What is Film Noir to you?
I did a Google search and this succinct definition popped up:
A style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder.
That's a pretty decent summary and two of my favorite noir directors are mentioned in it. I'm a big fan of Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and my favorite Noir Film is Touch of Evil by Orson Welles. Some other great Noir Films I've recently viewed include The Big Sleep, Out of the Past and The Big Heat. These have all been recently been broadcast on *Sunday Night Noir *on Movies TV Network.
I've written a classic noir television pilot and a sci-fi/film noir screenplay and I love creating the atmosphere for this genre.
Who else has written Film Noir screenplay?
What or who has been your main influence?
I think the definition you quote is pretty good. But I think, too, that a lot of its style comes from the lighting and B & W low asa film stock available then. So I don't think of 'Noir' as a genre so much as a present day filmmaking style.
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Written them and had some produced.
The issue that I have with that definition is at Noir has been a fiction genre since the 1800s, and those films with the German Expressionistic lighting were usually based on books in that fiction genre. The stories are Noir.
Cornell Woolrich, one of the 3 "Fathers Of Modern Noir" (James M. Cain - today is his birthday, and Horace McCoy are the other two) wrote a "Black series" of novels in the 30s & 40s that kind of launched modern Noir in France. Many of those books became Noir films.
I've done a Noir Screenwriting class a few times in the past.
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I love noir but haven't written any yet. My favorite definition of film noir (though it doesn't capture everything about it) is: "Bad things happen to bad people." I'm particularly fond of Detour, Out of the Past, Elevator to the Gallows, The Asphalt Jungle, and Double Indemnity.
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Holy Crap, I am a noir writer.
I saw the definition and that is me.
My influences..... I can’t point to anyone. At the moment I am on a Nordic Noir bent. That region is pouring out great stuff.
From an emotional POV it is the polar opposite of a romantic comedy. When people walk off into the sunset they are carrying a coffin not holding hands.
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@Phil @Eric I'm also a fan of Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler who wrote Double Indemnity. @Phil Another great who's films I'm fan of is Orson Welles. The great classics of the original Noir era, together with what's already in my own head, were an inspiration to write a Noir screenplay. I've only written one because I'm not a known writer and Noir has a minimum audience compared to regularly churned out mainstream. It's in process of going into Transmedia and when get more of a fan base (already got built in) will put out trailer. Noir is multi faceted, both physically and psychologically, a bold and dark escapist fare. Gut and gore crime where sex, money and death are on the cards. Bitch goddesses and men who kill for them, hard boiled cops, sirens and femme fatales. Psychotic lunatics, murderers, jealous lovers and characters beyond the pale drowning outside the mainstream. Some say Noir's only a cinematic theme but I disagree. Researching Noir for many years it goes deeper than just the "Visuals", in that Noir has a visceral third layer, a psychological verisimilitude that rocks the soul. This my hard boiled cop. Stay Safe @All!
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I wrote one. A future-tech Noir gangster film, "Code: Delete". It won First Place in a contest once. My main influences were "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond." Everyone knows the first, not many have even heard of the second.
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@Phil Thanks for your cool thread on Noir, I could ramble on for a whole day about this topic so if anyone wants to chat about Noir they can message me privately for a never ending conversation. This transmedia in progress.
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Damian/Dan M: The Cohen Brothers have beautifully employed noir elements into their work.
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Eric: I loved Out of the Past too. Double Indemnity is brilliant and Wilder had to talk Fred MacMurray into doing the film.
Anthony: I Loved Leg's Diamond and Ray Danton had a great screen presence.
PS, I won "Best Iconic Noir Screenplay" last year at LA Neo Noir Festival. https://www.lanneff.com/
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Debbie C: Glad you enjoyed this thread. I agree with you. Noir has interesting psychological layers. And high stakes abound.
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I believe I have. I'ts titled "Leafmaster". It's a crime story set in 1920's Skopje telling of a rough detective on a trail of a serial killer using one of the local prostitutes as a bait. Thing is he and the main suspect both fall for her.
I was inspired mainly by Jack the Ripper case, however while doing research I found out my own town had some gritty past in the mid WW period so I've decided to set the story there...
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Kiril: Sounds very interesting.
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Thanks Phillip :)
If you want a good description of what Film Noir is check out what Paul Schrader has to say in the famous essay he wrote, can't argue with the man.
Chinatown and LA Confidential are great contributions. I also like Somewhere in the Night with John Hodiak. A fun movie and great example of the genre.