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Stylistic and thematic characteristics of film noir
How has german expressionism effected film making
Chinatown movie analysis
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Elements of film noir and german expressionism are very prominent in the 1974 film Chinatown and the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. However, each film executes each film style in a different way. Some of the film noir elements used in Sunset Boulevard include dark shadows, lowkey lighting, and non traditional camera angles as well as it is filmed in black and white. These elements helped create a dark and mysterious ambience. On the other hand, the film Chinatown breaks the stereotype of filming in black and white but still keeps the tradition of having dark shadows, low key lighting, as well as a mysterious feel. The elements of german expressionism The female leads in both Chinatown and Sunset Boulevard are very distant in the beginning of
The auteur theory is a view on filmmaking that consists of three equally important premises: technical competence, interior meaning, and personal signature of the director. Auteur is a French word for author. The auteur theory was developed by Andrew Sarris, a well-known American film critic. Technical competence of the Auteur deals with how the director films the movie in their own style. Personal signature includes recurring themes that are present within the director’s line of work with characteristics of style, which serve as a signature. The third and ultimate premise of the Auteur theory is the interior meaning which is basically the main theme behind the film.
From the opening scene of Chinatown, we are immediately drawn into the movie. Confused, intrigued and maybe even aroused by the photos being looked at of two people having sex. Turns out J.J. Gittes, a private investigator, just brought back evidence to a client that his wife is having an affair. Gittes is slouched back in his chair with a cigarette throwing sarcastic comments left and right, and we soon realize he isn't your typical film noir detective. The aura that the set design gives off is like getting off a time machine we didn't know we were stepping foot on. From the pictures on the walls to the stores throughout the town, we are back in the 1930's without any hint of doubt. Not only is the characterization and set design a few of the aspects that makes this movie a classic, it is the directing that allows us to see this movie through the eyes of the main character Gittes. We see what he sees, we only know what he knows, and at some points we can even feel what he feels. These top tactics are a few of the film's strongest points that make it so entertaining and allow for its success in the genre of film noir.
In 1962 MGM (Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Films) released “How The West Was Won”, projected in a movie theater with three panels that needed to be projected by three different movie projectors at the same time. In a time where the classic western genre was about to be extinct. This ambitious project filmed by three different directors ended in a huge success, and it made investors believe that the movie industry could compete with the TV.
Janey Place and Lowell Peterson article “Some Visual Motifs of Film Noir” establishes noir as a visual style and not a ...
When the film Sunset Boulevard premiered in Hollywood in 1950, the picture caused a riot in the theatre after the feature finished. Director Billy Wilder commented, “I’ve never seen so many prominent people at once – the word was out that this was a stunner, you see. After the picture ended there were violent reactions, from excitement to pure horror”(May 570). Wilder did whatever he could to keep the plot of Sunset Boulevard a secret outside of the walls of Paramount Studios because of its controversial subject matter. Today, Sunset Boulevard is hailed as one of the best films in motion picture history, so what was so controversial about it that made Hollywood so scared? The answer is that the film dealt with the truth about Hollywood and its stars. It scared people because it portrayed the life of a faded movie star in a realistic way, making members of Hollywood evaluate their careers and life after stardom. However, it was not only the plot that terrified Hollywood, but also Wilder’s casting of Gloria Swanson and Erich Von Stroheim in two of the leading roles. Both had been film stars of the silent era back in the roaring twenties, but had fallen on hard times after their careers had fizzled. Therefore, the “stunner” that Wilder talks about is not the plot of Sunset Boulevard, but the terrifying realism demonstrated by the actor’s lives molding the characters they play in the film.
First and foremost, film noir refers to the visual style of a picture. The imagery of film noir was influenced by early 20th century German expressionism, featuring distorted, sinister shapes and shadows. These precursors to film noir used abstract figures and looming shadows for bizarre, emotionally stirring results. Techniques such as chiaroscuro were used to give a dark and minimalistic feeling. In many cases lighting is limited to a single harsh light source, which obscures the image, and even throws shadows across actors’ faces. These elements ensure that an audience regards the actors and the setting with equal importance. Oblique angled shots permeate many film noirs, naturally provoking anxiousness and apprehension in the viewer. In Sun...
