During the keynote presentation, Terry Allen showed film
clips to demonstrate the points he made and to complement his lecture on film noir.
Here are a few things I learned:
Film Noir is
French for black film.
Hollywood’s classical film noir period was in the
1940s-1950s, notably when G.I.s returned home from World War II.
Before that period, in the 1920s and 1930s, German film
makers created German Expressionism films, which combined elements of film noir
with horror.
The neo-noir period is the 1970s, with films such as “Chinatown”
and “Blade Runner”
This year’s “True Detective”was also mentioned as an example
of the genre.
Film Noir movies
have a range of plots from the P.I to the fall guy.
Hard-boiled pulp novels like The Big Sleep by Raymond
Chandler, with first person narrative, were mentioned as books that were made
into film noir movies.
The real star of film noir is Fate.
The message is: There’s something dark out there.
The question is: Why me?
And there’s no good answer at all.
FN relies on the importance of dialogue and style. Everything
has a purpose.
Key elements are: mood, tone, style, and moral ambiguity.
Text and subtext contribute to the total package, as does the
music and background.
Another element is the Femme Fatale – the fatal woman or black widow who lures the good guy
out of the sunshine into the shadows and causes him to do something he might
not otherwise do.
One example given was how Barbara Stanwyck manipulated Fred
McMurray to murder her husband in “Double Indemnity.”
This element of femme fatale in movies (and novels and short stories) brought
back something my dad used to say when he read or heard about a decent guy who
acted out of character and did something stupid or wrong. Dad would shake his
head and say, “Cherchez la femme,” which he told me meant, “Find the woman.”
As a writer, my
take-away from the film noir session is the need for consistency in dialogue,
tone, mood, and style.
This session also
brought to mind what Edgar Allen Poe wrote about the importance of the “unity
of effect” in short stories. Everything in a story, from the title to the
character name, the mood, the tone, and the individual words should combine to
create a consistent effect of the piece.
Are you a fan of
film noir? Do you have any favorite movies or novels to recommend?
Donna--Your father was a wise man. Usually, when men do something stupid or underhanded, there's a woman who's motivating him, either intentionally or unwittingly.
ReplyDeleteI am NOT a fan of film noir, but I did enjoy Terry Allen's keynote presentation. It was entertaining and informative.
Hi Sioux,
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a wise man. What I failed to mention is that when a man does something wonderful, there's usually a woman behind that as well.
Interesting that you're not a fan of FN. And I agree Terry's presentation was entertaining and informative.
I don't think I am a fan film noir either, but did enjoy seeing it explained here!
ReplyDeleteTerry did make his presentation interesting enough that I want to watch film noir. Nice notes too! And it was good seeing you!
ReplyDeleteGood tips. I used to like reading True detective when I was in high school. And, I remember Double Indemnity.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your notes, Donna. I missed most of this presentation. I don't know if it's considered film noir because it may be too new, but Body Heat fits the description, I think, and it may have been an old movie remade with Kathleen Turner and William Hurt.
ReplyDelete