![noir films noir films](https://orion-uploads.openroadmedia.com/lg_30dde0058f85-filmnoirmovies_thirdman_feature.jpg)
And of if you want more of that Old Hollywood aesthetic, be sure to pick up one of these vintage movie posters. Most of the movies are available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video (if you’re not already a Prime member, click here to join) but some of them are streaming on Vudu and HBO Max as well. With that in mind, we have curated a list of films that you can stream for your next film noir marathon. Although the term wasn’t widely adopted by American directors until years later, the ’40s and ’50s are regarded as a classic era that produced pioneering noirs such as “ The Maltese Falcon” and “ Double Indemnity.” What makes film noir so fascinating? There are a lot of components that come into play with noir films, but cynicism, suspenseful music, a mysterious plot, figures lurking in the shadows, femme fatales, and fedora-wearing detectives are some of the staples of the classics.įilm noir, or “dark cinema,” was first coined by a French film critic in 1946 to describe the downtrodden themes in American movies. Explore the dark and brooding elegance of Film Noir with this essential handbook to the genre, exploring key noir themes and their most representative. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Alan J Pakula’s paranoiac Klute (1971) features Jane Fonda in stunning form as a sex worker caught up in a web of vice, and Roman Polanski’s wonderful homage to noir Chinatown (1974) is simply one of the greatest movies ever made.All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. A murder mystery set in the 30’s, as a morally ambiguous P.I (and former Frisco Chinatown Detective. Post 1950s neo-noirs embraced colour cinematography and new film techniques but retained the essence of the genre, with private detectives out of their depth and powerful female characters. Roman Polanski’s iconic neo-noir was a real throwback to the classic era film-noir staples. Robert Aldrichs’s cynical and devious cult thriller, Kiss Me Deadly (1955) is followed by Orson Welles’ magnificent Touch of Evil, (1958) with Charlton Heston’s Mexican cop battling against corruption and violence along the US border. Based on the acclaimed novel by Gerald Kersh Night and the City (1950) is a terrific thriller features Richard Widmark in his greatest role and although directed by the American Jules Dassin (a victim of McCarthy) it is atmospherically set and filmed in London.Ī second double bill examines noir in the late 50s when tougher, more violent films began to emerge.
![noir films noir films](https://cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/27225716/SCARLETT-STREET_MAIN1520.jpg)
#Noir films series#
Is noir a genre, a style, or a historical series of films Yes and no, in all cases. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the sumptuously made Gilda (Charles Vidor, 1946) stars Rita Hayworth in her signature role, belting out Put The Blame on Mame and dominating the twisty narrative.Ī double bill of British noir includes Robert Hamer’s powerful It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) about a convict in hiding, which gave Googie Withers her best screen role. Unfortunately, that task has eluded greater minds than mine. The Raymond Chandler dialogue crackles off the screen. There will be 8 screenings, beginning with Billy Wilder’s seminal 1944 Double Indemnity in which an insurance agent is seduced into murder by a conniving wife (a stand out Barbara Stanwyck ) to murder her husband.
![noir films noir films](https://www.dailybreeze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ldn-l-filmnoirfest-0408-armoredcarrobbery-e1522793442386.jpg)
In this new season Robert Senior will explore the film noir genre in four Tuesday night sessions, covering the origins of the genre, the core themes, the major American, British and European movies and the “neo-noir” sequels which emerged in the 1970s. Often told using flashbacks and twisted narratives they were infused with dark violent themes at odds with the superficial values of prosperous post-war America. The films, which the French labelled “film noirs” were mainly crime movies featuring flawed detectives, blue collar drifters, glamorous “femme fatales” and plots involving murder, racketeering and heists. French film critics coined the term film noir by analogy with those literary works (many of which had been made into film). They were influenced in style by Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) but drew on the “hardboiled” fiction of such writers as Raymond Chandler and James M Cain. Film critic Glenn Kenny declared this 1956 noir from legendary director Alfred Hitchcock to be one of his least fun films, but also one of his best. These drew on German expressionist film techniques and often made by European emigrees. As cinemas opened in post war Paris a group of French filmmakers and critics were able to watch Hollywood movies again and were struck by a series of stylish dark movies that had emerged in the early 40s.