Film Noir
What is a film noir, or a “black film” as the film critiques titled the term? Does it refer to
a genre of films made in the 1940’s to 1950’s, or is something much more than that? How can we
define or even start to classify a film noir? According to Paul Schrader and his article, Notes on
Film Noir, Paul states that, “almost every critic has his own definition of film noir, and a
personal list of film titles and dates to back it up”. Since there is so little to define a noir,
understanding it requires us to look at noir in the context of history and technology. It is not easy
to define film noir because some regard it as a genre that follows particular stylistic and narrative
notions while others argue that it is a stylistic movement that defines the 1940’s and 1950’s.
According to Raymond Durgnat, film noir is not a genre. Like western movies and gangster
movies which are defined by settings and conflict, a film noir displays qualities of tone and
