Trying Film Noir on for Size

            The documentary “Film Noir” depicts the basic elements in which film noirs are composed of. Film noirs mainly consists of an idea of drama which usually leads to the protagonist’s tragedy, a powerful and seductive woman, known as a femme fatale, and the use of shadow to make scenes appear dark and the use of light to help the audience focus on the lighted section. One of the film noir I thoroughly enjoyed that appeared in the documentary is Billy Wilder’s 1944 film noir, “Double Indemnity.” In the documentary, Abraham Polonsky states that film noirs promote “the general sense of jeopardy in life.” This main idea of the jeopardy in life is found in the main characters of “Double Indemnity.” The character Walter Neff is an insurance salesman who gets himself into trouble when he plans to kill Phyllis’s husband in order to be with Phyllis. “Double Indemnity” promotes the jeopardy in life when Walter and Phyllis’s plan begins to crumble. It would mean the end of their lives if the insurance company solves their crime. In the end, Walter knows the insurance company is getting closer and decides that best way is to kill Phyllis, while Phyllis has the intention of killing Walter. After the initial killing of Phyllis’s husband, the anxiety of the Walter and Phyllis begins to develop because at any moment they could be caught. Polonsky’s statement about the sense of jeopardy in life is a staple in the film style known as film noir.

            In the documentary, scholar Janey Place description of the femme fatale that best describes Phyllis is that “they’re extremely driven, selfish, ambitious characters.” Phyllis is a character who always wants the best for her intentions, whether it is for money, happiness, or love. Her drive and ambition towards her goals of money and love has made her selfish. Phyllis killed her husband’s first wife to be with the money of her husband. She used Walter to kill her husband to get the double indemnity, which is the provision that the insurance company will pay double in case of an accidental death. Phyllis even used her step daughter’s boyfriend to shut her step daughter up. It is inferred by Walter that eventually Phyllis would have another male to take care of her step daughter’s boyfriend. Phyllis was a nurse before she killed her husband’s first wife, which she threw away for a chance at money. However, in the end, love was her fatal flaw when she could not kill Walter. Phyllis is a very driven and ambitious woman whose main goal is to benefit herself the most throughout “Double Indemnity.” Phyllis is in all regards a typical femme fatale because of her charm and sexuality towards men. A great example of her charm is in the beginning of “Double Indemnity” when Walter and Phyllis first meet. She is only wearing a towel, which has Walter a little flustered because he had to catch his breath once. After getting dressed, Phyllis is dressed in a slightly tight outfit which most femme fatales wear to be seductive. Another reason why Phyllis is a typical femme fatale is the power she has over men. In the first conversation between Phyllis and Walter, Phyllis sits as if she holds all the power. During the conversation, Phyllis is called an officer which implies that Phyllis is the one in charge at this instance. Although this scene is the one of the few scenes where her power and seductiveness emerge, she is a typical femme fatale because of her command over men.

            Film noirs are notorious for their augmented reality, but they are also known for their use of shadow and light, use of deep focus, and the effects the locations have on the mood of the film noir. The technique deep focus is when a character is looking into the general direction of the camera while another character is looking at them. The scene where Lola, Phyllis’s step daughter, is making the assumption to Walter that Phyllis has something to do with her father’s death because she saw Phyllis putting on a black veil before any news of her father’s death is deep focus. In the scene, Lola is looking at Walter and confessing while Walter is looking off towards the camera thinking about a way to fix the problem that he has gotten himself into. The use of shadow and light can be seen in the scene where Walter and Phyllis try to kill each other. The room is extremely dark except the moon light entering through the venetian blinds. The shadows from the blinds show where Walter enters, but eventually Walter makes his way over to the dark. This technique can make the audience foreshadow that something bad is going to happen. The types of locations used in “Double Indemnity” make the film look like a film noir. For instance, the office where Walter works is a location very similar to most film noirs. There is usually a desk with one lamp on it and the rest of the room is plain. In the opening scene when Walter opens his office door, it is pitch black until he turns on the lamp which illuminates him to indicate the center of attention. I think the color photography in “neo-noir” movies is a slight improvement because color shows what the audience sees through their own eyes. I believe John Bailey says it best that color shows a better picture of reality than black and white films. In conclusion, whether black and white or color, the film noir’s prestige is in its sense of jeopardy in life, femme fatale, and use of lighting and location.

Classic Films meets Modern Movies

Every film produced is not possible without creativity and vision. It is the goal of the producers and directors to make a quality movie in hopes of winning an Academy Award. In my opinion, what makes a movie compelling is the directing, the story, the acting, and sometimes the music score of the movie. The director has a vision of how scenes and visual effects appear in their imagination, and put it on the movie screen. Without the story, the movie would not have a purpose which makes the movie extremely difficult to comprehend. Having a story where the audience can relate to or get “lost” in is a great movie. Actors and actresses are an integral part of any film, but great actors or actresses can make a film marvelous by bringing out the emotions of the characters, and into the audience. One appeal music composition has in making a movie deserving of an award is the emotions that are portrayed by specific tunes and melodies. These qualities are integral in any academy award winning movie.

