Three Examples of Classic Film Noir

There are many films that represent just what Film Noir was all about.

Double Indemnity

Directed by Billie Wilder in 1944

Synopsis

An insurance

sales man meets Phyllis Dietrichson the wife of one of his clients and this soon leads to an affair between the two of them. Phyllis then proposes her husband’s death, she persuades Neff into it, so that they can be together. By killing Mr Dietrichson the two of them would get insurance money and Neff uses his job to make this p

ossible under the double indemnity clause. Not only this would make them carefree lovers but it would also make them rich. So they make up a plan and kill Mr Dietrichson. However the death is investigated by detective Keyes, who suspects Ms Dietrichson and an accomplice committed the murder of Mr Dietrichson. Neff is later alarmed when Lola Dietrichson, Mr Dietrichson’s daughter, informs him that her mother had also died of suspicious reasons when Phyllis Dietrichson was her nurse. As Neff uncovers the truth and the true plot of Ms Dietrichson, he decides to find a way out of the whole situation. The moment come when it is either his life or her life, this is the point when she tells him that she was only using him, but also that she had just fallen in love with him, but Neff had no other choice but to kill her.

This film shows characteristics of Film Noir in the characters, Walter Neff is a typical protagonist who is seduced by the Femme fatale into becoming someone or doing something that they wouldn't normally do such a crime. Phyllis Dietrichson is a typical Femme Fatale of Film Noir as she is beautiful and successfully seductive. This al

so makes the narrative pessimistic and dark like most other film noir narratives.

Sunset Boulevard

Directed by Billie Wilder in 1950

Synopsis

The movie opens with a corpse found on a swimming pool, it is that of Joe Gillis a struggling screen-writer, due to his low financial statues he tries many times to make his way up but is unable to, this includes a bad review from Betty Schaefer, a woman in the Reader Department. Due to a twist of fate Gillis meets Norma Desmond an older woman who is also an actress, soon they start working together on Norma’s comeback screen-play, this leads to a very close relationship between the two until the day that Norma confesses that she is in love with Gillis, this causes him to meet Betty Schaefer who now appreciates some of Gillis’ work, and also want to move out of the Desmond household, but is informed that Norman attempted suicide so he decides to stay by her side. Norma finishes her script and send it off but this

turns out to be unsuccessful.

Gillis starts meeting up with Betty Schaefer, they relationship grown closer and leads to love between the two of them. Upon discovering this Norma tries to break them up, this causes Gillis to pack his bags, Norma threatens him with her own life, but when he ignores this, and Norma feels like she is no longer the centre of Gillis’ attention she shoots, his body falls in the pool.

Again this is a very film noir type of narrative, and the movie also opens with the same scene it closes with, giving it the film noir type of mystery and edginess by using a non chronological time line. Although Norma is not the the characteristic Femme Fatale as she is an older woman, but she does have the power over Gills, also the narrative isn't about a Femme Fatale convincing the protagonist to do something immoral, but instead is about her dangerous and unwanted love for him.

Maltese Falcon

Directed by John Huston in 1941

Sypnosis

Sam Spade and Miles archer as two private dectectives who are hired by the beautiful Ruth Wonderly to find her missing sister. Soon after Miles is killed while going after a man named Floyd Thursby, a man who is involved with Ruth's sister.

As Ruth is acquainted with many dangerous men Sam Spade protects her from them, even thought he is a murder suspect by the police. The men are after a precious statue of a bird, The Maltese Falcon.

Also Ruth Wonderly turns out not to be who she said she is.

The characters and narrative seems to be very Film Noir as does the enigma in the story.