Film and Neo Noir
1 rating since posting on Friday, May 9, 2008
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in Melbourne
(submitted by
Strummer
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Overall Rating based on 1 rating |
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Of the many different periods of film, one of the most interesting is Film-Noir, what makes the classification of this so-called “Dark Film” so appealing is that it remained unclassified for some time during the Second World War. It wasn’t until the war had ended and an influx of these films reached France, that these highly stylised films were identified and became their own genre. What the French recognised was “The new mood of cynicism, pessimism and darkness which had crept into American cinema”. (Schrader 1972, pg 53) These films captivated audiences all around the world, who were enthralled by this darkness that had previously been taboo. This combination of sex and violence may seem quite tame by today’s standards, but at the time of their release, the representation of this dark world was so innovative that even the implied was considered to be quite daring. Though the heyday for noir was relatively short, in the years since there have been several resurgences and new interpretations of Film-Noir. This new Neo-Noir first started to emerge in the seventies with films such as “Taxi Driver”. In the Nineties and beyond there have been films such as “The Last Seduction”, “Sin City” and one of the films that I will be analysing, “Burnt Money”. What classifies these films as Neo-Noir is their modern interpretation of the classic Noir style. Incorporating elements such as a focus on the criminal underbelly of our society, a distinct visual style and of course, sex and violence, these films are clearly tipping their hats to what has come before. But what makes Neo-Noir so different from the classic Film-Noir is that during the heyday of Noir, there were very strong restrictions on the depiction of sex and violence on screen. With the far more relaxed censorship laws that are applicable now. There is freedom to take what was only previously implied, and bring it out of the darkness and into the light. The film noir that I am focusing on is the 1944 film “Double Indemnity” the plot of which is Femme Fatale, Phyllis Dietricson (Barbara Stanwyck) seduces Walter Neff (Fred MacMurry) and convinces him to kill her husband so that they are able to collect the insurance. After the deed is done however, things take a turn for the worst when Barton Keyes (Edward G Robertson), Walter’s employer and friend, becomes suspicious of the events surrounding the death. As the net closes in around them, the lovers turn on each other and after a confrontation both shoot the other. Phyllis is killed instantly, but Walter survives long enough to make a confession about the events that have led up to his death. The Neo-Noir that I am comparing “Double Indemnity” with, is the 2000 Argentinean film “Burnt Money” which is based on true events that happened in Buenos Aries in 1965 and has gone on to become a local legend. The story follows Nene (Leonardo Sbaraglia) and the mentally unbalanced Angel (Eduardo Noriega), two bank robbers known as 'Los Mellizos' (the twins), but who are in fact lovers. After a hold up goes wrong the pair flee to Uruguay along with their driver Cuervo (Pablo Echarri), but it isn’t long before the law and by extension, their fate catches up with them. As once in Uruguay, Nene starts sleeping with a female prostitute named Giselle (Leticia Bredice) which only serves to increase the unravelling of Angel’s already damaged mind. After some time spent hiding out, the trio manage to sneak back into Argentina, where they occupy Giselle’s apartment, after being spurned by Nene for Angel. Giselle reports the group’s whereabouts to the police and after a violent siege all three are killed. There are several noir elements that tie these films together, with a crime being the most obvious point. The driving force behind the characters of Phyllis, Walter, Angel and Nene is to be free and clear with the money they have gotten by illicit means. The trouble with this is that despite the twisted sense of morality in both films, the viewer is acutely aware that in the end, the moral will be that crime does not pay. This sense of doom seems to penetrate the films themselves as well. The obvious example of this is shown in the characters of Neff in “Double Indemnity” and Angel in “Burnt Money”, with both feeling the fatalistic inevitability of their fates weighing down upon them. Neff with his speech about a train going right down the end of the line to the gas chamber and Angel with “the voices in his head” telling him to pull away from his lover. What the implication with this is, is that unlike Nene, Angel can see that oblivion is on it’s way. The sense of inevitability to the fate that awaits them also elicits sympathy for the hapless twosome. This inverted notion on traditional views of society is another value of Noir that the two films share. As because of the despair that the two feel, the viewer finds themselves hoping that the elements hunting them down (the police) will just go away and leave them alone. Another element of film noir that ties these films together is a narrative that is based on an unstable alliance. The passion that originally bought Phyllis and Walter together quickly falls away when both become aware that neither knows the other well enough to trust them. Despite Phyllis’s declaration that they are “Straight down the line together and no one’s pulling out” Walter has his doubt’s, which appear to be confirmed when evidence of Phyllis having an affair with her step-daughters boyfriend come to light In “Burnt Money”, the initial outlook showing that Angel’s and Nene’s partnership seems strong is slowly discarded, as Nene’s infidelity and Angel’s mental illness pull them apart. Even though