Film Noir
Subject Overview
This subject explores a brief history of film noir and also conventions of film noir. Students will discover its unique visual style and how the classic film noir films of Hollywood have influenced the neo-noir films of today. Students will be introduced to the ‘hard-boiled detective’ and the ‘femme fatale’ and examine the stylistic choices that directors make. This subject will also expose students to the critical debate of whether film noir is a genre in its own right or a sub-genre of crime drama.
Duration
- Contact Hours: 3 hours per week
- Total Hours: 30
- Duration: 10 weeks
Aims
- Explore the origin and history of film noir focusing on how the context of the time impacted on the style’s evolution; with reference to the disillusionment and depression experienced by audiences post-World War II.
- Discover the classic film noir films of the 30’s and 40’s and compare classic ‘noir’ films to the contemporary neo-noir films of today
- Examine various conventions of film noir in relation to mise-en-scene
- Explore the debate on whether film noir is a genre or a sub-genre of ‘crime drama’, or simply a stylistic choice for directors