watching a film noir and the woman was smoking and she suddenly threw out her cigarette I was out with my friend one night and I did the same thing and she had no idea why I did it but she was like WOW that was so cool these guys were all looking at us like I was a gangster girl lol

[@stephenkeen5737]

@@rubydawn1 I think she did it in double indemnity - in the building.(just watched today) I was shocked. I thought she was trying to start a fire. Expected to see a fire start. It didn't. Lol.

[@marklauzon186]

You are LEGIT !! Why? Cause you acknowledge MURDER MY SWEET. THE best Noir ever. Thank you!!!

[@Reflected_motive]

Awesome vid! Thank you so much for your research

[@charlesflinnill978]

Excellent!! I love all those flicks.

[@lt3111]

thank you for this i have a seminar in 5 minutes and i just watched this at 1.75 speed to take in as much as i can

[@prodigalson5965]

My son has just started film school. I sent him this link to introduce him to film noir. Thanks for the vid.

[@alg11297]

A good story with quicky characters is always going to work. A mystery that seems to get more involved will involve anyone. Most of these films are based on Pulp Fiction novels which were popular for just that reason. Had they been released in the 60s would there have been any difference?

[@andythefork]

yes

[@63MGB1]

They would have been in color with less fascinating cinematography.

[@kevp9601]

I Love Hard-Boiled Detectives so Much. :-D

[@constellaespj4398]

I'm always going to wonder what that song is that's playing at the end of the video. This was a great watch. Thank you for sharing it.

[@JeffreyStillwell]

Me too. I know it's the theme song from 'The Long Goodbye' (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mniTqp6wnZlqp5o) which appears early in the movie as radio muzak. But who the artist is or where the OG recording is from, I don't know and I haven't been able to track it down. It was probably recorded exclusively for the film, but it doesn't appear on the official soundtrack either. If anyone knows or can find out, please post it here!

[@Hideyoumonkey]

Man your channel is legendary. You need to do 100 more movie reviews and genre reviews. Would you consider the game Fallout 1 & 2 to be film noir? Like Junktown?

[@SeptemberAdam]

Me being a classic Film Noir Fanatic, very partial to productions from1941 to 1964, Noir is just one of those things that's difficult to define. But you'll know it when you see it. Which is why it's so academic.

[@SeptemberAdam]

Now with that said my first criticism. 'Film Noir is a catchall term for the hardboiled detective films of the 1930s, 40...." Really? You sure 'bout that?

[@howardkoor2796]

Thank you for the education of this genre

[@robinharwood5044]

I remember when they were just old late night movies on TV. And cracking good ones, too.

[@DefaultDerrick]

I enjoyed this very much. Subbed.

[@thewrodriguez]

0:08 MICHAEL SCARN!!

[@inesmartins4880]

great material here. thank you

[@sealisa1398]

Thanks....yes, please do a video on Neo Noir. Chinatown, Carlito’s Way.....

[@rfmanning]

Good video. Looking for more.

[@sleuthentertainment5872]

Tough and sullen cops, elusive and psychotic criminals, sensual, mysterious and mistreated ladies, powerful businessmen, corrupt law enforcements, dark streets, wet fedora hats, matches in dead ends, bars filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol, chases on rooftops... A viscous, sweaty, oppressive, masochistic, bloody and fatal universe that a true noir lovers worship it. Why? It still remains a mystery, and that's its strongest charm

[@Amyreadingabook]

very good. I love Brick so much. Such a good film.

[@JohnSandate]

Solid video!! Thank you

[@senseinai]

Can anyone make out the song playing at the end? I can only get the last lyrics: ‘You’ve let him go, you’ve let the moment fly (or slide)

[@rubydawn1]

I love film noir will never get tired of them.

[@openmike239]

Great video - thanks!

[@snoo333]

thank you. loved it, first time watcher

[@JosieVal]

This was a great help for my novel. The main character is designed as a sort of "parody" of film noir protagonists.

[@josenighthawk]

Film Noir = Comforting, yet Hopeless Intimacy, cradled in Heartless Claustrophobia.

[@Braaaap.]

I enjoyed this video!

[@PaperClipFlip]

Very insightful!

[@daymonw]

Thank you very informative and entertaining

[@OthO67]

I know it’s been three years, but I just discovered your channel tonight. How about a video on Johnny Dangerously? Thanks for what you do.

[@Cyberplayer5]

Great video on NOIR Film. I have Double Indemnity on DVD. By the way where do you think the movie Dark City fits in the spectrum of movie genres?

[@soulagent79]

Some scenes reminded me of 'Un Chien Andalou'.

[@kevp9601]

This is Awesome.

[@nobodyaskedbut]

John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" was the first film noir and you can't examine this genre without building you're view around this masterwork. In this video TMF has been ridiculously under valued.

