#NewsBytesExplainer: Exploring film noir—meaning; evolution; prominent Hollywood, Bollywood examples
Film noir refers to the kind of movies—usually drama, suspense, or thriller—that explores the moral depravities of its characters and exposes their ulterior motives. There is a heightened sense of intrigue, cynical heroes, layered villains, complex plots, overarching existential themes, sometimes a larger message, and black and white lighting effects to deepen the mystery surrounding the characters. Let's dig deeper into this filmmaking style.
Genre caught popularity after the World War II
Film noir literally means "dark film" in French. Britannica defines it as a style of filmmaking that is characterized by elements like "cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and an underlying existentialist philosophy." The genre is believed to have evolved from post-World War II crime dramas. The 1940s and 1950s are, thus, called film noir's "classic period."
Have you watched these old noir movies?
Film noir gradually spread from Hollywood to global cinema, and today, almost every industry churns out such movies. Some of the earliest known examples are John Huston's The Maltese Falcon (1941), Frank Tuttle's This Gun for Hire (1942), Otto Preminger's Laura (1944), and Edward Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet (1944). The private eye and the femme fatale are usually the requirements of a film noir.
These salient features set noir movies apart
Noir-style movies are characterized by dark, intense lighting, which can be used to portray the characters' "madness" or "brooding thoughts." As per Britannica, "Classic images of noir included rain-soaked streets in the early morning hours; street lamps with shimmering halos; flashing neon signs on seedy taverns, diners, and apartment buildings; and endless streams of cigarette smoke wafting in and out of shadows."
'Drive,' 'Memento,' 'Gone Girl' are some contemporary Hollywood examples
Over the years, Hollywood has produced several films that qualify as noir movies. Some contemporary examples are Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen's No Country For Old Men, Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential, Michael Mann's Heat, Christopher Nolan's Memento, and David Fincher's Seven and Gone Girl.
These are some popular Hindi films in this genre
In India, film noir is perhaps still in its experimental stage. However, some well-known examples include Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking, Raj Khosla's Wo Kaun Thi?, Sriram Raghavan's Badlpaur and Johnny Gaddar, Pushkar-Gayatri's Vikram Vedha, Shanker Raman's Gurgaon, Navdeep Singh's Manorama Six Feet Under, Ram Gopal Varma's Satya, Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya, and Vasan Bala's recent Netflix release Monica, O My Darling.
