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

2 Towards an (Elusive) Definition of Film Noir
A dark street in the early morning hours, splashed
with a sudden downpour. Lamps form haloes in the
murk. In a walk-up room, filled with the intermittent
flashing of a neon sign from across a street, a man
is waiting to murder or be murdered (…) shadow
upon shadow upon shadow… every shot in
glistening low-key, so that rain always glittered
across windows, or windscreens like quicksilver,
furs shone with a faint halo, faces were barred
deeply with those shadows that usually symbolized
some imprisonment of body or soul. (Greenberg &
Higham 1968:67)
Discussions about the essential nature of noir, and of how to apply theory to its
understanding, have been extraordinarily intense. The continuing debate about the aesthetic
principles of film noir, revolving round its qualities and intentions, stresses the complexity
of its history and how elusive its definition might be. These questions normally focus on
what defines film noir, what movies qualify as noirs, what type of category it is, and, at a
more specific level, what the identifying characteristics of noir films might be.
In this analysis, I have tried to explain why films identified as dark cinema had
evolved and become a leading style of studio production in the postwar era. Noir films
were usually low-budget ventures, even so-called “A” productions, and offered a bleak
vision of contemporary life in American cities. The fact that such films did not require
expensive forms of spectacle, that they would use archetypal characters, with familiar plots
and elements of setting, aided the work of the studios in keeping down costs and
streamlining production.
When analysing the American film production of the forties, it is clear to see that
the business practice in the major Hollywood studios (like MGM, Paramount, Fox, Warner
Bros and RKO) began to move towards more marginal and low-budget production. In the
years anticipating WWII, these so-called alternative films surfaced showing a more
nihilistic and cynical side of life in contrast to the extravagance and optimism found in
famous musicals, for example. In truth, the noir vision included a claustrophobic depiction
of urban unease, as well as various facets of American social and cultural life.
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