Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Saturday, 17 January 2009
3 Contemporary Film Noirs
1) Sin City
Sin City is a 2005 film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: "The Hard Goodbye" focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; "The Big Fat Kill" focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and "That Yellow Bastard" focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Michael Madsen, Powers Boothe, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Elijah Wood and Rutger Hauer, among others.
The film employed the use of the Sony HDC-950 high-definition digital camera, having the actors work in front of a green screen, that allowed for the artificial backgrounds (as well as some major foreground elements, this film. The combination of these two techniques makes Sin City (along with Sky Captain, which was produced the same way) one of the few fully digital, live-action motion pictures. This technique also means that the whole film was initially shot in full color, and was converted back to high-quality black-and-white. Colorization is used on certain subjects in a scene, such as Devon Aoki's red-and-blue clothing, Alexis Bledel's blue eyes and red blood...etc.
2) Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut film of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It portrays what happened before and after a botched jewel heist, but not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast with Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Lawrence Tierney. Tarantino also has a minor role, as does criminal-turned-author Eddie Bunker. It incorporates many themes and aesthetics that have become Tarantino's hallmarks: violent crime, pop culture references, memorable dialogue with excessive profanity and a nonlinear storyline.
3) No Country For Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a 2007 crime thriller film adapted for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name,[1][2] No Country for Old Men tells the story of a botched drug deal and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama, as three men crisscross each other's paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas. The film examines the themes of fate and circumstance the Coen brothers have previously explored in Blood Simple and Fargo.
Sin City is a 2005 film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: "The Hard Goodbye" focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; "The Big Fat Kill" focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and "That Yellow Bastard" focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Michael Madsen, Powers Boothe, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Elijah Wood and Rutger Hauer, among others.
The film employed the use of the Sony HDC-950 high-definition digital camera, having the actors work in front of a green screen, that allowed for the artificial backgrounds (as well as some major foreground elements, this film. The combination of these two techniques makes Sin City (along with Sky Captain, which was produced the same way) one of the few fully digital, live-action motion pictures. This technique also means that the whole film was initially shot in full color, and was converted back to high-quality black-and-white. Colorization is used on certain subjects in a scene, such as Devon Aoki's red-and-blue clothing, Alexis Bledel's blue eyes and red blood...etc.
2) Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut film of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It portrays what happened before and after a botched jewel heist, but not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast with Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Lawrence Tierney. Tarantino also has a minor role, as does criminal-turned-author Eddie Bunker. It incorporates many themes and aesthetics that have become Tarantino's hallmarks: violent crime, pop culture references, memorable dialogue with excessive profanity and a nonlinear storyline.
3) No Country For Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a 2007 crime thriller film adapted for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name,[1][2] No Country for Old Men tells the story of a botched drug deal and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama, as three men crisscross each other's paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas. The film examines the themes of fate and circumstance the Coen brothers have previously explored in Blood Simple and Fargo.
3 Classic Film Noirs
1) The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film written and directed by John Huston. In 1941 San Francisco, private investigators Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) meet a beautiful prospective client, Miss Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor). Wonderly claims to be looking for her missing sister, who is involved with a man named Floyd Thursby. Wonderly is to meet Thursby and hopes her sister will be with him. After receiving a substantial retainer, Archer volunteers to follow her that night and help her get her sister back. Archer is killed, and a huge plot ensues where, a jeweled falcon is the reason for all the killing.
With its low-key lighting and inventive and arresting angles, the work of Director of Photography Arthur Edeson is one of the film’s great assets. Unusual camera angles—sometimes low to the ground, revealing the ceilings of rooms
2) D.O.A
D.O.A. (1950), a film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, is considered a classic of the genre. The frantically-paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him – and why – before he dies
The film begins, the scene is a long, behind-the-back tracking sequence featuring Frank Bigelow (O'Brien) walking through a hallway into a police station to report a murder: his own. Disconcertingly, the police almost seem to have been expecting him and already know who he is. The film is mainly a huge flashback, where the main character recalls everything, from when he was poisoned; all the way to the point he kills the murderer. Once the deed was done, he dies and the detective who was listening to his story says to put on his case D.O.A- Dead on Arrival.
Touch Of Evil
Touch of Evil (1958) is a black-and-white American film, written, directed and co-starring Orson Welles. Paul Monash and Franklin Coen also wrote scenes for the film. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson (a pseudonym for Robert Wade and William Miller). The cast also included Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, and Marlene Dietrich. This movie is considered one of the last examples of film noir in the genre's classic era (from the early 1940s until the late 1950s).
