The Matrix as a Neo Noir - An Analysis of The Matrix with Special Focus on Style and Motifs of Film Noir -

The Matrix as a Neo Noir - An Analysis of The Matrix with Special Focus on Style and Motifs of Film Noir - PDF Author: Monique Bre
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638427854
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 22

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, Dresden Technical University (Institut Amerikanistik), course: American Noir, language: English, abstract: When the movie The Matrix commences, the audience has the impression to have stepped back into the late 1930s or 1940s. With its very conventional beginning of a noir narrative, The Matrix, which was directed by the brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski in 1999, provides the viewer with all the characteristics of a typical film noir: the setting of this first sequence is shot at night; it is dark and gloomy. We see a group of police officers in uniforms storming a building in order to arrest one woman. Not until that very ‘fugitive on the run’ fights back and escapes by implementing some rather incredulous astonishing fighting, we realize that this movie is not going to be in the past but in the future. The Matrix is often referred to as a futuristic, film noir, utopian science-fiction movie – a movie, which is innovative in its design and its special digital techniques. Containing plenty of characteristics of the classical film noir, which I am going to describe in the course of this seminar paper, the recipients witness in The Matrix a revival of the themes of the classical film noir. For that reason, it will be of interest in which way elements and motifs of film noir have changed to neo film noir, and to what extend we will find old and new noirish features in The Matrix. Additionally, I am going to analyze the plot as well as the character development of the main protagonists, their relationship to each other and their meaning for the film’s progress. Not only do I want to examine the film’s plot points in terms of their significance for the movie’s development, but also will I focus on misé-en-scene and the technical devices, which definitely set milestones in the history of film making.

The Matrix as a Neo Noir - An Analysis of The Matrix with Special Focus on Style and Motifs of Film Noir -

The Matrix as a Neo Noir - An Analysis of The Matrix with Special Focus on Style and Motifs of Film Noir - PDF Author: Monique Bre
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638427854
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 22

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, Dresden Technical University (Institut Amerikanistik), course: American Noir, language: English, abstract: When the movie The Matrix commences, the audience has the impression to have stepped back into the late 1930s or 1940s. With its very conventional beginning of a noir narrative, The Matrix, which was directed by the brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski in 1999, provides the viewer with all the characteristics of a typical film noir: the setting of this first sequence is shot at night; it is dark and gloomy. We see a group of police officers in uniforms storming a building in order to arrest one woman. Not until that very ‘fugitive on the run’ fights back and escapes by implementing some rather incredulous astonishing fighting, we realize that this movie is not going to be in the past but in the future. The Matrix is often referred to as a futuristic, film noir, utopian science-fiction movie – a movie, which is innovative in its design and its special digital techniques. Containing plenty of characteristics of the classical film noir, which I am going to describe in the course of this seminar paper, the recipients witness in The Matrix a revival of the themes of the classical film noir. For that reason, it will be of interest in which way elements and motifs of film noir have changed to neo film noir, and to what extend we will find old and new noirish features in The Matrix. Additionally, I am going to analyze the plot as well as the character development of the main protagonists, their relationship to each other and their meaning for the film’s progress. Not only do I want to examine the film’s plot points in terms of their significance for the movie’s development, but also will I focus on misé-en-scene and the technical devices, which definitely set milestones in the history of film making.

The Essence of Film Noir

The Essence of Film Noir PDF Author: Diana Royer
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476684197
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
American classic films noir, beginning with 1941's The Maltese Falcon and ending with 1950's Sunset Boulevard, and the neo-noir films made from the 1970s onward, share certain thematic aspects, stylistic qualities, and cultural contexts. Their concern with politics, their depiction of con artists, and the way their characters are shaped by America's puritanical religious roots show that these films are examples of a unique American genre, even when the films' directors are German emigres with artistic roots in European Expressionism. The films' psychological depth is revealed stylistically through complex narratives, with select directors generating visual poetry as they deal with sex, violence and betrayal. Some films are based on popular novels inspired by true crime cases. A unique approach to film noir scholarship, this book discusses the genre's thematic aspects, cultural contexts and stylistic qualities. For those films based upon novels, in-depth analysis of the fiction is provided alongside the film version, resulting in a fuller, more thorough understanding of the genre.

Neo-noir

Neo-noir PDF Author: Douglas Keesey
Publisher: Oldacastle Books
ISBN: 1842434128
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Directors discussed include the Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Michael Mann, Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, and Quentin Tarantino A world-weary detective, a seductive femme fatale, a mysterious murder—these elements of classic film noir live again in more recent hardboiled detective films from Chinatown to Sin City. But the themes and styles of noir have also spilled over into contemporary films about gangsters, cops, and serial killers, such as Reservoir Dogs, The Departed, and Se7en. New hybrid genres have been created, including psycho-noirs such as Memento, techno-noirs such as The Matrix, and superhero noirs like The Dark Knight. Beginning by showing how neo-noirs have drawn upon contemporary social and historical events as well as the latest technological advances in filmmaking, this book then discusses the landmark neo-noirs, the cult auteur figures of neo-noir, international films, and the remakes that put a new spin on past noirs. The main credits and a plot summary are given for each movies—including Fargo, Get Carter, L.A. Confidential, Mulholland Drive, Oldboy, and Pulp Fiction—followed by an in-depth analysis containing original insights into the film's meaning. Also included are fascinating facts, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and lively quotes from the cast and crew.

