What is Digg?46 Comments
- triforcer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9you forgot the venetian blinds.
- grendelboogie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and the later day noir of Chinatown, are the quintescence.
- afeitarse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Don't forget The Third Man!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Don't forget Memento!! Probably the biggest film noir hit in recent history.
- Roger, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7The new French movie "Renaissance " is another good example.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0386741/
Its comparable to Sin City in terms of visuals. - dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Don't forget Minority Report. I'm glad they mentioned Brick. Definitely one of the more quirky noir selections, but incredible in presentation.
- TheWalkingDude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir
There's an element of film noir in cyberpunk as well, such as in Blade Runner (mentioned below) or "A Detective Story" in the Animatrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLMrZO3aDqk - MosaicM, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I personally loved the Film Noir stylings of Max Payne 1 and 2. Playing noir style is quite fun if done right.
But good to see a resurgence in this film style as well. We need more modern made noir. - MrBabyMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Most of the movies listed here are more or less, crap, but Brick truly was a standout; one of the best films of the last year.
- miker71, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Film Noir really was painting with light. Usually to cover up the fact that you didn't have a budget for extravagant sets (or any set for that matter). How many of these "new" Film Noir films have budgets of less than $10m? "Crooked Features" is the start of the latest post new wave, but it won't be until 2010 when the rest of the world gets the joke.
- irishpunk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2this just reminded me of how good a movie The Maltese Falcon is. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it, that and Sin City.
- orez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2part of the reason this reads like an essay, is because it is ripped straight from a book on film noir. Except for speaking of new films that is. I have the book and was looking something up the other night before I saw this hit digg, and happen to read some of the exact passages this text is ripped from.
- dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"dclowd, you can not be serious. "Minority Report" is no where near a film noir. Sunset Boulevard and Dark City are Film Noir, Minority Report is just hokey."
I am quite serious. If you read the article, you'd see that the movie fits many of the guidelines, and then some. (Spoilers follow)
1. Brooding Hero: The main character was tormenting himself over the loss of his son and lamenting his separation with his wife. I think that was more than apparent with him continually torturing himself with old home movies.
2. Femme Fatale: While she wasn't necessarily a sexually driven character, the precog girl John kidnapped definitely put John (the main character) in some tough spots. Merely having her in his presence was extremely dangerous for him.
3. Hard Boiled Action: Between the jetpack scene, the Lexus manufacturing plant and the freeway escape, I think you and I can both agree there were some pretty spectacular action scenes in the movie.
4. A Glimpse Beneath the Skin: We get to see John's deepest desires, such as the one to exact revenge on the person who stole his son, should he ever meet that man.
5. A Political Undertone: Is there anything more politically or ethically charged than exercising the ability to arrest and imprison individuals on crimes they haven't yet committed?
6. I feel the list left this one out, but it's a definite requirement for any good noir movie: Strange character encounters. A good noir movie will put the main character in contact with several very strange, suspicious individuals with their own motives and agendas. In Minority Report, you could call these people the doctor who removed John's eyes, John's drug supplier, and the warden at the precrime prison. - kaashar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Don'y forget Bladerunner :)
- viamargutta51, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That is a terrible article which reads like a high school essay on film noir. The fact is that film noir has never disappeared. Since the heydey of noir, we have seen great new noirs emerge like Blue Velvet, Memento, Body Heat and The Last Seduction. They are even dumb enough to use the new Bond movie, 'Casino Royale' as an example of noir.
- HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The version reminescent of Film Noir (the original theatrical release), has not been available on DVD ever. The most recent release of it I think was the LaserDisc, which I still have.
Although I'm no fan of the crap ending on the original release, the movie doesn't work for me without the Film Noir aspects (the voice over), so the Director's Cut is pointless to watch.
Some day perhaps we'll have a version with the voice over and without the awful ending. - DJWaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm confused as to why making movies with new technology and effects lessens the noir-ness of a movie. I guess it depends on how rigidly you define the term film noir. I am assuming you wouldn't concider Blade Runner a film noir because at the time it used a lot of techniques vastly different than the straight up detective noirs of the classical noir era and that doesn't even concider the fact that it's a noir in a sci fi setting just like Minority Report is.
And that's fine if you want to. I have no beef with that, all i'm saying is a clarification of what style of noir you're using here.. Genres evolve and change as they become used more and more and people's preception of them change. The classic detective noirs of the 40s and 50s are the high point of the genre (in terms of genre theory.. not subjectively) and are going to have different terms and ideas applied to it than noir's early crime film predecessors. And that's going to all be different again after the decline and revival with Chinatown, least of all because of the fairly new ratings system allowed films to show more violence and have harsher language that the classic noirs couldn't do. And all of those are going to be different than hybridized noirs like i mentioned before with Blade Runner.
So i can completely see where you're coming from and that your definition of film noir would be in regards to its classic form. I just hope i helped to clarify your clarifications by pointing out how there are different subsets and flavors and eras that fit within noir and it all really just comes down to subjective views on where exactly the line between noir and not noir lays even tho everyone agrees to the general definition.
Damn.. flashback to film school. First that's been useful since i graduated (as long as you don't count lightening the load on my checkbook each month sallie mae comes a' calling =P) - HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Skip the article. If you want to see real Film Noir, see Double Indemnity. If you want the later-day stuff, see Chinatown. Want to see new stuff? see L.A. Confidential.
