"Noir" is a term related to films. It was Nino Frank who coined the term "noir" in 1946. But film critics or filmmakers did not use this term for several decades. Noir relates to a specific time frame between the early 1940s and late 1950s. The films that came under the category of noir typically fell into the psychological thriller and crime/drama genre. Almost all of them had the same plot or theme with unique visual effects. The characters were often byronic or anti-heroes who had to face difficult situations. Noir films often deal with the underworld, gangsters, and criminals fighting each other and society. The shots were from unusual, often unnamed urban places, and the visual elements included the use of more light and shadow and low lighting. Typically lower budget, these stories told hardboiled crime fictions tales that reflected the post-Depression, wartime and post-wartime sentiments of society. The cinematography style seemed to harken back to German Expressionism with low-key black and white visuals. The dark stocks lowered production costs but also established the conventions of lighting, sound, and composition that defined the style.
directed by Howard Hawks and based on a novel of the same name by Raymond Chandler, is often referred to as "film noir at its most seductive." Produced in 1946, this classic private eye film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall premiered in New York. Considered a film noir masterpiece,
The Big Sleep remains for many viewers, incomprehensible. While many critics will agree that the screenplay is a disaster, those same critics will all nod vigorously in the affirmative when asked if the noir filmmaking style of the cinematographer and the on-screen chemistry of Bogart and Bacall make up for that disaster. No matter how many times you have
seen this film, you can watch it almost anew a few years later and wonder again how the various lowlifes and sleazes that Marlowe encounters all fit together!
Jump forward to modern filmmaking and we find the term "Neo-noir" referring to a similar brand of crime drama with modernized themes, content, and visual style not possible in the original noir era. Neo-noir is the reimagining of film noir. It comes from the Greek "neo" meaning new, so "new noir." Mark Conard defines Neo-noir as "any film coming after the classic noir period that contains noir themes and sensibility." Neo-noir refers to noir films made after the 50's, particularly in the 70s, 80s, and 90s up through today.
Some ways to pull out Neo-noir films from the crowd are the use of tilted cameral angles, the interplay of light and shadows, and obviously unbalanced framing. You can also rely on violence, sex, moral ambiguity, and criminal activity to be at the center of the story. Writing and directing Neo-noir films allows filmmakers to pay homage to the greats of the past while reinventing the style for themselves, using their own voices to reimagine what came before them. With Neo-noir, you also get to use a lot of colors (often muted), as well. It even has broken into its own offshoot, "Neon-noir," which replaces the black and white or stark images with bright colors and fantastical sets. You can constantly keep inventing and changing the story as you go.
One of the most prominent and well-received examples of the Neo-noir style is
L.A. Confidential, a 1997 film directed by Curtis Hanson. Corruption and deceit are two of noir's most common themes, and
L.A. Confidential is brimming with both. For most of the picture, there really is no clear antagonist; every character has the potential to emerge as the foe, and of course, one eventually does. As the
New York Times reported in a 1997 review of the film, it is a "vigorously surprising tale that qualifies as true mystery rather than arbitrary thriller and one that revels in its endless complications." It is a twisty-turning plot ripe with double-crosses, cover-ups, shady dealings, crooked cops, bad blood, and of course, and beautiful femme fatale played by Kim Basinger. In classic noir, voice over narrations guiding us through these shifts are also popular.
L.A. Confidential does not have one narration voice in the traditional sense, but it plays with the idea using Danny DeVito's character, Sid Hudgens, a gossip column called "Hush-Hush."
L.A. Confidential is a film that deals with the psychology of the characters. The dialogue is lovely rather than a parody of a lot of the Film Noir; it is serious people trying to reveal or conceal themselves, not make clever puns in cynical tones. Director Curtis Hanson spends a lot of time in daylight as the setting for the film, but when night falls, he puts the shadows and chiaroscuro lighting to use. There is a sense of uneasiness in the nighttime, and a majority of the film's harder emotional moments take place in the shadows. When those classic prison bar shadows make their entrance in the film, it stands as a beautiful combination of old and new filmmaking. The dark dialogue is terse and pithy with memorable lines like "Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of Angels, and you haven't got any wings."
Noir movies of yesteryear traditionally create an image that obstructs reality;
L.A. Confidential mocks the true corruptive nature of the "honorable" police force of Los Angeles. This image is further managed by the involvement with the
Dragnet style show, "Badge of Honor," for which character Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) serves as technical advisor. The show, as corrupt as the LAPD itself, maintains the image of the real police force through the fictional programing. It cleverly obstructs reality within a greater obstruction. In short,
L.A. Confidential is overly-complicated, excessively violent, undeniably nihilistic, and rooted in the traditions of film noir, just like
The Big Sleep...but with a considerably less "disastrous" screenplay! (In fact, the story here is actually pretty intellectually engaging and intriguing!)
In your post below, provide your own analysis of how both films play with the conventions of Noir filmmaking. Then, reveal your favorite and why!
"Here's looking at you, kid." (I know, wrong film...but hey, it's Bogie!)