            Some of these qualities are shown in Edwin S. Porter’s film, “The Great Train Robbery” (1903). Since it is a silent film, music will not play into the criteria since films now compared to the past had less technology to work with. Nonetheless, Porter did an excellent job in directing his film. “The Great Train Robbery” is noted for being the first western and credited for introducing different cinematic techniques such as action cuts. Due to Porter’s directing, one could experience an action cut in the film. In the film, when one of the train robbers was taking over the train, he got into a fight. The film made a small cut and the person the robber was attacking was now a dummy. Directors have a huge impact on the success of a movie because of their unique cinematic techniques. The plot and acting of “The Great Train Robbery” was great for being a 1900s film. The plot was similar to any western seen today, about a train being robbed by robbers and the local town police trying to stop them. The acting was decent for being such an old film. Since there are so many great actors in the twenty-first century, it is difficult to judge the acting in the past. However, movies in the past had a lot of rapid movement, and “The Great Train Robbery” is a prime example. It was almost if every actor was told to be moving in every scene. Overall, “The Great Train Robbery” faired with my criteria of what a movie deserving of an award is like in this century even though produced in the 1900s.

            George Melies’ 1902 film, “A Trip to the Moon” also portrays some of the qualities in which I believe are necessary in a noteworthy movie. For instance, the film looked seamless with its transitions despite the camera not moving. For example, during the beginning scene where the scientists are waiting for the President to make an announcement, they are holding what seems to be a telescope. Then, an action cut happens and they are suddenly holding a chair, which they eventually sit on. Another example includes every time one of the moon’s creatures dies. An action cut appears and the creature is gone, and all the actors appear to be in the same position before the killing of the creature. Director Melies has done an extraordinary job at action cuts being it was produced about 100 years ago. Another visual effect Melies, incorporates is fade-in/fade-out. Melies uses the technique perfectly to signal a change in the scene or location. The plot was about a group of scientists going to the moon only to find themselves in for a crazy adventure. The plot was very enjoyable and had a science fiction aspect which allows viewers to fully immerse themselves into the fantasy world of “A Trip to the Moon.” Like the film “The Great Train Robbery,” the acting was normal for a film produced in the 1900s, where there was rapid movement from all the actors. Besides the camera not moving, “A Trip to the Moon” contains almost all of my criteria for what a movie deserving of an award should be in the twenty-first century.

            One of my favorite films in which I believe meet all of my criteria for being a movie deserving of an award is Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film, “Inception.” Nolan has done extraordinary work with the camera angles of scenes and the visual effects of the movie. The innovative angles give the film a more mysterious aura, which is the film’s intention. The visual effects are beautifully incorporated and make scenes appear more realistic. Nolan’s use of slow motion enhances the film’s perception of whether a scene is a reality or an illusion. The plot is exactly what constitutes as a great plot in which individuals can relate to and follow along. The plot is about a group of individuals trained in the art of using a person’s subconscious as a way of obtaining sensitive information. The film’s motif is whether reality is just a dream, or if one’s entire life is just a dream. The plot connects well with individuals because dreams and sleeping are topics most individuals do not understand and do not plan on understanding. “Inception” gives viewers their own choice in what to believe in. The music composition for this film is outstanding. Since the film is slightly dark, the music score for the film had a lot of bass which offers the audience a sense of mystery and excitement. Hans Zimmer is responsible for the exciting music scores in “Inception.” The film has a great cast including: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, and many more. DiCaprio’s and Levitt’s facial expression of seriousness makes the film more dangerous and mysterious. “Inception” makes individual experience the mystery and wonder of the film because of the seriousness portrayed by the cast. For example, there is a scene in the movie where Dom (DiCaprio) screams powerfully after seeing his wife commit suicide. The emotion out of the Dom portrayed by DiCaprio is strong enough to be felt by the audience.

            Another of my favorite movies that meets all my criteria for being a movie deserving of an award is Pierre Coffin’s and Chris Renaud’s 2010 animated film, “Despicable Me.” Coffin’s and Renaud’s directing style was mainly commanding the emotion in the voices of actors and deciding the angles and structure of the animation. For instance, in the scene where Gru (Steve Carell) uses CookieBots to steal a shrink ray from Vector, (Jason Segel) the camera angle switches to the point of view from the CookieBot. The use of the different perspectives gives a unique point of view for the audience to enjoy. The plot of “Despicable Me” is about a villain who tries to be the best villain by hatching an elaborate plan to steal the moon. However, along the way he discovers the meaning of love from his adopted girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes. The plot hits the heart of the audience because Gru, the protagonist, finds everything but destruction unbearable, but along the way finds love towards his girls. It is relatable to the audience because it plays on the parent-child emotion which mostly everybody experiences. The music composition is noteworthy because it plays on the emotions of the characters at a given time. During the movie, when Gru needs to rescue his girls, dramatic and action music starts playing. When Gru and the girls are going to the amusement park, a cheerful and happy melody starts playing. When the girls get taken away from Gru, a melancholy tune starts playing. The music score of “Despicable Me” shows the emotion of scenes through its musical composition. The cast act phenomenally in the film by portraying the emotions of the character simply by changing the tone in their voice. Voice acting is not the most difficult acting, but learning how to express emotion just by reading the script is. In conclusion, “Despicable Me” has a visionary director, relatable story, and a great cast who can portray the emotions of characters.