Film noir

Film noir is a film style and mood primarily associated with crime films, that portrays its principal characters in a nihilistic and existential world. Film noir is primarily derived from the hard-boiled style of crime fiction of the Depression era, (many films noir were adaptations of such novels), and may first be clearly seen in films released in the early 1940s. 'Noirs' were historically made in black and white, and had a dark, high-contrast style with roots in German Expressionist cinematography.

Neo-noir and the influence of film noir

In the 1960s American film-makers like Sam Peckinpah, Arthur Penn, and Robert Altman created films that drew from (and commented upon) the original film noirs. In The Long Goodbye, Altman's hard-boiled detective is presented as a hapless bungler who can't help but lose the moral battle.

Related Topics:
1960 - Sam Peckinpah - Arthur Penn - Robert Altman - The Long Goodbye

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Film noir has been parodied (both broadly and affectionately) on many occasions. Bob Hope first parodied film noir in My Favorite Brunette (1947), playing a baby photographer who is mistaken for tough private detective. Other notable parodies are Steve Martin's black-and-white "cut and paste" homage Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, and Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam.

Related Topics:
Bob Hope - My Favorite Brunette - Steve Martin - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid - Woody Allen - Play It Again, Sam

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Many of Joel and Ethan Coen's films are excellent examples of modern films influenced by noir, especially The Man Who Wasn't There and Miller's Crossing, the comedy The Big Lebowski, and Blood Simple, the title of which was lifted from the Dashiell Hammett story Red Harvest. Also David Cronenberg's adaptation of Burroughs' surreal Naked Lunch is strongly influenced by the genre.

Related Topics:
Joel and Ethan Coen - The Man Who Wasn't There - Miller's Crossing - The Big Lebowski - Blood Simple - Dashiell Hammett - Red Harvest - David Cronenberg - Burroughs - Naked Lunch

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The cynical, pessimistic worldview of noirs strongly influenced the creators of the cyberpunk genre of science fiction in the early 1980s. Blade Runner is among the most popular films from this era. Characters in these films are derived from 1930s gangster films and, more importantly, from pulp fiction magazines such as The Shadow, Dime Mystery Detective, and The Black Mask. Other examples for SF-noir films are Gattaca, The Thirteenth Floor, Ghost in the Shell and Dark City.

Related Topics:
Cyberpunk - Science fiction - 1980s - Blade Runner - 1930s - Pulp fiction - The Shadow - Dime Mystery Detective - The Black Mask - Gattaca - The Thirteenth Floor - Ghost in the Shell - Dark City

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Some consider the films of David Lynch to have a notable noir influence, particularly his most well known and renowned work, Blue Velvet.

Related Topics:
David Lynch - Blue Velvet

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Recent works of popular fiction in a noir vein include the 2005 movie Sin City, the video game series Max Payne, and Christopher Nolan's take on Batman.

Related Topics:
Popular fiction - 2005 - Sin City - Max Payne - Christopher Nolan - Batman

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