Films under this label are usually black and white. In this essay, the styles and themes that are characteristic of film noir will be discussed. I will do so by comparing ‘In a Lonely Place (1950) by Nicholas Ray with ‘Double Indemnity (1944) by Billy Wilder. In a Lonely Place is based off a Hollywood screenwriter Dixon Steele. Laurel, Dixon and a Hollywood screenwriter are getting acquainted. Dixon is also involved in a murder. Laurel suffers her affair with Dixon when she wonders if he killed Mildred. In Double Indemnity ( 1944), Walter Neff, an insurance agent, meets Phyllis Dietrichson as he is asked to renew Phyllis’ husband’s auto policy. She wanted to purchase accident insurance without her husband’s knowledge. Neff Phyllis began to fall in love and they planned a murder of Mr. Dietrichson, so Phyllis will receive twice the money based a double indemnity. Unfortunately, things don’t turn out as planned. There will be a discussion on the plot, style and format, themes and character behaviour.
The narratives of noir films are similar. They have a threatening orchestral soundtrack, sharp dialogue and first-person narration. In the opening of Double Indemnity’s (1944), Neff explains to the audience how he killed Dietrichson because Phyllis wanted money. He didn’t get either the money or woman. Billy Wilder tells the story using flashbacks. This way, the audience is aware of what happens to the protagonist. The audience knows the ending of the film from this point on. Rick Altman (1999), who argues that genres give the audience a ‘set of delights’, believes that the audience derives intellectual pleasure from Neff’s character in Double Indemnity. Neff’s narrative traps him. The film plays on a sort of existential Fatalism which is the belief in predetermined events and their inevitable outcome. In a Lonely Place, Nicholas Ray displayed a noir-film classic – a complicated narrative. Dixon puts his name on the list of suspects because he is the only person who has seen Mildred. As a result, the audience will have to work out whether Dixon actually murdered Mildred. The audience can also imagine themselves to be Laurel. Laurel’s actions in the movie are exactly the same as what they do in their own minds.
The classic film noir grew out of World War II’s post-war atmosphere of pessimism, anxiety and suspicion. It was an American B-list film style that adapted the film-making advances of the 20s to 30s. The film noir style is not a particular genre but rather a’style’ of American filmmaking that was popular in the 1940s & 50s. This is characterized by detectives, seedy locations, dark lighting, and a tragic tone. Venetian and low-key lights are used on Neff to convey his dark, suspicious nature. The chiaroscuro lighting on his face also conveys his moral instability towards Phyllis. This creates tension among the audience who suspect that something bad will befall Phyllis. Low-key light is used in many noir films. The reason for this is that noir is often categorized under the mystery or crime genre. Low-key lighting is a way for producers to create tension and mystery in the film, making it more exciting. Noir films are often black-and-white, and producers can use this to their advantage to create different types of tension. In a Lonely Place, where Dixon fights with the driver, the contrast between the lighting levels is higher than usual. The inner body of Dixon is used to convey his aggression, revealing his anger issues. Noir films are also characterized by sound. It is common to hear diegetic sound effects, such as traffic noises, in urban settings. Sometimes, sirens will also be used to represent the lower class of society. When the scene is involving women, it’s interesting to note that the instruments are usually high-pitched. These include instruments like the violin and the flute. Billy Wilder used this in his production of “The Living Room” when Phyllis was walking down the stairway. The violin gives the impression that Neff is a romantic, but weary man towards Phyllis. While the flute emphasizes Phyllis’ beauty. The scene that preceded Neff’s killing of Phyllis was composed of background music, dialogue between the two characters, and gunshots. Neff closed the window in front of Phyllis because he didn’t like the outside music. In reality, he did it to prevent the gunshots from being heard. The gunshots created contrast as the audience didn’t know Neff had a gun. They were also emotional because they were shocked at Neff’s behavior towards Phyllis. The music in this scene is also a counterpoint to the characters’ actions, since it is romantic and calm, rather than a stereotypical piece used to create suspense. The romantic music stopped as soon as gunshots could be heard. This was done to emphasize the recent action.
Double Indemnity (both 1944 and 1950) are examples of the directors’ use of different angles in noir films to portray their work. The low angle shot is the most frequently used, mainly because it makes the subject appear to have more power. The director can interpret the power of characters in the storyline by using this shot for both masculine and feminine characters. In Double Indemnity 1944, this is shown by a low-angle medium close-up shot that shows Neff’s upper body and facial expression. This close-up shot shows Neff in a dominant posture over Phyllis. Phyllis’s murder is a result of Neff’s influence. Neff can be seen wearing a smart suit. It is a sign of his wealth and intelligence. The costumes of the characters from both films also reveal another noir style. In noir movies, there are usually two types of woman: femme fatales and innocent women. Women who are femme fatales use their beauty and charm to attract male characters. The costumes of Laurel in In a Lonely Place are darker than those of Phyllis from Double Indemnity. This shows that Laurel’s life is on the decline. Dixon is becoming more aggressive as she realizes that she had doubts about him. The dark clothing, however, also signifies her status as a woman of upper class and that she’s the femme fatale in the film. Men’s clothing is more likely to represent a hard-boiled police detective. This means that they may end up being the femme fatale. It is also evident in both films.
Thematically, noir films are about the relationship between women and femme fatales. Christine Gledhill says that noir women tend to fall into two distinct categories. In Double Indemnity, 1944, the opposite is true. Phyllis Dietrichson was the real victim of the crime, not her fiancee. Neff was not able to get either the money or the girl. Matthew Sweet, the master of American noir films from the 1940s to 1950s, said that a heroine without past and a dame without future are two common characteristics. Double Indemnity, from 1944, is an example where Neff murders someone for his love but in the final analysis he doesn’t get it. The 1930s-40s were a time when men dominated society. However, they still admired femme fatale. It contradicted that women are stronger physically and mentally than men, but they still prefer them. In reality, women’s sexual allure and men’s physical strength can easily distract them.
As a conclusion, film noir does not represent a particular genre. Instead, it represents a certain style of films made in the 1930s through the 1940s. It is easy to identify the specific styles and themes. Double Indemnity (both 1944 and 1950) are examples of the style that noir films have by breaking rules from classic Hollywood films.
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