The movie opens with a famous three-minute, thirty second continuous tracking shot that film critics (such as Bob Dorien and Robert Osborne) generally consider to be one of the greatest long shots in cinematic history. Beginning on the Mexico/US border, this shot shows a man placing a bomb in a car and then the journey of the car past the border crossing into the United States. The scene ends with Mike (Charlton Heston) and Susie Vargas (Janet Leigh), newlyweds, kissing. The scene then cuts to the car, containing a man and a woman, exploding.
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film written and directed by John Huston. In 1941 San Francisco, private investigators Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) meet a beautiful prospective client, Miss Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor). Wonderly claims to be looking for her missing sister, who is involved with a man named Floyd Thursby. Wonderly is to meet Thursby and hopes her sister will be with him. After receiving a substantial retainer, Archer volunteers to follow her that night and help her get her sister back. Archer is killed, and a huge plot ensues where, a jeweled falcon is the reason for all the killing.
With its low-key lighting and inventive and arresting angles, the work of Director of Photography Arthur Edeson is one of the film’s great assets. Unusual camera angles—sometimes low to the ground, revealing the ceilings of rooms
2) D.O.A
D.O.A. (1950), a film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, is considered a classic of the genre. The frantically-paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him – and why – before he dies
The film begins, the scene is a long, behind-the-back tracking sequence featuring Frank Bigelow (O'Brien) walking through a hallway into a police station to report a murder: his own. Disconcertingly, the police almost seem to have been expecting him and already know who he is. The film is mainly a huge flashback, where the main character recalls everything, from when he was poisoned; all the way to the point he kills the murderer. Once the deed was done, he dies and the detective who was listening to his story says to put on his case D.O.A- Dead on Arrival.
Touch Of Evil
Touch of Evil (1958) is a black-and-white American film, written, directed and co-starring Orson Welles. Paul Monash and Franklin Coen also wrote scenes for the film. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson (a pseudonym for Robert Wade and William Miller). The cast also included Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, and Marlene Dietrich. This movie is considered one of the last examples of film noir in the genre's classic era (from the early 1940s until the late 1950s).
The movie opens with a famous three-minute, thirty second continuous tracking shot that film critics (such as Bob Dorien and Robert Osborne) generally consider to be one of the greatest long shots in cinematic history. Beginning on the Mexico/US border, this shot shows a man placing a bomb in a car and then the journey of the car past the border crossing into the United States. The scene ends with Mike (Charlton Heston) and Susie Vargas (Janet Leigh), newlyweds, kissing. The scene then cuts to the car, containing a man and a woman, exploding.
Characteristics of the Genre
Crime, usually murder, is an element of almost all film noirs; in addition to standard-issue greed, jealousy is frequently the criminal motivation. A crime investigation—by a private eye, a police detective (sometimes acting alone), or a concerned amateur—is the most prevalent, but far from dominant, basic plot. In other common plots the protagonists are implicated in heists or con games, or in murderous conspiracies often involving adulterous affairs. False suspicions and accusations of crime are frequent plot elements, as are betrayals and double-crosses. Amnesia is far more common in film noir than in real life, and cigarette smoking can seem virtually mandatory. Film noirs tend to have unusually convoluted story lines, frequently involving flashbacks, flashforwards, and other techniques that disrupt and sometimes obscure the narrative sequence. Lady in the Lake, for example, is shot entirely from the point of view of Philip Marlowe , the face of star is seen only in mirrors.
2) Film noirs tend to revolve around heroes who are more flawed and morally questionable than the norm, often fall guys of one sort or another. The characteristic heroes of noir are described by many critics as "alienated”. Normal Characters are usually hardboiled detectives, femmes fatales, corrupt policemen, jealous husbands, intrepid claims adjusters, and down-and-out writers. As can be observed in many movies of an overtly neo-noir nature, the private eye and the femme fatale are the character types with which film noir has come to be most identified.
3) Film noirs tended to use low-key lighting schemes producing stark light/dark contrasts and dramatic shadow patterning. The shadows of Venetian blinds or banister rods, cast upon an actor, a wall, or an entire set. Characters' faces may be partially or wholly obscured by darkness. The music used is eerie, it is used to make the audience become frightened and prepare them for what is coming next. The types of shots, used in noir, are usually, close ups, wide shots, Dutch tilts, Panning from right to left or visa versa. Sometimes the actors can only be seen, from mirrors, not always directly like in films nowadays.
