Whether film noir qualifies as a distinct genre or whether it is more of a filmmaking style is a matter of ongoing debate among scholars.įilm noir encompasses a range of plots: the central figure may be a private investigator ( The Big Sleep), a plainclothes police officer ( The Big Heat), an aging boxer ( The Set-Up), a hapless grifter ( Night and the City), a law-abiding citizen lured into a life of crime ( Gun Crazy), or simply a victim of circumstance ( D.O.A.). Before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic films noir were referred to as ' melodramas'.

Frank is believed to have been inspired by the French literary publishing imprint Série noire, founded in 1945.Ĭinema historians and critics defined the category retrospectively.

The term film noir, French for 'black film' (literal) or 'dark film' (closer meaning), was first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, but was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the 'classic period' of American film noir. The film's cinematographer, John Alton, was the creator of many of film noir's stylized images.įilm noir ( / n w ɑːr/ French: ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. Two silhouetted figures in The Big Combo (1955).

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