From film noir to neo noir

Find a quote and explain:

It is can be seen that there is a mainstream in film noir. First, according to director Errol Morris, “Noir concerns with errors, with confusion. We don’t know what’s going on, but we do know something bad is out there”. In “Double indemnity”, Neff falls deeply for Phyllis and believes in her love for him. The couple carry out their plan and kill her husband. At the beginning, we partly believe how Phyllis is tired of her husband, wants to get rid of him and starts her life with Neff. Still, we do not know if it is true or not,  and there is a feeling that this alluring woman is hiding something. As time progresses, but not until two-third of the film,things turn out to be more complicated when Neff finds out the truth about his lover. It appears that Phyllis is behind Lola’s mother death and now she is trying to make a fortune out of her husband’s death. Worries and concerns start to twisted together because it is too late, the husband is already dead. Neff feels disgusted about that woman and he tries to get away from his crime. Second, as scholar Paul Arthur said, “The hero takes on the identity of the dead man, the most desperate thing you can do in film noir”. We find the same situation in Double indemnity. Neff also takes on the identity of the husband, jumps off the train to make it look like the husband suicides.

How to spot a famme fatale:

Scholar Janey Place, as she described a famme fatale in film noir, mentions that “throughout the ages, there is a dangerous figure, a powerful, sexual famale as a very dangerous figure . . . She’s very smart, she’s very powerful and she’s extremely sexual . . . She uses her sexuality to get what she’s after”. To me, this description best describes Phyllis in Double indemnity, a typical famme fatale. At the beginning, Phyllis pretends to be a victim who is unfortunately stuck in an unhappy marriage and wants to escape. She is such a seductive woman that she is able to use her charms to lead a man into crime, danger and deadly situations. From the outside, she appears to look smart but naïve, weak and need to be protected. However, she holds a kind of power in her hand which can make a man do whatever she wants. This basically makes her more like a demon or a witch. Phyllis has all the personalities that are referred to a typical famme fatale. In Double indemnity, she plays a two-faced person who kills Lola’s mother and then uses her sexual appeal to make Neff commit a murder. Also, we can find kind of similar famme fatale in films such as "The killers" (Ava), "The postman always rings twice" (Cora).

Noir photography, lightning and location:

Firstly, In Double indemnity, in the style of black and white film, shadow and light are used in a very controlled, dramatic way. Like other typical film noir, the extreme contrast between light and shadow is something almost religious and spiritual. With no colors, Billy Wilder made full use of light and shadow to express meaning and establish desired atmosphere such as threats, tensions, fear, despair, worries, ect. Also, the use of lights delivered by filmmakers help them communicate with the audience and signal the audience what is happening and what to focus on. Secondly, deep focus used in this film satisfied Wilder’s desire to capture an action or a dialogue from many different angles and views. Thirdly, the use of camera angles give different experiences and emotions. It is likely to cause the effect that the audience really feel the look of the actor. As the result, they tend to be into the film more. Furthermore, different camera angles will have different effects on viewers and how they perceive the scene. Fourthly, the music and sound are used in films to enhance the emotional quality of the films. Besides, music has many other roles such as being a universal language, covering up weak directing, offering a kind of sub-text, ect.

Camera angle: Consider the scene in which Neff looks up to Phyllis from the first floor, the low camera angle enhances her beauty as well as makes her image become dominant and powerful. Besides, the high camera angle makes the audience feel like it is astonishing and irresistible for Neff to stand in front of such beauty.

Low camera angle

High camera angle

Shadow and light: Regarding the scene in which Neff and Phyllis meet at her house. All lights are out. That is when we feel the tension and it comes to using our imagination. There is barely any lights, what is left is the conversation between Neff and the woman he wholly feels disgusted about. When the gun fires and there is no lights, the audience must be given a start and panic-stricken, and that is the feeling aimed at the audience in that situation. It is just the right moment for shadow to cover everything. The reason is that this scene determines the end of a demon, a criminal and closes everything.

Deep focus: There is a scene in which Phyllis hides behind the door, waiting for Neff’s friend to go away. There is another scene in which Neff walks toward Phyllis after getting shot and is about to end her life.

Music: In the clip, from 0:58, when Neff falls down, the music reaches the high pitch, hinting that everything has come to an end.

Types of location:

                                                      MacMurray races down 5th Street near Olive St.

Dietrichson House, 6301 Quebec Drive, Hollywood Hills

View from Hollywood Hills

Newman Drug Store

Hollywood Blvd and Western Ave

Heather and MacMurray at the Hollywood Bowl

Neo-noir as an homage to the original film noir style: 

The major difference between film noir and neo noir is that neo noir are filmed in color. In general, considering original style, neo noir has the same goal as film noir did to the audience. Neo noir uses elements of film noir which include characters, plots, themes, film-making techniques, style, visual elements, ect. The thing is, all these factors are more updated in neo noir. Therefore, basically, it can be said that neo noir is movement, a progressive step forward of film noir.

