Joaquim da Silva Fontes, Significação e Estabilidade do Género no ...

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Contents Illustrations ............................................................................................................................ v I. Introduction: Paving the Way for Film Noir ................................................................. 1 II. The Cinematic and Social Background to Film Noir .................................................. 32 1 Cultural and Literary Influences on Film Noir............................................................ 32 1.1 “Hard-boiled” Crime Fiction ................................................................................ 32 1.1.1 Dashiell Hammett.......................................................................................... 33 1.1.2 Raymond Chandler........................................................................................ 41 1.1.3 James M. Cain ............................................................................................... 48 1.1.4 Horace McCoy............................................................................................... 55 1.1.5 Cornell Woolrich ........................................................................................... 60 1.1.6 William Riley Burnett ................................................................................... 65 1.1.7 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 69 1.2 The Gangster Film ................................................................................................ 72 1.3 The Gothic Romance ............................................................................................ 87 1.4 German Expressionist Influences ......................................................................... 96 1.5 French Poetic Realism ........................................................................................ 111 1.6 American Expressionism .................................................................................... 122 i
2 Social and Political Influences on Film Noir............................................................. 131 2.1 McCarthyism ...................................................................................................... 131 2.2 Censorship and Politics....................................................................................... 138 2.3 Postwar Readjustment......................................................................................... 147 2.4 Freudianism and Existentialism.......................................................................... 152 III. Noir Thematics ....................................................................................................... 161 1 Essential Elements in Film Noir ...............................................................................161 1.1 Radical Individualism ......................................................................................... 164 1.2 Space and the Noir City ..................................................................................... 169 1.3 Trouble with Girls: The Femme Fatale .............................................................. 175 1.4 Pursuing Justice: The Private Eye, the Homme Fatal and the Homme Attrapé . 182 1.5 Dazed and Confused: The Voiceover / Flashback Narration.............................. 189 1.6 Noir Atmospherics: Cinematography and Ico<strong>no</strong>graphy ..................................... 195 1.7 Sounds of the City: Jazz Soundtracks................................................................ 205 1.8 “Just the facts, Ma’am”: Noir Documentary Style ............................................. 214 2 Noir and the Film Auteur........................................................................................... 221 2.1 Auteurism............................................................................................................ 221 2.1.1 Billy Wilder ................................................................................................. 229 2.1.2 Orson Welles ............................................................................................... 237 2.1.3 Otto Preminger ............................................................................................ 245 ii
Page 1 and 2: Joaquim da Silva Universidade de Av
Page 3 and 4: To Antonio, who made this possible.
Page 5 and 6: Acknowledgements This long journey
Page 7 and 8: Finally, I owe a huge debt of grati
Page 9: keywords abstract Film Noir, genre,
Page 13 and 14: 2.4 Joseph H. Lewis................
Page 15 and 16: Figure 42. Force of Evil ..........
Page 17 and 18: I. Introduction: Paving the Way for
Page 19 and 20: term that the film industry itself
Page 21 and 22: about which films themselves consti
Page 23 and 24: also, in the films’ fundamental n
Page 25 and 26: American films after the Nazi occup
Page 27 and 28: we also find a disruption of the wo
Page 29 and 30: oth in these French productions of
Page 31 and 32: Hollywood feature films but it did
Page 33 and 34: throughout this work); and c) to di
Page 35 and 36: odies, or as killers and crooks, bu
Page 37 and 38: these films was to confer on them a
Page 39 and 40: writer, director, producer, and art
Page 41 and 42: cinema does not have the power of
Page 43 and 44: Before working on The Dark Mirror,
Page 45 and 46: y taking it “from the outside.”
Page 47 and 48: and many, if not most, films would
Page 49 and 50: 1.1.1 Dashiell Hammett In 1929, Das
Page 51 and 52: tough appearance, by their occupati
Page 53 and 54: Apart from “The Continental Op”
Page 55 and 56: unsettling when for example shootin
Page 57 and 58: 1.1.2 Raymond Chandler Raymond Chan
Page 59 and 60: Figure 4. The Big Sleep the chaotic
Page 61 and 62:
eleased to the big screen by MGM wi
Page 63 and 64:
most fastidious visions of London i
Page 65 and 66:
hometowns and move into bigger citi
Page 67 and 68:
Double Indemnity started the trend
Page 69 and 70:
has happened, but, as if hypnotized
Page 71 and 72:
destructive, or used by stronger wo
Page 73 and 74:
Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) into a noir
Page 75 and 76:
Home (1937) - were two living proof
Page 77 and 78:
which collapses the distinction bet
Page 79 and 80:
Figure 10. Deadline at Dawn Alex’
Page 81 and 82:
1.1.6 William Riley Burnett Another
Page 83 and 84:
Figure 11. High Sierra The Asphalt
Page 85 and 86:
1.1.7 Conclusions What made the det
Page 87 and 88:
fiction managed to provide for a de
Page 89 and 90:
escalation in illegal drinking plac
Page 91 and 92:
Ben Hecht story and despite being p
Page 93 and 94:
Mercy! Is this the end of Rico?”