2) Film noirs tend to revolve around heroes who are more flawed and morally questionable than the norm, often fall guys of one sort or another. The characteristic heroes of noir are described by many critics as "alienated”. Normal Characters are usually hardboiled detectives, femmes fatales, corrupt policemen, jealous husbands, intrepid claims adjusters, and down-and-out writers. As can be observed in many movies of an overtly neo-noir nature, the private eye and the femme fatale are the character types with which film noir has come to be most identified.
3) Film noirs tended to use low-key lighting schemes producing stark light/dark contrasts and dramatic shadow patterning. The shadows of Venetian blinds or banister rods, cast upon an actor, a wall, or an entire set. Characters' faces may be partially or wholly obscured by darkness. The music used is eerie, it is used to make the audience become frightened and prepare them for what is coming next. The types of shots, used in noir, are usually, close ups, wide shots, Dutch tilts, Panning from right to left or visa versa. Sometimes the actors can only be seen, from mirrors, not always directly like in films nowadays.
History of Film Noir
1) film noir (French for "black film"), first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946
2) Film Noir was prominent, during the Depression, however it had started already at the very beginning of the 1900’s, at first it was in all the major arts, but as soon as film started It quickly used the resources and created lighting and the psychologically expressive approach to mise-en-scène and brought it to Hollywood.
3) During the 1940’s and 50’s Film noir was making headway. World War 2 was at its thickest, many directors, artists and such had immigrated to America due to the Nazi Regime, thus bringing with them all their ideas.
4) Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Nicholas Ray, Walter Wanger...etc. They are mainly Europeans, because that was where film noir first started and they all escaped Europe, from the threat of the Nazi s.
5) Film noirs embrace a variety of genres many critics refer to film noir as a genre itself, others argue that there is no such thing. Though noir is often associated with an urban setting, for example, in small towns, suburbia, rural areas, or on the open road, so setting can’t be what determines it. However, because of the difference of noir certain scholars in the field, such as film historian Thomas Schatz, treat it as not a genre but a "style”. Other critics treat film noir as a "mood," a "movement," or a "series," or simply address a chosen set of movies from the "period."
6) +7) B-Movies, low budget films, smaller B-movies
2) Film Noir was prominent, during the Depression, however it had started already at the very beginning of the 1900’s, at first it was in all the major arts, but as soon as film started It quickly used the resources and created lighting and the psychologically expressive approach to mise-en-scène and brought it to Hollywood.
3) During the 1940’s and 50’s Film noir was making headway. World War 2 was at its thickest, many directors, artists and such had immigrated to America due to the Nazi Regime, thus bringing with them all their ideas.
4) Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Nicholas Ray, Walter Wanger...etc. They are mainly Europeans, because that was where film noir first started and they all escaped Europe, from the threat of the Nazi s.
5) Film noirs embrace a variety of genres many critics refer to film noir as a genre itself, others argue that there is no such thing. Though noir is often associated with an urban setting, for example, in small towns, suburbia, rural areas, or on the open road, so setting can’t be what determines it. However, because of the difference of noir certain scholars in the field, such as film historian Thomas Schatz, treat it as not a genre but a "style”. Other critics treat film noir as a "mood," a "movement," or a "series," or simply address a chosen set of movies from the "period."
6) +7) B-Movies, low budget films, smaller B-movies
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Storyline for my own Film Noir opening:
The film is about a man wrapped in mystery, he also has some sort of superhuman abilities (no flying just a bit stronger, faster). He is targeting, (what the audience think is random men) however at the end they find out they are all scientists (4), who were on a genetic engineering program. This man is the main character, and is always covered in dark clothes, the only true defining feature are his yellow/golden eyes. The plot is one of those search for the truth ones, our hero (or villain) finds a scientist extracts information from him/her and then kills them so that they can’t tell the others, (this doesn’t completely prevent, that and like 2 people have protection, thus having a bit of action) As this is happening the main characters mental state is slowly deteriorating and obviously at the end he completely losses after finding out the truth.
