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Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s Americanfilm noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality.[1] During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term "neo-noir" surged in popularity, fueled by movies such asSydney Pollack'sAbsence of Malice,Brian De Palma'sBlow Out, andMartin Scorsese'sAfter Hours. The French termfilm noir[2] translates literally to English as "black film", indicating sinister stories often presented in a shadowy cinematographic style. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, and visual elements.
The neologism neo-noir, using theGreek prefix for the wordnew, is defined by Mark Conard as "any film coming after the classic noir period that contains noir themes and noir sensibility".[3] Another definition describes it as later noir that often synthesizes diverse genres while foregrounding the scaffolding offilm noir.[4]
"Film noir" was coined by criticNino Frank in 1946 and popularized by French criticsRaymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton in 1955.[2] The term revived in general use beginning in the 1980s, with a revival of the style.
The classicfilm noir era is usually dated from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. The films were often adaptations of American crime novels, which were also described as "hardboiled". Some authors resisted these terms. For example,James M. Cain, author ofThe Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) andDouble Indemnity (1944), is considered to be one of the defining authors of hard-boiled fiction. Both novels were adapted as crime films, the former more than once. Cain is quoted as saying, "I belong to no school, hard-boiled or otherwise, and I believe these so-called schools exist mainly in the imagination of critics, and have little correspondence in reality anywhere else."[5]
Neo-noir film directors refer to 'classic noir' in the use ofDutch angles, interplay of light and shadows, unbalancedframing; blurring of the lines betweengood and bad andright and wrong, and thematicmotifs includingrevenge,paranoia, andalienation.[6]
Typically Americancrime dramas orpsychological thrillers, films noir had common themes and plot devices, and many distinctive visual elements. Characters were often conflictedantiheroes, trapped in a difficult situation and making choices out of desperation ornihilisticmoral systems. Visual elements includedlow-key lighting, striking use oflight and shadow, and unusual camera placement.Sound effects helped create the noir mood of paranoia and nostalgia.[7]
Few major films in the classicfilm noir genre have been made since the early 1960s. These films usually incorporated both thematic and visual elements reminiscent offilm noir. Both classic and neo-noir films are often produced asindependent features.
After 1970, film critics took note of "neo-noir" films as a separate genre. Noir and post-noir terminology (such as "hard-boiled", "neo-classic" and the like) are often rejected by both critics and practitioners.
Robert Arnett stated, "Neo-noir has become so amorphous as a genre/movement, any film featuring a detective or crime qualifies."[8] Screenwriter and directorLarry Gross identifiesJean-Luc Godard'sAlphaville, alongsideJohn Boorman'sPoint Blank (1967) andRobert Altman'sThe Long Goodbye (1973), based onRaymond Chandler's 1953 novel, as neo-noir films. Gross believes that they deviate from classic noir in having more of a sociological than a psychological focus.[9] Neo noir features characters who commit violent crimes, but without the motivations and narrative patterns found infilm noir.[4]
Neo noir assumed global character and impact when filmmakers began drawing elements from films in the global market. For instance,Quentin Tarantino's works have been influenced byRingo Lam's 1987 classicCity on Fire.[10] This was particularly the case for the noir-inflectedReservoir Dogs, which was instrumental in establishing Tarantino in October 1992.[11]