Page 95 and 96:
The third originating gangster movi
Page 97 and 98:
part of the recurrent patterns of v
Page 99 and 100:
protagonist of Edgar Ulmer’s Deto
Page 101 and 102:
exemplify in Part III (“Space and
Page 103 and 104:
1.3 The Gothic Romance 87 And trave
Page 105 and 106:
titlecard when the film opens alert
Page 107 and 108:
In Rebecca the beautiful, desirable
Page 109 and 110:
forties. Thematically, the represen
Page 111 and 112:
To complicate this matter further,
Page 113 and 114:
trampled under by war and revolutio
Page 115 and 116:
he says, when Expressionism ended,
Page 117 and 118:
These early Expressionist films, wi
Page 119 and 120:
student, Balduin (Paul Wegener hims
Page 121 and 122:
(Tragedy of the Street, 1927, aka W
Page 123 and 124:
plots with calculating precision. G
Page 125 and 126:
perverted and neurotic sex murderer
Page 127 and 128:
1.5 French Poetic Realism Poetic Re
Page 129 and 130:
(Michèle Morgan), whose godfather
Page 131 and 132:
strikingly atmospheric view of the
Page 133 and 134:
Jean Paulhan, editor of La Nouvelle
Page 135 and 136:
Julien Duvivier’s Pépé Le Moko
Page 137 and 138:
the combination of lighting effects
Page 139 and 140:
peculiar expressionistic lighting a
Page 141 and 142:
Figure 28. Son of Frankenstein This
Page 143 and 144:
Figure 29. Murders in the Rue Morgu
Page 145 and 146:
alienation mixed with nuanced perfo
Page 147 and 148:
2 Social and Political Influences o
Page 149 and 150:
Liberal reforms soon became a spuri
Page 151 and 152:
Polonsky, Jules Dassin, and Edward
Page 153 and 154:
which are themselves historical eve
Page 155 and 156:
Production Code Administration. Thi
Page 157 and 158:
In this particular case, one can se
Page 159 and 160:
Neff: Will you be here too? Phyllis
Page 161 and 162:
against any possible theft of groce
Page 163 and 164:
2.3 Postwar Readjustment If the moo
Page 165 and 166:
In this group of films, the bleak a
Page 167 and 168:
explain, these noir heroes of the f
Page 169 and 170:
(Gilda, White Heat, Scarlet Street,
Page 171 and 172:
seething excitations” and adds th
Page 173 and 174:
Romanticism present at the very hea
Page 175 and 176:
to persist and overcome difficultie
Page 177 and 178:
III. Noir Thematics 1 Essential Ele
Page 179 and 180:
its modernist sensibility, enabled
Page 181 and 182:
Wyatt), cooks breakfast, domestic r
Page 183 and 184:
structures of constituted authority
Page 185 and 186:
1.2 Space and the Noir City Film no
Page 187 and 188:
other people and developing a calcu
Page 189 and 190:
I am the city. Hub and heart of Ame
Page 191 and 192:
1.3 Trouble With Girls: The Femme F
Page 193 and 194:
intelligent and powerful, if destru
Page 195 and 196:
significant discussion of film noir
Page 197 and 198:
Nevertheless, the message is quite
Page 199 and 200:
Another example of the evolution of
Page 201 and 202:
deceiving women. Like many of their
Page 203 and 204:
Either as a femme fatale or an homm
Page 205 and 206:
1.5 Dazed and Confused: The Voiceov
Page 207 and 208:
an impersonal “you” giving the
Page 209 and 210:
of war veterans who, unfolding thei
Page 211 and 212:
1.6 Noir Atmospherics: Cinematograp
Page 213 and 214:
John Alton’s highly stylised phot
Page 215 and 216:
Figure 41. Stranger on the Third Fl
Page 217 and 218:
indoctrination in the movie in the
Page 219 and 220:
in the popular imagination. While t
Page 221 and 222:
1.7 Sounds of the City: Jazz Soundt
Page 223 and 224:
music, combines with images of patr
Page 225 and 226:
Figure 45. Out of the Past Non-dieg
Page 227 and 228:
ealm of near-explicit sexual metaph
Page 229 and 230:
the two, affirming that “Jazz is
