American Renaissance & American Romanticism
Film Noir
Film Noir (French for "black film" or "dark film") was a cinematic style developed in the post-World War 2 USA.
Film noir features in American Romanticism as a late manifestation of the gothic in an urban setting.
websites:
Clips from 1990s PBS documentary on American film
Two subjects:
1. "The Femme Fatale" or dark lady--less for Hawthorne than for Poe, esp. Ligeia
dictionary: [F., lit. "disastrous woman"] 1. a seductive woman who lures men into dangerous or compromised situations
2. Black and white, light and dark interplay--relevant to Poe or any gothic writer but esp. Hawthorne, who plays off dark and light effects with supreme artistry and nuance
Questions:
Is film noir convincing as "gothic?" What other aspects of film noir and gothic connect?
Is the femme fatale sexist or empowering? Is sexuality sexist or empowering?
One other purpose: gothic and film noir as Romantic or post-Romantic genres
Genres as "styles"--if one feature or sign of the style code is brought in, others usually follow
e. g.,
gothic: if you have a stormy night and a dark house > a cry in the night, an unknown secret, etc.
film noir: a cheap hood in the wrong place escapes into the shadows . . . where the hero or detective faces a test of temptation, ethics, honor