While the film "LA Confidential" isn't a classic Nior film, it perfectly captures certain elements, making it fall into the Neo-Noir genre. The director of "LA Confidential", Curtis Hanson, chooses to use color rather than staying within the confines of black and white film. Though he chooses this artistic direction, there are many references to the classic nature of the Nior genre with music/non-diagetic sound, clothing/setting/time period choice, transition frames of pictures set up to look like they're from the 40s and 50s, and more. Another major hint to the classic Nior genre is the character archetypes that include the femme fatale, the "god cop", and many morally ambiguous characters.
ReplyDeleteThe film "A Big Sleep" hits many major Noir points as it is considered a classic Noir film. It is filmed in black and white, chiaroscuro lighting is majorly used, and many Noir character archetypes are represented as well. In "A Big Sleep", there is the femme fatale, the criminal(s), the morally ambiguous characters with a tragic backstory, and more. Unlike "LA Confidential", the non-diagetic sound is setup more as a soundtrack rather than being filled with songs from the time period (40s/50s) as a way to reimagine the Nior genre and reference its time period.
Personally, my favorite film between "LA Confidential" and "The Big Sleep" was "The Big Sleep". As I grew up watching old movies with my parents as a childhood, I found that watching it was almost nostalgic in a way. I also enjoyed the development of the romance within the film. While I also enjoyed "LA Confidential", I felt that "The Big Sleep" felt more genuine as it is a classic Noir film. I appreciate "LA Confidential"'s recreation of the genre, but when I think of Noir, I gravitate towards films such as "The Big Sleep".
the score felt more prominent in the Big Sleep compared to La Confidential. Whenever a big moment was happening or the director wanted the audience to feel something at a certain moment. the non-diegetic sound becomes very noticeable. Both films had a bit of a damsel in distress that would trick the protagonist. La Confidential felt a bit more exciting with something always happening and not many long pauses. It was also nice seeing a different side to law enforcement and that some were corrupt which I believe happened a bit in earlier times
ReplyDeleteThe film L.A. Confidential is a neo-noir film directed by Curtis Hanson and includes the key elements of the film noir genre. The film's visual style is strongly influenced by classical film noir, with the use of desaturation, low-key lighting, and high contrast. Shadows create a moody look and watching the movie causes the audience to feel uncomfortable with the robotic-looking world. This film is set in the 1950s and the characters include detectives, gang members, and a femme fatale, classic characters of film noir. The characters are neither entirely good nor entirely bad and rest in the grey area between hero and villain. There are multiple storylines in L.A. Confidential and it becomes blurry what is happening unless the audience watches it very closely. The soundtrack includes jazz music from the time which places the audience in the 1950s era and adds to the moody feel of the film.
ReplyDeleteThe film The Big Sleep is a 1946 noir film directed by Howard Hanks and is a classical example of the noir genre. The film’s visual style includes high-contrast lighting and low-angle shots. The lighting causes a dramatic look and evokes a feeling of unease in the audience. The first scene in the movie is a long shot of the city at night and sets the tone for the film. This movie also contains morally unclear characters, with each character possessing flaws in their personality. The soundtrack includes mysterious orchestral music that causes the audience to feel tense.
Out of the two films, I preferred watching L.A. Confidential because it was more alluring to me than the big sleep. While watching L.A. Confidential, I was drawn in by the shifting plot points and stylistic violence in the film. The main characters seemed neither entirely good nor entirely bad, which seems very human to me. It caused me to empathize with the characters more and I was invested in how each of them would respond to the events in the movie. The action in the movie was also very intriguing because it kept me on the edge of my seat.
The Big Sleep is a famous example of noir that uses witty banter and sexual tension between Marlowe and Vivian Rutledge to provide a layer of charm and comedy. This distinguishes the movie from more traditional noirs and adds a fun touch to the genre. L.A. Confidential, however, questions the oversimplified morality that noir is sometimes linked with. By employing a multi-layered narrative structure and intricate character development, it does this by exposing the corruption and inner demons of the police officers who are looking into the murder case. As a result, the characters are more complex and ethically gray, breaking noir's usual tropes. Overall, both movies play with the noir tropes in a unique manner. and their contributions have helped to shape and redefine the genre.
ReplyDeleteThese movies played with the noir style a lot. The Big Sleep emphasized the harsh lighting, anti-hero characteristics and played with the idea of a Femme Fatale. Many shots had heavy, dark blacks contrasted with very bright whites, even sometimes on the same person's face. Bogart's Character Marlowe had all the best intentions for his client and his research, but in the end he allowed and witnessed multiple homicides without notifying the police of most of them. Many of the female characters such as Mrs. Rutledge, Carmen, and Agnes all posed as potential Femme Fatales, it only really became clear in the second half of the film which it was. This confusion was also prevalent throughout the rest of the film as many plot holes and story inconsistencies arose while watching it.