Page 231 and 232:
City, Paramount’s Union Station a
Page 233 and 234:
In my analysis of The Big Combo in
Page 235 and 236:
Consequently, in the fifties, we st
Page 237 and 238:
2 Noir and the Film Auteur 2.1 Aute
Page 239 and 240:
noticeably the case, for example, w
Page 241 and 242:
point out the fact that it is only
Page 243 and 244:
elationship to the way a director t
Page 245 and 246:
2.1.1 Billy Wilder Billy Wilder pla
Page 247 and 248:
performance is full of understated
Page 249 and 250:
Figure 54. Sunset Boulevard Wilder
Page 251 and 252:
Figure 55. Ace in the Hole All of B
Page 253 and 254:
2.1.2 Orson Welles He may have only
Page 255 and 256:
For example, in the scene above (fi
Page 257 and 258:
As Leo Braudy in The World in a Fra
Page 259 and 260:
slanting compositions, and brillian
Page 261 and 262:
2.1.3 Otto Preminger Austrian film
Page 263 and 264:
plans, June still shows her love fo
Page 265 and 266:
Figure 61. Where the Sidewalk Ends
Page 267 and 268:
project my viewpoint on the audienc
Page 269 and 270:
postulated as the “doctrine of si
Page 271 and 272:
pouvait espérer sortir de la déno
Page 273 and 274:
I am at the barber's, and a copy of
Page 275 and 276:
certain community, our subjective r
Page 277 and 278:
interpretant” (Stam 1992:6). Here
Page 279 and 280:
The notion of “text” as a disco
Page 281 and 282:
only agree that these disciplines s
Page 283 and 284:
2 The Universe of Motifs and Symbol
Page 285 and 286:
Andrew Sarris once wrote that “If
Page 287 and 288:
exception to this rule, his movies
Page 289 and 290:
independent production companies in
Page 291 and 292:
Figure 66. Double Indemnity In the
Page 293 and 294:
Figure 67. Scarlet Street The symbo
Page 295 and 296:
contorted Expressionistic grimace,
Page 297 and 298:
Figure 70. Metropolis The clock mot
Page 299 and 300:
Figure 71. Strangers on a Train The
Page 301 and 302:
“When I was young I wanted to be
Page 303 and 304:
themselves in the projection of inn
Page 305 and 306:
woman in the portrait throughout I
Page 307 and 308:
scenes as the attachment is purely
Page 309 and 310:
(namely The Spiral Staircase and Ou
Page 311 and 312:
Chris meets by accident, is a hellc
Page 313 and 314:
2.1.1.4 Conclusion All in all, ther
Page 315 and 316:
Question: Scarlet Street had the sa
Page 317 and 318:
an accepted and well-known screenwr
Page 319 and 320:
Siodmak’s next two films for Univ
Page 321 and 322:
money from Dundee. A more harrowing
Page 323 and 324:
2.2.1 The Spiral Staircase (1946) a
Page 325 and 326:
here increased by the unsteady blac
Page 327 and 328:
Figure 83. The Spiral Staircase Thi
Page 329 and 330:
Warren, making either of them the p
Page 331 and 332:
2.2.1.2 The “Optical Unconscious
Page 333 and 334:
camera is expressive, as it informs
Page 335 and 336:
ordering” - appears to match this
Page 337 and 338:
eyewitness, but at the same time, a
Page 339 and 340:
Figure 87. The Spiral Staircase Bas
Page 341 and 342:
While Cross implicitly acknowledges
Page 343 and 344:
Figure 89. Affair in Trinidad Other
Page 345 and 346:
However, much of this iconography t
Page 347 and 348:
long, wooden staircase while trying
Page 349 and 350:
Figure 93. The Spiral Staircase Fig
Page 351 and 352:
of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The B
Page 353 and 354:
almost part of a game, emphasising
Page 355 and 356:
2.3 Jacques Tourneur Born in Paris
Page 357 and 358:
a laughing audience), and broken la
Page 359 and 360:
violent mishaps could have led to h
Page 361 and 362:
writers like Dashiell Hammett (who,
Page 363 and 364:
Chuck Tatum, a cynical, frustrated
Page 365 and 366:
