Neo noir

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Like film noir , neo-noir is a retrospectively coined technical term of film criticism, under which films have been summarized since the early 1980s that continue the tradition of classic film noir. Films that vary the typical visual and narrative elements of film noir (such as, for example, hot-blooded - cold-blooded , 1981) as well as those that simply reproduce them ( e.g. LA Confidential , 1997) are referred to as neo-noir .

term

Compared to classic film noir, the use of the term neo-noir is usually associated with a much broader definition in which characteristics such as color, image format or country of production no longer play a role. Often the content elements are reminiscent of works from the classical cycle. This is one of the reasons why opponents of the term neo-noir see film noir as a temporary phenomenon. The latter is defined by its historical context and has recently lost its foundation. Proponents said in the 1990s that films with typical film noir characteristics were still being produced; these could also be called Neo-Noir.

History and examples

In the years immediately after the last “real” film noir Under the Sign of Evil , relatively few neo noirs were created. One of the first is Robert Wise 's Little Chances for Tomorrow (1959). Two pioneering films for Neo-Noir come from the “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock : Vertigo - From the Realm of the Dead (1958) is a colored work that takes up themes of film noir - an obsession that leads to crime, a false perception and changing identities. His 1960 film Psycho is an example of how noir stories (the innocent employee who suddenly steals money) can be combined with plot elements from other genres (the horror story about Norman Bates). There are also some thrillers from director Samuel Fuller that deal with typical noir characters, e.g. B. Everything on One Card (1961) or The Naked Kiss (1964). John Boorman's Point Blank (1967), who used a strongly European film language , varied the style greatly. In the 1970s, detective films such as Death Knows No Return (1973), Chinatown (1974) and The Hot Trace (1975) increased. But police officers also found their way into the stories of the neo-noirs, for example in Dirty Harry or Brennpunkt Brooklyn (both 1971). Good examples of the zeitgeist being incorporated into new film noirs are Witnesses of a Conspiracy (1974), which deals with the Watergate affair , and Dirty Dogs (1978), which deals with the Vietnam War .

The great success of Hot Blood - Cold Blood in 1981 triggered a series of remakes and variations of classic film noirs, including a. Against Every Chance (1984, remake of Goldenes Poison ), No Way Out (1987, remake of Game With Death ) and When the Postman Rings Twice (1981, remake of Im Netz der Passenschaften ). Hardboiled author Dashiell Hammett himself became a film character in Wim Wenders ' film Hammett (1983). Director David Lynch produced a special kind of Neo-Noir with his films. Even if neo-noir no longer produces character actors like Humphrey Bogart or Barbara Stanwyck , it has been present in film for over sixty years.

Types of Neo-Noir

Teen noir

In the first decade of the 21st century, some directors began to combine the motifs and aesthetics of film noir with themes from youth films , especially school films. For these films, which tell stories from the youthful milieus in the style of a film noir, the term "teen noir" has become established. Critically acclaimed examples of this variety of neo-noir are the film Brick (2005) and the television series Veronica Mars (2004-2007). These two productions are the first to be included in the teen noir genre. However, the term was later expanded to include earlier works.

Nordic Noir, Scandinavian Noir

Scandinavian detective novels, films and television series are summarized as Scandinavian Noir or Nordic Noir . The most important authors of the genre include Stieg Larsson , Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbø , the most important works include the Millennium Trilogy and the film adaptations of novels about Kurt Wallander .

literature

  • Mark Bould, Kathrina Glitre, Greg Tuck (Eds.): Neo-Noir . Columbia University Press, New York 2009, ISBN 978-0-231-85047-6

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b c Foster Hirsch: Detours and Lost Highways. A Map of Neo-Noir . 1999, ISBN 0-87910-288-8 .
  2. ^ Sarah Hughes: Humphrey Bogart's back - but this time round he's at high school in the Observer of March 26, 2006
  3. ↑ James Naremore: More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts . 2008, ISBN 978-0-520-25402-2 , pp. 299 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 17, 2020]).
  4. ↑ Nina Metz How 'teen noir' looks , article in the Chicago Tribune of March 12, 2010, accessed October 26, 2012.
  5. ↑ Anja Christine Rørnes Tucker: TEEN NOIR. A Study of the Recent Film Noir Revival in the Teen Genre . May 2008 ( PDF [accessed January 16, 2020]).