they are drawn back together towards the end of the film and realign their partnership, it is too late and there fates have already been sealed. One of the most interesting qualities about these movies is the treatment and perception of the Femme Fatale. While Phyllis from “Double Indemnity” is classified as a Femme Fatale, it is in a subverted way. She is seemingly not a true evil woman because “She is allied not with the dark forces of nature, but with the green forces of the capitalist economy” (Haskell, 1973, pg 197). This becomes evident when after the murder has taken place, it is Phyllis that openly proclaims her loyalty and at the shootout at the end of the film she surprises Walter by declaring her love for him before she dies. The concept of femme fatale is subverted even more in “Burnt Money” with the two most prominent female characters Vivi and Giselle. Vivi (Dolores Fonzi) is the girlfriend of Cuervo and it is in her apartment that the trio hole up in, in the days leading up to the heist. After everything goes sour and the men leave the country, the police raid the flat and beat the information regarding the group’s whereabouts out of Vivi. While this does not signal Vivi as a classic femme fatale, a shot of her, casually smoking a cigarette after the interrogation, combined with a voice over describing her total lack of remorse of giving up all she knew about the heist, shows that there are shades of the so called ‘Fatal Woman’ in her. The character of Giselle also works as a subversion of the femme fatale, as when she is thrown out of her own apartment, (with a connection between the two women being that they were both exploited for refuge) she goes to the police, not for any real personal gain, but to take revenge like the spurned lover she is. What leaves the biggest impression about these characters is regardless of the amount of screen time they have, particularly in the case of “Burnt Money” where both Vivi and Giselle really remain on the fringes of the men’s world. They leave a marked impression because “It is not their eventual demise we remember, but rather their strong, dangerous, and above all, exciting sexuality” (Kaplan, 1978, pg 37) As mentioned before, an important aspect of Film-Noir is it’s visual style, Noir is a style of the night and both “Double Indemnity” and “Burnt Money” reflect this, but in very different ways. Although there are scenes set during the day in “Double Indemnity”, once the crime at the centre of the film has been committed, you only see sunlight one more time. As the lives of both Walter and Phyllis become that of the perpetual night. Even though in “Burnt Money” daylight appears throughout, it is often seen though very tight shots which invoke a sense of claustrophobia, this extends to other shots as well. As when they are couped up in the apartment, particularly towards the end of the film, the film is shot though a smoky haze, thus deepening the sense of living in such tight quarters. During this time, when they do escape the apartment, it is to a night time carnival, with it’s flashing neon’s and bustling crowds, serves as a jolt to the system. Particularly after the almost meditative vapour that the viewer had become accustomed to, while the trio were in the confines of the cell-like apartment. Where both of these films differ greatly, is with the depiction of sexuality. Because of the time that it was filmed “Double Indemnity” was extremely restricted in the sexuality that it was able to depict on screen, so the relationship between Phyllis and Walter is toned down to just a few stolen glances. This is quite a contrast to “Burnt Money” which not only embraces the formally taboo topic of homosexuality, but deals with it in an not only erotic manner, but also a quite sympathetic one. With this style of film, the classic depiction of queerness is by way of sick and sexually depraved characters. While Angel and Nene are by no means well behaved, law abiding people, the way that the film is shot makes you empathise with them. The homophobia by outside elements, such as their fellow criminals, only serves to deepen the sympathy that the viewer holds for the characters. While the only actual sex scene in the film is between a heterosexual couple, the frankness in which the highly sexually charged lovers express their affection really works to show the distance between the time of “Double Indemnity” and now. What I feel that we can take from the comparison of these two movies is that Neo-Noir is merely an update of the classic Film-Noir. This is what directors such as Billy Wilder and Charles Vidor would have been aiming for, had they not had their hands tied by restrictive censorship laws. These films work as a marker to show us all just how far attitudes have changed. To think of a positive portrayal of two homosexual bank robbers-lovers during the original era of Film-Noir is laughable. Another reason for the re-emergence of Noir style is that it’s simply a brilliant way to tell a story. Time may pass and things will change, but everyone still loves to see the underbelly of society. To have a look into the lives of the people who live on a different world entirely. This is why Film-Noir remains popular to this day and why Noir style will always appear from time to time in modern film. Bibliography Haskell, Molly 1973, From Reverence to Rape, University of Chicago Press, Chicago Henne, Peter 2001, Burnt Money, Film Journal International, viewed 15 May 2006, aarlinf.lib.latrobe.edu.au:8331/V/...TT. Kaplan, E Ann 1978, Women in Film Noir, Garden House Press, Middlesex Schrader, Paul 1972, Film Genre Reader Two, University of Texas Press, Austin Selby, Spencer 1984, Dark City – The Film Noir, St James Press, London Silver, Alain & Ursini, James (editors) 1999, Film Noir Reader Two, Proscenium Publishers, New York - Strummer , posted 05/09/08 |
Film and Neo Noir was recommended for:
- Tribe: Movie Whores
- Tribe: GLBT Cinema/Television