Is this noir?
For those of you who have seen it, do you think this film fits into the category of "film noir?"
shareyes
My Movie List:
http://www.rinkworks.com/checklist/list.cgi?u=avalon123&p=seen
MovieChat Forums > Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) Discussion > Is this noir?
No way.
shareIt most certainly is film noir. You will find this title pop up regularly on many critics' top film noir lists.
It is loaded with most of the requirements of a proper film noir. It has dark streets, a complex criminal plot, murder, flashbacks, shadows, and a bleak ending. The only thing it lacks is a femme fatale. However, there are many other classic noir films that do not feature femme fatales, such as one of the finest examples of the genre, "The Asphalt Jungle." Another great example of classic film noir sans a femme fatale is "Laura." Also, "Where the Sidewalk Ends."
Definitely. Film Noir isn't an exact formula of
ALCOHOLIC PI
+
FEMME FATALE
+
MURDER
*
(1940s + BLACK&WHITE)
=
FILM NOIR.
I say it is.
~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍
There is one scene that makes it so, where the killers are walking up the stairs and you only see their shadows. Also that shot of the house at 20 Dunston Terrace, it's so foreboding, looks like an abortionist shack.
shareAt the end of the day, it doesn't really matter, does it? You can just enjoy it for what it is, without worrying about what category it might be pigeonholed in.
shareYes.
My take on film noir is that it was the inevitable result of the end of WWII: spies, national security and international espionage were no longer viable movie topics. Ever-creative Hollywood writers ended up using the same tension-filled themes but re-tooled them as domestic issues: cheating spouses, failure of the American Dream and shady personal/business dealings that end up in murder. Just as in the WWII movies like "Casablanca", who can you trust? Who really is the good guy?
The so-called "femme fatale" was nothing more than a beautiful Nazi spy - repackaged as your wife or girlfriend who, it turns out, has ulterior motives.
SWN is "noir" for the very reason that it does feature a spouse who is walking a double line.
Barbara Stanwyck's frantic phone calls at the end are as suspenseful as any WWII spy epic where the good guys race to prevent the villains from blowing something up.
"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"