Summer Task // Film Noir

Black Cinema 

Film Noir (translated literally as black cinema) as a genre refers to a period of stylish Hollywood crime drama ranging from the early 40’s to the late 50’s, famous examples of the genre include Carol Reed’s  ‘The third man’ (1949) and John Huston’s  ‘The Maltese Falcon’ (1941). Films of the genre typically encapsulated dark, cynical narratives based on crime fiction novels of the great depression containing moody detectives with swanky hats and seductive ‘Femme fatales’ with cigarette addictions, as well as a low key black and white aesthetic borrowed from German expressionistic cinema  and a taste for the smoothest of jazz.

Both La Confidential and La Noire were produced long after the classic period of Film Noir, but as may be clear from the setting, character types and the themes presented within the short clips they are both in debt to the classic genre. They conform in very similar ways to the conventions of the film noir genre from the gritty urban location, 1940’s time period and jazzy soundtrack. They bear a common resemblance to the cynical attitudes classic to the film noir genre as the narrators scoff at the idea of Los Angeles as some form of urban paradise, although this is more evident in the La Confidential clip, a self-referential nod to film noir commonly used in many other neo-noir’s. 

These clips use this sense of post war optimism and growth such as car's and  

showrooms and suburban homes to associate with the period as well as bring humour from the ironic difference between the optimism of the period and the reality of today’s Los Angeles. Though both clips are the narrators introducing the setting and period of their respective films and games, La confidential starts as if it were an advert of the time, selling Los Angeles to the public before revealing its true nature. This sets LA Confidential apart from LA Noire in tone straight away as lighter and more classically noir cynical than LA Noire.

The city of angels

The classic American city of Los Angeles, along with its seedy underbelly, has been a mainstay in popular crime cinema for many years, and is especially synonymous with the famous subgenre Film Noir. Much of the 2 clips Mise en scene is designed specifically to conjure up the idea of Film Noir, including the not so subtle choice of setting the stories within the confines of L.A. and even naming themselves after the place. They both conspire to give the city and opening the feel of an urban not-so-paradise where initial appearances quickly give way to an underworld of deceit and corruption. Period is equally important to the Mise en scene of the genre and jazz (as would have been popular during the late 40’s) and period clothing is used in both clips in order to

instantly and easily set the mood of the clip and show the period of the pieces, linking it back to the film noir genre as music of the type was used extensively in film noir and would have been popular when the films were originally produced. LA Noire makes more of an effort to make sure that the audience are aware of the period and location of the game, utilising familiar landmarks such as the Hollywood sign, showing L.A. is a critical part of the entire game rather than just a setting. Setting and period seems less important in setting the mood for LA confidential as there is less time spent on the setting but more the characters. This suggests that LA noire is more mysterious than LA Confidential.   

Both films utilise a contrast between light daylight colours and darker gloomier dusk tones to further enhance the mood. Props are also similar as common items such as machines, small suburban homes, roads, art deco architecture and glamour are used extensively in both clips to present the development of the time, but in a similar way they are used to contrast the seedier aspects of the clips such as cigarettes and underground clubs. The character’s in LA Noire are more Stereotypical of the time and setting and range from businessmen and cops to Housewives and Hollywood hopefuls, although they are all anonymous, showing the mysterious melodrama of LA noire, which is in contrast to the less stereotypical, ‘real world’ people seen in the public archive footage of L.A. seen at the start of LA confidential. LA Noire relates much more to the city it is set in than LA confidential , at the same time giving a stronger sense of place and genre but weakening the connection to any characters in the clip, compared to LA confidential which puts characters first.

From Housewife to Hollywood

Gender roles in the 1940’s were noticeably different to how they are now, in the 21^st century, and that is made apparent in the two clips. As per the standard of the time in LA noire the men are seen going out to work, as policemen, journalists and builders and the women are seen  saying farewell to their husbands and auditioning for a movie part. It’s not much better with

LA confidential either, all workers are men and women are not seen unless with strong, powerful men such as the mobsters in the club. This is coalescent with the Film Noir Convention of Seductive females and aggressive, powerful men as well as with the attitudes of the time at which the clips are set (women at home, Men at work). Women in film noir are rarely main character’s and usually reduced to roles as support characters and this is made apparent in both clips as women are solely complimentary.   

In the clip from LA confidential, criminality is represented as a glamorous, powerful and lucrative occupation, with criminals shown as having the cars, women, mansions etc. commonly associated with success, but is also shown as brutal and potentially dangerous (edgy bodyguard, “kills a dozen  people a year”).  Criminals are also shown to be fundamentally immoral not afraid to break the law to turn a quick profit and calculating and clever, somehow outsmarting “the best police force in the world” but ultimately human (As Micky C is caught unaware on his doorstep for tax offences). 

The representation in LA confidential is sympathetic towards the criminal, showing them as smart, stylish, anti-hero type celebrities and the presentation of criminal activities suggests that they are merely the price to pay for success, a typically morally neutral, cynical Neo-noir idea. In the LA Noire clip criminals are suggested to be mysterious and sly, only being mentioned as some kind of underground force somehow eluding the detection of normal civilians. This contributes to the mystery connotations running throughout the LA Noire clip, giving the clip and criminal more of a mysterious allusion than LA Confidential.

In many ways, both clips borrow heavily from the conventions of Film Noir in order to create the effect of mystery and intrigue, and to pay homage to one of the greatest eras of Hollywood history, an effective stylistic choice that sets so much of the scene before it has even started.  The result is two original, intriguing and somehow kind of fresh openings to each piece and a strong sense of (borrowed) identity.