Film Noir-- Schrader

I found Paul Schrader's Notes on Film Noir very interesting in that films followed the collective mentality of the American people at the time (40's through early 50's). He talks about post-war realism and that people wanted films that reflected their desire for the harsh truth-- the realities of American society at the time, whereas in the past, during the great depression, people wanted uplifting, moire unrealistic films to be able to forget about reality. I think that Double Indemnity (made in 1944) is a great example of Film Noir and follows a lot of the thematic elements of the period including night scenes, rainfall scenes, romantic narration, complex chronological order, and the use of shadowing-- when Neff speaks with his hat on, his face is blackened out for dramatic effect. I think that this movement of darker cinema, portraying crime, corruption, and a more sardonic depiction of American life, paved the way for more socially critical movies that would never have been accepted before this movement.