Three great movies there, although only one is true Film Noir. - noeljohnhoward, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3very true triforcer
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Lost Highway anyone? The genre is hardly JUST coming out of the dark (no pun), just more campy vintage throwbacks because thats whats "in" and no, im sorry, wannabe films like Sin City and games like Max Payne can hardly be considered true film noir. The Third Man, now thats a movie. .
- HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Kinda funny people mention stuff like Veronica Mars and Sin City but don't mention "The Man Who Wasn't There".
None of the three are really film noir in my mind, but The Man Who Wasn't There is a heck of a lot closer than Veronica Mars. - gosix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Argh, what about Jacob's Ladder????
- stonebear, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Or maybe it will adapt to the times? The Chronicles Of Riddick turned a nice profit, as did Blade Runner before it. Seems like Film Noir will never be more than a niche genre, but it has surprised us before.
- HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Here I am, clarifiying my clarification. Kinda stupid of me.
What I meant by only one is true Film Noir, is that really, you can't make a true Film Noir with expensive sets, day scenes and (in my mind) color film.
I'm not saying Chinatown or L.A. Confidential aren't true to the spirit of Film Noir, but they are missing a lot of elements. If you make a Film Noir-like movie but have a good budget and modern technology, you can make a great movie, perhaps even a superior movie, but you lose a few of the things that really make it Film Noir.
For that matter, I loved Dark City, but you can't have a special effects-laden psy-war at the end of your movie and be a Film Noir. - digitaldd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Bring back the likes of Dan Duryea, Lawrence Tierney, & Bogart . But I'm surprised no one mentioned the greatest film Noir ever: Kiss of Death
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039536/ - Bokista, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The stuff in the article IS real film noir. Kiss Me Deadly? Out of the Past? Night and the City? All classics. Throw in your Gilda, Asphalt Jungle, Touch of Evil, Shadow of a Doubt, The Big Sleep, Laura, and Gun Crazy and you've got yourself a noir weekend.
Note: looks like I've finally gotten to put the knowledge from my thesis on noir to good use. Thanks, college! - noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@HappyScrappy; "The Maltese Falcon" doesn't have a voiceover. Does that disqualify it?
As far as Blade Runner goes, it was originally intended to have a voice over. However, the issue (I believe) that Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott had with the one they ended up with was that it was badly written. Even so, it does make the film much clearer. - ericeman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Brick was a great movie- and I would add Veronica Mars even if it isn't a movie.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1spot on.
- HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I didn't say the stuff wasn't Film Noir. I said don't bother reading the article. Why read an article about what it is when you can view a few movies yourself and see what it is?
And then if you like them, go back and read the article and find out what else you might like to see. - thefirstenemy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm surprised Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang wasn't mentioned. I'm pretty sure that was noir(or neo-noir) and it was pretty good. It was written and directed by Shane Black, from Lethal Weapons.
The movie came out last year and was pretty good(except for a little annoying narration in the beginning of the movie) - dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1wrong place.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My favorite film noir-ish (not dogmatic adherents to the genre, but they draw heavily on the genre) would be L.A. Confidential, Things to do in Denver When You're Dead, A History of Violence, Blood Simple, and Blue Velvet.
But if the movies mentioned above are any indication that film noir is coming back, it should probably remain a niche that is only sometimes explored. I liked Sin City, but it really was just a comic book action movie. If it was film noir, then so was the first two Batman movies. The other movies tanked. - nateslost, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0anyone think its wierd that Josh Hartnett was in 3 of those listed movies:
Lucky Number Slevin
Sin City
The Black Dahlia - caliform, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1dclowd, you can not be serious. "Minority Report" is no where near a film noir. Sunset Boulevard and Dark City are Film Noir, Minority Report is just hokey.
- goat77, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1For all the videos I make in my Electronic Media class I try to keep a noir theme in mind.
- rinks, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2It'll go back out of style. All the movies you mentioned have made no money (with the exception of Sin City, which may have broken even). Black Dahlia tanked, Hollywoodland tanked. Lucky Number Slevin super-tanked. Etc etc. The last good recent film I saw that was remotely noir was LA Confidential. Which ain't new.
- omegadan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Film Noir is awesome. Hollywoodland was one of the *WORST* films Ive ever seen in my life. It had no soul. It surounded itself in compelling events in an attempt to be compelling, but failed. (incase you were wondering, best film Ive seen this year -- A Scanner Darkly)
- randomboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Brick was one of the best movies to come out from Hollywoodland this year...
- Antitorgo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I really like this idea from half-bakery: http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Film_20Noir_20Home
For example: It was a rainy evening out and I was hungry. As I entered the kitchen and opened the refridgerator door, the milk and cookies my eye... - thehans, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2The Black Dahlia is not film noir, it is pure film diarhea!
- noeljohnhoward, on 10/12/2007, -9/+5for sure it is,
Myself and a few others are doing a Noir series... we'll be posting online for distribution, if any1 wants to help or is just generally interested, email me
noeljohnhoward@gmail.com - Jack9, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2And nobody mentions the independent film BRICK?
HELLO? Sin City was crap, why do you bother to call yet another crappy comic adaptation noir... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -16/+4Based on the latest "noir" movies out of Hollywood, this is the key ingredient: take your average ***** plotline but dress everyone up in suits and fedoras. Throw in a bunch of weird "softening" effects that look like they were stolen from a photoshop tutorial course and you're set.
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