"Film Noir"

          "Great noir poses the question, why me?  Why is this happening to me? And the very dark answer that it provides, an almost unacceptable answer...  For no reason.  For no reason at all.  Because noir is concerned with error, with confusion.  It's the noir idea, we don't know what's going on, but we know theres something bad is out there controlling events.  For me the great noir films are films about fall guys, a person who finds himself caught in a net.  The more he struggles, the deeper and deeper he becomes intwined in nightmare." -Errol Morris (Director).  This quote by Errol Morris from the documentary Film Noir applies to the film Out of the Past by stating that there is a fall guy, Jeff Bailey, who is caught in a net.  The net is the business he's doing with Whit, which he can't seem to get out of.  The more Bailey tries to resolve the problem, the deeper hole he is digging for himself.  And there is no answer for why this is happening to him.
          "Well the classic femme fatale to me is a women that is usually getting the man into bed, then into trouble." -Marie Windsor (Actress)  This quote by Marie Windsor from the documentary Film Noir best describes Kathie as a femme fatale in her role in Out of the Past.  What makes Kathie a femme fatale is her seductive looks and personality that eventually gets Jeff into lots of trouble.  Just like Marie Windsor's quote, Kathie gets Jeff to fall for her and soon storms up lots trouble for him.  I think Kathie fits the profile for a typical femme fatale because she is beautiful, but underneath the beauty she is evil and violent.
          In the film Out of the Past there were unique uses of shadow, light, deep focus, and shooting locations to create the world of film noir.

As you can see in this scene where Jeff is confronted with his old partner, there is a nice use of shadows and lights.  These shots were primarily lit from the bottom, giving the scene an erie and uncomfortable feeling as if something bad is about to happen.  In the third screen shot you can even see the shadow of Jeff's old partner's hat on the roof, that is how I know the light source was from the bottom.

The use of deep focus really pulled my attention closer to the screen as if these scenes were more important to pay attention to.  Just by looking at these two screen shots, you can tell something dramatic is happening in the scene without watching it.  The camera can really persuade one to feel a sense of tension.

The locations and settings used in this film worked well giving the audience a feel a small local town with mountains to a big city like San Francisco.  I think the local gas station and coffee shop is a good setting for film noir because it's just an average place everyone has been to, but seems like a good setting where crime or trouble happens.  In these four screen shots, they were all taken place in the day, but I'm sure once dawn hits, the whole atmosphere changes.  Especially in a "Film Noir".
          I don't think the use of color photography in "neo-noir" movies can compare to the good old fashion black and white "film noir" movies.  You just don't get the same feeling with color.  There is just something about black and white that makes you feel uneasy or a sense of unsureness.  There is one "neo-noir" film that I think can compare to "film noir".  It's Sin City directed by Robert Rodriguez.  The film is mostly black and white, but has some color to it.  He did a very good job on this movie, making it look like an old fashion "film noir".

"What Makes A Good Movie?"

          What makes a movie compelling, noteworthy, or deserving of an award to me is it's story, cinematography, and soundtrack.  A good movie must have a good story line that I can understand and possibly relate to.  Without a good story I might get bored or uninterested.  Cinematography is very important as well, because I have to be visually attracted especially because I love photography and unique perspectives.  A movie with a great story can be a disaster with bad cinematography.  The soundtrack or movie score is key in a great movie.  It gives me a feel of the what is happening in the scene and sometimes makes me jump out of my seat in an intense scene.  The soundtrack and movie score sets the right vibe in a movie.
          The movies for Week 1 "Le voyage dans la lune" and "The Great Train Robbery" meets my criteria for a good movie, at least for being a silent film made in 1902 and 1903.  Both movies had a good story, cinematography, and soundtrack, but it wasn't the best. Yet again the movie was made over a hundred years ago. In "Le voyage dans la lune" my favorite scene was the spaceship they made and shot out of a canon.  I thought it was great and humorous! In "The Great Robbery" I loved the dancing scene, where they started shooting the ground to make the guy dance faster.
          Just off the top of my head, two of my favorite films that meet my criteria are "The Wackness" and "Avatar".

"The Wackness" is a great independent film written and directed by Jonathan Levine.  This movie has a great story that any young man can relate to, great cinematography, and an amazingly hip soundtrack.  This film is interesting, emotional, and humorous as well.  I love independent films and this one is probably my favorite!  I recommend this movie to anyone that hasn't seen it yet.




"Avatar" is an epic fantasy film written and directed by the famous James Cameron.  This movie has a great story I think anyone will love, especially those with a great imagination.  The cinematography and computer generated imagery is absolutely breathtaking, and the soundtrack was fantastic.  Some people say this film is over rated, but I disagree.  I also recommend this movie to anyone that has never seen it.