ReplyDeleteL.A. Confidential was very expressive in its camera angles, creative with the characters and was quite obvious with the femme fatale compared to The Big Sleep. In L.A. Confidential the imbalances of the framing were quite obvious and led to some unique and expressive shots. The stark contrast between the two characters allowed for them to play off of one another quite well and it led to some interesting moments and great action. The Femme Fatale in this film really did have some alluring qualities to both of the detectives and that led to some major conflicts as intended.
Overall I enjoyed both movies, but my issue is that they both ran too long for my liking. At the end of each of them I was left thinking they could have cut nearly 30 minutes of the movie and it would have been much better. All in all though, I did like The Big Sleep a bit more. I really enjoyed Bogart's character, and the story left me clueless. Being clueless is much better for me as I usually am able to solve a mystery film quite early, so the suspense keeps me hooked.
L.A. Confidentials lighting feels totally different to The Big Sleeps use of high contrast lighting. The lighting feels less extreme here, and instead it seems like there's a focus on color, which this film uses, while The Big Sleep didn't. The colors feel very dull and muted, with a lot of dark blues, or very bright, dull oranges. Additionally, while all 3 protagonists are antiheroes in themselves, it seems like the extremes of the noir role have been split between all of them. Exley is the noble one, with generally morally just roles, while the other 2 are far more questionable and corrupt, counteracting that in a way. Despite this, Exley is rather self serving as well, willing to throw others under the bus for a benefit to himself. There's also a femme fatale character here as well, although it's far clearer that it's her, instead of the mystery to which person it is that The Big Sleep has.
ReplyDeleteOverall, both of these films were somewhat interesting, but I'm not totally sure how I felt about them. I'm not totally sure if it was just not being in the mood for something noir or what, but I dont think I really got as much out of either as I otherwise would've. Despite that, I did like The Big Sleep more. Both films had some interesting stories, well done characters, and amazing shots, but the Big Sleep stood out more to me for 2 reasons. For one, I liked what was done with the femme fatale a lot more in that film. Additionally, I have a lot of love for the sound of films during that time period, in both the voice audio quality, and the scores, which made that film a lot more interesting to me.
The Big Sleep is a noir film that uses the genre's more classical elements with its lighting, key plot points, and character archetypes. The film relies heavily on the characters with one being Vivian, the leading lady, and love interest, and the other being Phillip Marlowe, the main investigator of the murder that takes place. Carmen is also the Femme Fatal with a dark past. Phillip is an anti-hero and the film thrives off of the idea of mystery with most of the characters’ true motives not being revealed until later on in the film. The much darker themes relate to the time period the film was made in (1946) when the second world war had recently ended and the Great Depression had occurred around a decade prior. It makes sense that hints of German Expressionism were an influence on the lighting and coloring choices of the film. The choice of using black and white enhances certain lighting choices with the bright pieces being very bright and the darker scenes using the shadows to further the style.
ReplyDeleteLA Confidential is in the same general genre of noir, but its components fit more into the neo-noir genre as the elements used vary in certain details. Like The Big Sleep, dramatic diegetic sound is used that builds suspense, but LA Confidential seems to rely on non-diegetic sound a lot less than The Big Sleep, often making certain scenes more unsettling for the audience with the subtle sound of dialogue or the sound of a gunshot in a scene with little to no music. Like The Big Sleep, the film uses strong choices in the lighting and development of the relationship between the two main love interests with a lot of the focus being on them to retain the seductive components of the noir genre that neo-noir captures.
I think of the two films, from the perspective of film choice, I most enjoyed LA Confidential. The choice to keep the color in the film but still use chiaroscuro lighting, especially highlighting this with scenes at night, really sticks out to me. The lack of a consistent soundtrack is also interesting, especially since it makes a lot of sense to enhance the drama and mystery with music. Overall I thought both films were very good and the directors made a lot of significant and unique choices that make both films iconic.
Agree. I enjoy the noir style, but I really loved the story of LA Confidential. I feel like it was more fully developed, and the characters felt more complex and rounded. :)
Delete"The Big Sleep" employs the noir genre to convey a sense of uncertainty and disorientation. Disorientation is brought on by the film's confusing plot and a long web of people, and is further proved by the use of low-key lighting and grimy cinematography. Furthermore, "The Big Sleep" proves the use of noir convention by portraying women as treacherous and dangerous by giving the film's female characters more complexity than is typical. One example of this is Vivian Rutledge where she is found to be strongly independent and loyal to her family.
ReplyDeleteHowever, "L.A. Confidential" plays with noir conventions in a different way while still utilizing them. "L.A. Confidential" adds to the noir genre for a wider audience while also evoking the classic noir era. The movie uses traditional noir movies with its stylish lighting, mysterious cinematography, and hard vocabulary, but it also has a complicated plot and multifaceted characters. This is why it is my favorite because it was more of an enjoyable movie to engage in with it's deep characters and vibrant lighting. I enjoyed the comedy aspect especially with Sid Hudgens providing the comedic relief for the film. The editing was also sleek and modern and helped to modernize the film while also having noir aspects to it. Although "The Big Sleep" still is nostalgic in that it employs old noir genre aspects.