To prove that his mental health is deteriorating there would be nightmares, illusions, that sort of thing, obviously increasing as the film progresses. The final truth is that he was engineered to see if humans could force evolution onto ourselves, however when he was created and freed he destroyed the facility due to his insanity. The scenes would jump from docks, a city, a desert and finally ending at a new facility. The ending scene shows the ruins of the new facility, fires, it’s raining, and the camera will look up, a voice will be heard, begging and pleading from behind, so the audience will see through the eyes of this dying person. The main character will be standing above, eyes gleaming in the dark, he lifts his foot then crashes down on the audience, obviously hitting this person and the screen goes completely black.
To prove that his mental health is deteriorating there would be nightmares, illusions, that sort of thing, obviously increasing as the film progresses. The final truth is that he was engineered to see if humans could force evolution onto ourselves, however when he was created and freed he destroyed the facility due to his insanity. The scenes would jump from docks, a city, a desert and finally ending at a new facility. The ending scene shows the ruins of the new facility, fires, it’s raining, and the camera will look up, a voice will be heard, begging and pleading from behind, so the audience will see through the eyes of this dying person. The main character will be standing above, eyes gleaming in the dark, he lifts his foot then crashes down on the audience, obviously hitting this person and the screen goes completely black.
Analysis of a Contemporary Film Noir:
Sin City is the film I have chosen, the key squence that I feel truly symbolizes is at the very begining. This is as a chapter since the 2005 film is taken from the comics is called “The Customer is Always Right”
In a penthouse on the roof of a skyscraper overlooking Basin City, a fancy party is in progress. A woman (Marley Shelton), dressed in a red evening gown, is alone on the balcony. A man (Josh Hartnett), who is narrating, comes up behind her and offers her a cigarette. They exchange a little small talk, he tells her that he sees in her eyes a "crazy calm", of someone who is tired of running, but doesn't want to face her problems alone. He tells her that he will save her, and take her far away. They kiss, he then shoots her. She dies in his arms. He says that he does not know who she was running from, but will "cash her check in the morning."
The film starts up with a fade in to the classic black and white, however the characters dress is red and it stands out against the background, instantly catching the attention of the audience. Followed shortly is the sound of the traffic, and slowly music rises in the background, an over voice. The camera quickly changes position facing the woman in red, and medium shot is used and we see a man walking towards the audience. Short dialogue is used; with over the shoulder shots, the camera focuses on the woman taking a cigarette.
The dialogue used in this scene is classic film noir speech, questions are always short and open, and one character describes her in a cool and suave way. An air of mystery is present, hanging in the air, making the audience think what the connection is between the two characters. The male character proceeds to in a way read her thought’s, she looks surprised that he’s doing this, soon she repeats the fact that she “ Doesn’t want to do it alone”.
It begins to rain and the characters become 2D and turn white while they kiss. Soon the characters return to normal, however after the man says he loves her, the screen flashes white fast, and the sound of a silenced gunshot is heard, the camera is in a close up of the female character’s face, she suddenly becomes limp in his arms. The camera then looks from above, as if the audience has become the rain.
In a penthouse on the roof of a skyscraper overlooking Basin City, a fancy party is in progress. A woman (Marley Shelton), dressed in a red evening gown, is alone on the balcony. A man (Josh Hartnett), who is narrating, comes up behind her and offers her a cigarette. They exchange a little small talk, he tells her that he sees in her eyes a "crazy calm", of someone who is tired of running, but doesn't want to face her problems alone. He tells her that he will save her, and take her far away. They kiss, he then shoots her. She dies in his arms. He says that he does not know who she was running from, but will "cash her check in the morning."
The film starts up with a fade in to the classic black and white, however the characters dress is red and it stands out against the background, instantly catching the attention of the audience. Followed shortly is the sound of the traffic, and slowly music rises in the background, an over voice. The camera quickly changes position facing the woman in red, and medium shot is used and we see a man walking towards the audience. Short dialogue is used; with over the shoulder shots, the camera focuses on the woman taking a cigarette.
The dialogue used in this scene is classic film noir speech, questions are always short and open, and one character describes her in a cool and suave way. An air of mystery is present, hanging in the air, making the audience think what the connection is between the two characters. The male character proceeds to in a way read her thought’s, she looks surprised that he’s doing this, soon she repeats the fact that she “ Doesn’t want to do it alone”.
It begins to rain and the characters become 2D and turn white while they kiss. Soon the characters return to normal, however after the man says he loves her, the screen flashes white fast, and the sound of a silenced gunshot is heard, the camera is in a close up of the female character’s face, she suddenly becomes limp in his arms. The camera then looks from above, as if the audience has become the rain.
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