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

2 The Universe of Motifs and Symbols in Film Noir
As I mentioned in the introduction, the purpose of this subsection of Part IV is to
search for the distinctive patterns that bear out my argument that visual motifs determine
the meaning and the power of film noir. In the chapter on semiotics, I explained that the
visual content associated with film noir is not exactly equivalent to the conventions of
language, and I have also stressed that a specific image may or may not participate in the
generation of specialised meaning. One could obviously argue that this affirmation holds
true for every type of film. Yet, it is at the level of association(s) that film noir gains its
significance, demonstrating that there is still a certain coherence that exists in this type of
films: the dark streets become a symbol of alienation; the character’s inexorable gaze
becomes obsessive; the whole atmosphere becomes deterministic and confused.
My selection of the four noir productions that follow illustrates the unorthodox
decisions made by their directors, working within the studio system, and how they were
always open to the unexpected and the inspiration of the moment. Whether in control of
every detail or delegating to their teams, Lang, Siodmak, Tourneur, and Lewis managed to
produce work that is both personally distinctive and a characteristic of a style. Their
contribution to the world of noir is reflected in their camerawork, with tight framing,
which is so typical of noir. Compositional elements, such as asymmetry, angularity or
verticality are all convergent features that recreate the fractured image of film noir,
mirroring the protagonists’ disintegration.
I will start with Fritz Lang, the best known of the émigrés from German
Expressionism. His vast range of films in the noir domain reflects the tensions and
insecurities of his time, and certainly counterbalances the optimism of Hollywood’s
musicals and comedies. His films show an immediate difference in tone and attitude in
respect of characterisation, and the one to be analysed next (Scarlet Street) is suffused with
a bleak psychological outlook. Perhaps for all these reasons, Lang was rightly dubbed the
“Master of Darkness”, emphasising his singular and iconic contribution to film noir.
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