Regarding “Body heat” (Lawrence Kasdan), a neo noir which carries on 1940s style, it is easy to find some factors of film noir in this film such as a famme fatale, a tough guy who is seduced by this woman. Ned, according to Wilder, is a typical American man who wants a woman and is impatient to get what he desires. Hence, he is not aware of Matty’s lust for money. Gradually, he feels tired of having to hide their love and eventually, he kills the husband in the hope of spending his life with Matty. However, in the end, he becomes the true victim of her plot. Overall, “Body heat” refers to love and crime which often appeared together in film noir.  

What makes films beautiful?

Here are key elements that make films interesting to me: 

Message

Each and every film is meant to spread a message. For instance, bad people always have to suffer while good ones deserve a happy ending. It is the most basic and familiar script to me. In addition, in some films, great ambition and values are highly enhanced. “Cinderella man” and “Mao’s last dancer” are typical examples of movies that dignify one’s passion and one would overcome every difficulty attain his goal. Therefore, after watching a film, one can figure out that life is something worth fighting for since it is beautiful and he may try to do better to make this life a good life. Thus, messages in movies have been inspirational movitation for many people.

Scene continuity

I would change the channel right away if scenes in film are not connected with each other. To me, a good movie is one that captures my attention from beginning to end, or at least, it can make each scene match the others. I detest watching a scene and ending up asking myself if that scene does any good.  “No mercy” ( Kim Hyeong – joon) and  “I saw the devil” ( Jee-woon Kim) are good examples of striking scene continuity.

Actors/ actresses

It is important what actors/actresses can give in a movie. It is excellent if they can really become the character and act as if those are their true feelings. Simply put, it is the passion and the emotions that they give out to make the story as true as possible. I can never forget the desperate look that Mickey Rourke gave in the end of the film “The wrestler”. Similarly, Roberto Benigni playing in “Life is wonderful” or Kate Winslet  playing in “Titanic” both performed extremely well with a lot of feelings. In days after watching their films, I found myself thinking about their roles and all the ups and downs they have been through throughout the films. They managed to make it so real and truthful that I totally forgot what I watched was just a movie.

Feelings

It does not matter if a movie is a romance, horror, action, sports or fantasy, what matters is how that kind of movie brings me feelings depending on its type. For example, I may laugh a lot when watching a comedy, cry when watching a romance, be scared when watching a horror, ect. All in all, a movie is entertaining when it can give me a specific emotion. However, of course I would not like to laugh like crazy at a scary scene.

Music

Music, a great substitute for way too many words, can express all kinds of emotions intended for a scene. By supporting feelings such as joy, pain, sadness, fury, anger, ect., it can stress the emotional tone in the way images alone can not express enough. Besides, original music can even score more credits for films. In fact, many are so impressive that the audience would download and listen to them again and again afterward.

Here is a scene in “ My sassy girl” ( Yann Samuell) with music accompanying which moves me every time I watch this film. The man and his girlfriend have to be separated for 1 year. The sound track is called “I put a record on” and performed by Unkle Bob.

These are 2 movies I have been interested in lately:

1/ Chak de! India (Shimit Amin)

-          I love this film because of its storyline. In general, the Captain of the Indian men’s hockey team is accused of being a traitor after his team’s loss to the Pakistan team. In order to regain his honor, he determines to lead  the India women's national field hockey team with the hope of turning this team into the champion team. This film impressed me much more than I first expected. Of course it has many conventions of a sports film’s storyline, yet it enhances sports spirit in a new and unique way. I especially love Shahrukh Khan's performance. He is such a good actor that he played his part truthfully. Moreover, his emotional expression is very thick and densely made-up. I have watched many films of this kind and I knew clearly that the team would win in the end but still, it captured me from beginning to end. Furthermore, elements of fun are added perfectly right here and there in the movie and I remember me laughing so hard. In addition, the film implies its opposition against sexism in India. Women, in fact, prove to be strong and they live in the men’s shadow no more. Most important, this film became so inspirational that according to a source, “The suspension of the Indian Hockey Federation in April 2008 emphasized the film's influence. After a new hockey council was formed, former hockey player, Aslam Sher Khan, stated in an interview, "We have to make a Team India as you have seen in Bollywood blockbuster Chak De! India. There are players from several parts of the country. We have to unite them to make a powerful force." “. ( Chak De! India)

2/ My name is Khan ( Karan Johar)

-          I love this film because of the message it brings. The film is about a Muslim hero named Khan who makes his journey through the United States. He falls for and weds Miranda, a single mother. However, his peaceful and happy life is taken away by the 9/11 event. Throughout the film, I could hear his mantra being repeated again and again, “ My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist”. There were a lot of prejudices and discrimination against Muslims. Worse, it caused deaths. However, it is human who tolerate issues that we ourselves create, and religion is one of the most urgent matters. Sure the film has political mode and it may sound dull for many. However, in my opinion, the main message is meaningful. It is that if people open their hearts and put aside their religions, colors, languages, races, ect., they will be able to suffer less and live better. This film somehow reminds me of “ Forest Gump” ( Robert Jemeckis) because these two characters both want to prove that everyone can love anyone.