The Profundity of Darkness: Film Noir

     From dark and steamy alleyways, to sombrous and angular meeting rooms, few film styles or genres express such an evocative and recognizable lighting style than film noir.  But are these stylistic choices truly a convention belonging exclusively to the noir method, or is it merely a culmination of previously established, Hollywood classicism? Film theorists and analysts are often divided upon this question.

    In the classical Hollywood Studio-era, actors, actresses, and (for all intents and purposes) “movie stars” were typically the vehicle upon which films rode to achieve Box Office success.  As such, it was typical for films to be shot in such a manner that would highlight the star in subtle, yet noticeable ways.  Three-point lighting and soft focus gave a “glamourising” effect during close-ups, ensuring that every single frame in which the star appears is as flattering as can be. After all, in the age of classical Hollywood Cinema, a performer’s face was their livelihood and, therefore, the most valued asset in the studio’s arsenal. At first glance this seems at odds with what one considers to be typical noir-style lighting, wherein a character’s face may be obscured by sharp, contrasting shadows. One should not, however, make the mistake of thinking that noir is completely devoid of the “glamour shot.” Noir, instead, seems to take a dichotomous approach in lighting depending upon the gender of the character. This “gendered lighting” technique (though not limited, solely, to noir) utilizes the dual effect of lighting female characters in ways that will maximize their beauty and male characters in a way that expresses the inner emotion that they may feel on their otherwise stoic, emotionless (and, therefore, masculine) face.

In addition to highlighting the star’s appearances, lighting is also used to give the viewer a proper sense of their surroundings. Yet in the noir style the audience cannot ignore what lurks in the shadowy corners of the unlit frame. The tenebrous  darkness within the shot is mainly used for two purposes: first, to create a sense of suspense and danger within the audience, and second, to further emphasize the theme of many noir films -- that the world in which the film takes place is filled with darkness and light and figures that move between the two, emphasizing the moral ambiguity inherent in the genre. However this method must be handled delicately, as the over-abundance of shadows can cause the adverse effect of creating a space that is neither evocative nor suspenseful, but instead is flat and imperceptible.

    Many cinematographers have, in fact, taken a balanced approach to their films. Even in a noir film some scenes may be lit exactly as expected, whereas others may change course dramatically and present an illuminated scene, replete with three-point lighting and shallow space composition. Conversely, many mainstream films will forsake their usual lumosity for certain scenes, and adopt a more noir-esque chiaroscuro in order to achieve a particular emotional effect.

    Studio-era cinematographers often utilized this sort of modulating approach as a means of experimenting with various different techniques. Eager to make a name for themselves as artists rather than merely hands hired to point and shoot a camera, such experimentation was often limited by the rather rigid and often draconian methods of the Hollywood system.  All the same, cinematographers found an environment in which to stretch their creative legs in the Hollywood B-Picture. Not reliant upon selling a star’s look, b-films presented cinematographers the opportunity to refine their particular techniques, many of which derived from the German expressionist films of the previous decade.  Noir cinematographers adopted the deep, disorienting depths of focus and composition  from films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and the low-key lighting and shadows meant to evoke the moral complexity and ambiguity of their subjects.


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