[@nobodyaskedbut]

@@willieluncheonette5843 So you think this B film with Lorre in the lead established the film noir genre. Almost all the film historians now agree that TMF is the initial and defining noir film because it was such a great masterwork driven by Bogart, film's all-time leader in screen presence.

[@mccuenoirfilms]

@@nobodyaskedbut As much as I love Double Indemnity and Murder my Sweet, the Maltese Falcon is usually my go to when someone asks for my recommendation on what film they should watch first when getting into noir.

[@ZenSpider40]

Interesting tidbit, the original blade runner script was written with Robert Mitchum in mind as the main character, he was still young enough looking to pull off the retired detective look.

[@MrMerciless67]

Very enjoyable will definitely check out 'murder my sweet'

[@SidLaw500]

Fun and informative post!

[@Cbald]

What is the name of the film at 00:39? The one with the seemingly infinite doors?

[@ilitchdhoomon6246]

Nice short essay. Could you be kind enough to let us know what song plays at 10:12 ? Cheers!

[@adnamafett7862]

I’m running a dnd game that’s basic fantasy but I’m trying to write in a monochrome country. I think the contrast from dwarven taverns to a dreary actually black and white kingdom would be interesting. People there radiate an aura of black and white and they talk more like depression era people and monologue out loud. I just need to get a plot to put in this world. So far I got them meeting a guild mate, Casey K Hawkes(hard boiled detective type). He’s going on a job and asks the party to join. He meets up with a dame who requested guild assistance, she’s the femme fatale, who explains the job and gets them to go to the monochrome country for whatever reason. That’s the bit I need help with. Any classic noir plots or movies I should look into?

[@alecrowe6305]

Anyone know the name of the movie @ 10.03 - the one with the telephone booth?

[@robk7266]

Honestly, the TV show Peter Gun is probably the biggest definer of noir tropes.

[@headlibrarian1996]

Where does the slang "hard boiled" come from in reference to pulp detectives?

[@user-rt2zq4jv8x]

Music in the end?

[@Jeff-bz5xe]

Anyone know what movie the first clip is?

[@hughjainisis1683]

What is the song at the end of the video?

[@pumpkinlordvgc2762]

Great video

[@mr_hppd348]

Do you have a video where you review the best surreal film noir movies?

[@stevenguevara2184]

"The Big Sleep" fascinates Me.

[@chriswright4677]

It would be great if you’d give the names of the films as you show the clips, Studio Binder style. Love the work though.

[@daboi3864]

10:15 what song is this? Plzz tell me

[@iytr_7742]

thank you~!

[@cosmic-fortytwo]

I'd like to see an in-depth analysis of film noir protagonists.

[@milowong4635]

what was the song played in the last part?

[@uncasunga1800]

Great job very cool 😎👍

[@Les445]

My favorite movies!!!

[@user-ex6co3ou1e]

My favorite genre

[@michaelspikes1506]

OMG I love watching 40s and 50s crime noir movie

[@krpyton7368]

Matt Reeves the Batman brought me here Matt reeves is gonna turn his movie into a film noir detective store because Batman is the worlds greatest detective

[@bronxbomber2150]

Good analysis. My one critique is that you left out the influence of World War II on the noir, which contextualizes the femme fatales and their origins.

[@andrewrodgers2180]

Again great stuff. I have always been draw to the dark side of the white picket fence and the hard boiled tough guys. Where a dame is a dame and straight bourbon is the drink of choice. One thing I was wondering, you mentioned that a lot of these films were considered B films and would run behind feature films like Shirley Temple and Chaplin. Are you sure of this in the 40's ? Especially with silent Chaplin films

[@fox77819]

What is the film at 0:40?

[@jaredgarcia8638]

Whats the name of the song at the end

[@michaelodonnell824]

Silly question but in the typical Private Eye movie, while the detective is usually strapped for cash, his clients are often from the Uber wealthy elites. Is that a commentary on the problematic wealth distribution often present in the Depression or simply a way to allow the relatively poor glimpse how the other half live as the detective negotiates between the two worlds?

[@piercecchimark]

nice job

[@lashlarue59]

I can't wait for your documentary on Neo-Noir and see what you think of the best of them; L.A Confidential.

[@wp6007]

Blue Velvet is way better

[@MatthewPotwardowski]

What is the film at 1:50 where the man is being put to death?

[@JeffreyStillwell]

Stranger On The Third Floor (kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4aYoptvmLWCsM0)

[@kellythomas6347]

What movie was the scene from at 0:05?

[@rinconhighschooltucsonaz2811]

I'd love it if you did a recut of this I could show to HS kids.

[@DawnYogaCare]

Thanks!

[@chuckbaldwin2456]

I'm curious about trans atlantic speak, a noir staple in some aspects, and am working on a novel for kicks. Would like background on a game called L.A. Noire.. If it exists.

[@josemaria8177]

Great Video! Chandler, Hammet and Cain are truly amazing writers that are unfairly ignored because they wrote crime fiction