There are very few positive representations of Asian Americans in Hollywood films. Chan is Missing calls for more genuine representations of Asian American identities through its cast of complex characters and defiance of Asian stereotypes. The film also urges viewers to critically think about their own notions of identity through the use of several recurring themes and filmmaking techniques.
Over the course of this class, three historical pieces have been examined for their historical accuracies but also their unique creations. Each author tackled a different a period of American history, yet two similarities emerged as a common theme: evidence can either support or disprove a claim, and the narrator of a story dictates what story is told. An author, whether writing a piece of fact or fiction, gathers evidence; however, the interpretation of said evidence creates a framework for the story. Unredeemed Captive, Alias Grace, and The Chinatown Trunk Mystery exhibit this idea through their own interpretations of history. Sometimes, accepted accounts conflict with actual details. This does not diminish the need to analyze all interpretations of history and gain a broader understanding of past events.
La La Land was a musical released on December 9th, 2016 with a genre of drama and romance. This film was written and directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. The theme of this film focused on the romance of two struggling old souls, trying to fit into an evolving world of music and film.
Sunset Boulevard is a classic film noir with all the noir likings and tropes present. I will focus on three characteristics of film noir and how they manifest in this film and our post-1970 film. Most noirs found themselves to greatly take place at night or maybe a back alley or dimly lit rooms or maybe the PI’s office or a bar. The lighting in these films is the most noticeable as they greatly utilized low-key lighting. Low-key lighting is a lighting technique used to create a chiaroscuro effect. Chiaroscuro is a technique that uses strong tonal contrasts to create three-dimensional objects. As opposed to traditional three-point lighting, low-key lighting usually just uses a fill light and a reflector. The point of low-key lighting is to accentuate
“There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!” (Sunset Boulevard). The film Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder focuses on a struggling screen writer who is hired to rewrite a silent film star’s script leading to a dysfunctional and fatal relationship. Sunset Boulevard is heavily influenced by the history of cinema starting from the 1930s to 1950 when the film was released.
ChinaTown, directed by Roman Polanski, is a non-traditional hard-nosed detective film made in the 70's. The typical elements of character type are there; J.J. Gittes (a private detective in LA) played by Jack Nicholson is the central character, sharing the spotlight is Fay Dunaway playing the femme fatale Evelyn Mulwray. This film breaks all types of norms when compared to the hard-nosed detective films it is modeled after. The film is filled with allusions to the Big Sleep, especially taken from scenes of Marlowe and Vivian. Chinatown has formal elements indicative that it is going to be in the style of traditional Film Noir hardboiled detective, until you examine the characters' personalities next to the story content.
Brokeback Mountain and The Love of Siam are two movies, which two main characters from each film, namely Ennis and Jack from Brokeback Mountain and Mew and Tong from The Love of Siam, all four of them have a connection that goes from friendship to a homosexual relationship, respectively. Four of them are commoners that end up being infatuated with each other.
Roman Polanski's 1974 film, 'Chinatown', revolutionized the film noir genre. Aside from the absense of voice-over, the film shares all the same characteristics with earlier noirs. That is, of course, except for the fact that ?Chinatown? is filmed in color. Because of this, it is more difficult upon the first viewing to immediately classify the movie to this genre. In movies such as ?Double Indemnity? even scenes that take place during the daytime are dark, and since it is a black and white film, this is easy to do. However, in a film with color it is much harder to create this dark effect, especially in scenes that are filmed outdoors. Polanski makes references to symbols that remind the audience that although ?Chinatown? is in color, it still belongs in the genre. For example, one of the first lines in the movie is, ?I just had [the venetian blinds] installed on Wednesday.? Venetian blinds are often seen in the genre, and the reference immediately makes the connection between this...
The characters in the film have almost similar stereotypical appearances like yellow skin, thin lips, small slit like eyes and narrow pointy beards even though real Asian people all have different characteristics and almost certainly none have yellow skin. This is a prime reason why westerners perceive people from the Far East to be Asian people are believed to be yellow skinned with narrow eyes and funny