In film critic terminology, the word “genre” has a very specific meaning. While for many people the word is synonymous with “category”, for film fans it has a very deliberate purpose. It is a way to classify films based on how they look and what they are about. Any commonality between films could mean that they are part of the same genre. Film genres are often predictable, which makes them evergreen. When watching a Western, we have a pretty good idea of how it will end, whether it was made in 1935 or 2015.
One film genre, however, is such a product of its time that it might also be considered a film movement, like Italian Neo-Realism or French Impressionism. These movements and others were often either shaped by or a response to world events of their era. As such, as those eras came to an end, so too did these film movements. The same could also be said for Film Noir, a genre that was so associated with post-WWII America that after it began to fade out in the late 1950’s, only a handful of studios and filmmakers have attempted to revive it to varying degrees of success.
Beginning in the early 1940’s, but really starting to bloom after the war, Film Noir reflected the dark, fatalistic underbelly of a by-all-appearances optimistic America having not only been on the winning side of the war, but also a decade-long economic depression, the United States was flying high. But the war and all its evils would not be forgotten, no matter how big the smiles on returning soldier’s faces. The horrendous nature of war, combined with the monstrous realities of the Holocaust and the Atomic Bomb, certainly left their mark, as evidenced not only by the cynical nihilism of Film Noir, but also in the surprising popularity of it. These were films that questioned the feasibility of the American Dream, ultimately acknowledging the true nightmare that lay beneath.
The characters that populate these movies are deeply world-weary, having been burned a few too many times by this hard ol’ world. With their heads down and their collars up, they walk the streets alone, usually by choice. Having been taken advantage of one too many times, their trust in other people has slowly evaporated, until the only person they look out for is themselves, often at the great expense of other people. And in those rare moments when they do dare to dream, the harsh realities of the world quickly intervene, punishing them for ever having hoped in the first place.
Given the oppressive themes of Film Noir, one could be forgiven for assuming that these films are very dour and difficult to watch. But, in what might be the sickest twist of the genre, these films are surprisingly entertaining. Watching these characters navigate a labyrinthine plot, trying to outwit each other, all while exchanging razor sharp insults and witty threats, is one of the most enjoyable experiences a film lover can have. And rewatching these films can yield one reward after another.
Contributing to the pleasure (and re-watchability of these movies) is a unique sense of style. Heavily influenced by the German Expressionism of the 1920’s, these films do not take place in a recognizable reality. Instead, we are brought into a world of concrete and rain; a cold and impersonal place where the sun never shines and nobody can be trusted. Dark shadows slice through the scenery at angles designed to heighten paranoia and conceal all manners of evil. The men are clad in raincoats and fedoras and the women in gorgeous dresses. They smoke cigarettes and carry revolvers. It is a place that the viewer is excited to spend time in but might be even more excited to leave.
Our characters, however, cannot leave. Their lives are cautionary tales to those of us who might feel that we are owed happiness by this world. They are trapped in a shadowy urban hell, fated to pursue a dream that is promised but forever out of reach.
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