on, Ann, who represents his hope fo
Page 367 and 368:
This kind of temporal manipulation
Page 369 and 370:
ought forward by the characters of
Page 371 and 372:
found Kathie: “I was glad it was
Page 373 and 374:
Figure 102. Out of the Past In this
Page 375 and 376:
Figure 104. The Lady from Shanghai
Page 377 and 378:
Jeff: Give him time. Kathie: You ar
Page 379 and 380:
Figure 106. Out of the Past The sce
Page 381 and 382:
Gun Crazy, a barrage of police gunf
Page 383 and 384:
2.4 Joseph H. Lewis Considered as a
Page 385 and 386:
untold storied of ordinary men and
Page 387 and 388:
through windows, to provide the ind
Page 389 and 390:
2.4.1 The Big Combo (1955) and the
Page 391 and 392:
of most noir films including The Bi
Page 393 and 394:
2.4.1.1 “First is First and Secon
Page 395 and 396:
In The Big Combo the unconscious tr
Page 397 and 398:
It is not only in terms of narrativ
Page 399 and 400:
Although the idea is not to go into
Page 401 and 402:
Figure 113. Scarlet Street Neff’s
Page 403 and 404:
2.4.1.2 The Big Combo and Generic T
Page 405 and 406:
and knowing they are both surrounde
Page 407 and 408:
As the noir movement entered the la
Page 409 and 410:
V. Conclusions: 1 Genre Revisited T
Page 411 and 412:
on social aspects through a dramati
Page 413 and 414:
Buscombe is right: if we take a gen
Page 415 and 416:
constructions that make it difficul
Page 417 and 418:
Such factors have been scrutinised
Page 419 and 420:
Thematically, noir films as a group
Page 421 and 422:
While enforcement of the Production
Page 423 and 424:
are “as often nihilistic, cynical
Page 425 and 426:
which is normally not associated wi
Page 427 and 428:
morality brought about by these noi
Page 429 and 430:
It is within this cinematic and cri
Page 431 and 432:
____________ (1994). The Semiotic C
Page 433 and 434:
____________ (1992b). Farewell, My
Page 435 and 436:
E Easthope, Antony (1993). Contempo
Page 437 and 438:
Greenberg, Joel & Higham, Charles (
Page 439 and 440:
James, David E. (2005). The Most Ty
Page 441 and 442:
Malkiewicz, Kris (1986). Film Light
Page 443 and 444:
N Naremore, James (1978). The Magic
Page 445 and 446:
Polan, Dana (1986). Power and Paran
Page 447 and 448:
____________ (2006). Ava Gardner:
Page 449 and 450:
Sullivan, Ellie (1986). Jacques Lac
Page 451 and 452:
Wilson, Edmund (1962). Classics and
Page 453 and 454:
Appendix I: Annotated Filmography T
Page 455 and 456:
Beware, My Lovely RKO 1952. Prod: C
Page 457 and 458:
Christmas Holiday Univ 1944. Prod:
Page 459 and 460:
Dark Corner, The Fox 1946. Prod: Fr
Page 461 and 462:
Framed Col 1947. Prod: Jules Schern
Page 463 and 464:
House on 92 nd Street, The Fox 1945
Page 465 and 466:
Killing, The UA 1956. Prod: James B
Page 467 and 468:
Mildred Pierce WB 1945. Prod: Jerry
Page 469 and 470:
One Way Street Univ 1950. Prod: Leo
Page 471 and 472:
Repeat Performance EL 1947. Prod: A
Page 473 and 474:
Stranger, The RKO 1946. Prod: S.P.
Page 475 and 476:
Unsuspected, The WB 1947. Prod: Cha
Page 477 and 478:
B) Other Relevant Filmography The f
Page 479 and 480:
Last Laugh, The ScreenSound 1924. P
Page 481 and 482:
Appendix II The Motion Picture P
Page 483 and 484:
VIII. Religion 1. No film or episod
Page 485 and 486:
B. By reason of the mobility of fil
Page 487 and 488:
Reasons Underlying the Particular A
Page 489 and 490:
VIII. Religion The reason why minis
Page 491 and 492:
146, 152, 186, 192, 229, 250, 298,
Page 493 and 494:
high-contrast, 11, 46, 172 Highway
Page 495 and 496:
350, 352, 353, 354, 356, 357, 359,
Page 497:
Walsh, Raoul, 56, 57, 66, 73, 223,
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