Film Noir

I found the articles on film noir by Schrader and Place & Peterson very informative, because I had no idea what made a movie film noir. After reading these articles about the use of light and contrast, and then watching Double Indemnity, I was able to recognize the visual look, tone, and motifs of film noir movies. Without reading these articles, I would not have been able to appreciate how the themes of murder and adultery, and the use of shadow and having many night scenes were all characteristic of the period in which this film was made.

The Schrader article discussed the high level of artistry that was present during the film noir period. He writes that "film noir seemed to bring out the best in everyone: directors, cameramen, screenwriters, and actors." Obviously the film industry in the 1940's and 1950's is different than today's film industry, but it seems that there is not a certain genre nowadays where there is high quality that spans across several films. Film noir seems to be an underappreciated period in film history that today's directors and actors could strive to replicate in terms of quality.