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

this study brings into view the general tendencies of noir (subdivided into three broad
phases: the first, the war-time period (1940-1946 roughly) which was the moment of the
private eyes of Hammett and Chandler; the second, the postwar “realistic” – and more
active - period (from 1945 to 1949), ; and the third, the closing phase of film noir (1949 to
1958 approximately), a psychologically troubled era), and necessarily raises questions
about its thematic and stylistic evolution, as well as the issues of narrative and generic
differentiation which mark this particular time-frame.
Some scholars believe film noir never really ended, but simply declined in
popularity, only to be later revived in a slightly changed form. Other critics - probably a
majority - regard films (and here I would agree with them) made outside the classic period
to be something other than genuine film noir. Most of these critics view true film noir as
belonging to a cycle or period, and consequently, they estimate that any other succeeding
film would just aim at imitating previous classic movies. Being totally aware of a noir
style, these film directors and producers would then not be regarded as completely original
as their predecessors of film noir.
With this study, I acknowledge Damico’s call for “the urgent need at this point for a
complete restructuring of critical approach and methodology, in effect, a new attack on the
subject which would be specific rather than general, inductive rather than deductive, and
investigatory rather than conclusive; in short, an examination of FN [Film Noir] which is
interested in working from the objects of study outward rather than in imposing
assumptions upon those which suit such assumptions” (in Silver & Ursini 1996:99).
Globally speaking, this study is meant to follow these orientations, and to avoid an “allinclusive”
approach, meaning that I will engage with the noir myth as a cultural
phenomenon, which is much more multifaceted than just a diversity of textual conventions
reflecting a social disquiet. Therefore, the first thing to call to mind is that these films echo
the consequential social uncertainties of a specific time period, that is, immediately
occurring during and after World War II and out of the Depression. With the immense
changes in the economics and censorship of movies, film noir displayed a dissimilar image,
contrasting with the positive message of hope that Hollywood’s musicals and screwball
comedies, for example, projected.
The origin of film noir as a new strain in both wartime and postwar Hollywood
cinema was elaborated further in French film criticism. When France started receiving the
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