Similar Products - Film Noir Conventions

Definition of Film Noir

'A type of crime film featuring cynical malevolant characters in a sleazy setting and ominous atmoshpere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music.'

Film Noir Conventions

Black and white
Flawed heroes
Glamourous female
Detective
Gangsters
Crooks
Crime based
American setting
Urban city setting
Smoking
Odd, striking shots (e.g. very low angle, very high angle, dutch tilts)
Flashbacks
World of corruption
Use of shadows and silhouettes
Rain
Moody setting
Jazz music

Film Noirs

The Maltese Falcon
Moontide
Rage in Heaven
The Shanghai Gesture
Street of Chance
This Gun for Hire
A Woman's Face
Experiment Perilous
Guest in the House
Laura
The Lodger
The House on 92nd Street
Jealousy
Johnny Angel
Mildred Pierce
My Name is Julia Ross
Scarlet Street
The Spider
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry

The Maltese Falcon is about a private detective who takes on a case that involves him with three criminals, a gorgeous liar, and a quest for a priceless statuette.

Guest in The House is about a gorgeous young woman who disrupts a partnership.

The House on 92nd Street is about a man who becomes a double agent for the FBI in a Nazi spy ring

 My Name is Julia Ross is about a young woman who is tricked and by an evil family. She wakes up in a house in Cornwall where everyone tries to convince her she is not who she actually is. However she has a male friend who comes looking for her.

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry is about bachelor Harry Quincey's developing relationship with one of his new colleagues, which is thwwarted by one of his selfish sisters.

All of these films revolve around trickery, deceipt and evil plans. The usually male main character is usually on some task for good, but is not wholly good himself, the undercover detective, the friend who goes looking for the woman. The plots place these characters in hopeless situations so they strive to restore balance. All of these films star glamourous women and most of them star twisted crooks. 'My name is Julia Ross' is very psychological and these types of film noirs are not uncommon.