Neo-noir

Neo-noir PDF Author: Ronald Schwartz
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 9780810856769
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
According to many critics, the era of "Film Noir" ended with the 1958 release of Orson Welles' classic Touch of Evil. The style was not dead, but rather had been transformed, and two years later, Alfred Hitchcock ushered in a new era of "Noir" films with the release of his 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. Film scholar Ronald Schwartz examines the most significant representatives of this cinematic style, beginning with Hitchcock's shocker and concluding with Michael Mann's Collateral (2004). Schwartz provides in-depth analyses of over thirty of the best "Neo-Noir" films and explains the qualities and characteristics of the "new noir" style. He also explains how it differs from "Film Noir" of the forties and fifties. As this study reveals, the new style significantly impacted American film after 1960. In this chronological guide, Schwartz examines such landmark films as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Point Blank (1967), The French Connection (1971), Chinatown (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Body Heat (1981), Blood Simple (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), The Grifters (1990), Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), L.A. Confidential (1997), Memento (2000), and Mystic River (2003). The book also includes an alphabetical filmography, listing over 650 films that in plot, style, or subject matter reflect the diversity of the genre. This reference work will be a valuable resource for film scholars and fans alike who wish to further explore the ever-evolving aspects of "Neo-Noir" cinema.

The Philosophy of Neo-Noir

The Philosophy of Neo-Noir PDF Author: Mark T. Conard
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813172306
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Film noir is a classic genre characterized by visual elements such as tilted camera angles, skewed scene compositions, and an interplay between darkness and light. Common motifs include crime and punishment, the upheaval of traditional moral values, and a pessimistic stance on the meaning of life and on the place of humankind in the universe. Spanning the 1940s and 1950s, the classic film noir era saw the release of many of Hollywood's best-loved studies of shady characters and shadowy underworlds, including Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Touch of Evil, and The Maltese Falcon. Neo-noir is a somewhat loosely defined genre of films produced after the classic noir era that display the visual or thematic hallmarks of the noir sensibility. The essays collected in The Philosophy of Neo-Noir explore the philosophical implications of neo-noir touchstones such as Blade Runner, Chinatown, Reservoir Dogs, Memento, and the films of the Coen brothers. Through the lens of philosophy, Mark T. Conard and the contributors examine previously obscure layers of meaning in these challenging films. The contributors also consider these neo-noir films as a means of addressing philosophical questions about guilt, redemption, the essence of human nature, and problems of knowledge, memory and identity. In the neo-noir universe, the lines between right and wrong and good and evil are blurred, and the detective and the criminal frequently mirror each other's most debilitating personality traits. The neo-noir detective—more antihero than hero—is frequently a morally compromised and spiritually shaken individual whose pursuit of a criminal masks the search for lost or unattainable aspects of the self. Conard argues that the films discussed in The Philosophy of Neo-Noir convey ambiguity, disillusionment, and disorientation more effectively than even the most iconic films of the classic noir era. Able to self-consciously draw upon noir conventions and simultaneously subvert them, neo-noir directors push beyond the earlier genre's limitations and open new paths of cinematic and philosophical exploration.

Neo-Noir as Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema

Neo-Noir as Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema PDF Author: Robert Arnett
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030436683
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Neo-Noir as Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema suggests the terms “noir” and “neo-noir” have been rendered almost meaningless by overuse. The book seeks to re-establish a purpose for neo-noir films and re-consider the organization of 60 years of neo-noir films. Using the notion of post-classical, the book establishes how neo-noir breaks into many movements, some based on time and others based on thematic similarities. The combined movements then form a mosaic of neo-noir. The time-based movements examine Transitional Noir (1960s-early 1970s), Hollywood Renaissance Noir in the 1970s, Eighties Noir, Nineties Noir, and Digital Noir of the 2000s. The thematic movements explore Nostalgia Noir, Hybrid Noir, and Remake and Homage Noir. Academics as well as film buffs will find this book appealing as it deconstructs popular films and places them within new contexts.

More Than Night

More Than Night PDF Author: James Naremore
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520254023
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
"Supplies the first study of film noir that achieves the sort of intellectual seriousness, depth of research, degree of critical insight, and level of writing that this group of films deserves."—Tom Gunning, Modernism and Modernity

Film Noir

Film Noir PDF Author: Jennifer Fay
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135263841
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
The term "film noir" still conjures images of a uniquely American malaise: hard-boiled detectives, fatal women, and the shadowy hells of urban life. But from its beginnings, film noir has been an international phenomenon, and its stylistic icons have migrated across the complex geo-political terrain of world cinema. This book traces film noir’s emergent connection to European cinema, its movement within a cosmopolitan culture of literary and cinematic translation, and its postwar consolidation in the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The authors examine how film noir crosses national boundaries, speaks to diverse international audiences, and dramatizes local crimes and the crises of local spaces in the face of global phenomena like world-wide depression, war, political occupation, economic and cultural modernization, decolonization, and migration. This fresh study of film noir and global culture also discusses film noir’s heterogeneous style and revises important scholarly debates about this perpetually alluring genre.

Elements of Film Noir and its Implementation in the Contemporary TV-Series "True Detective"

Elements of Film Noir and its Implementation in the Contemporary TV-Series Author: Sarah Hofmann
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668191921
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Film Science, grade: 1,7, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen (Institut für Anglistik), course: Introduction to Crime Fiction, language: English, abstract: When researching for the topic of film noir, it is inevitable to stumble upon keywords like nihilism, femme fatales, post-war American life or the adjectives dark, gloomy and mysterious. But what is film noir? And why does it appear so bleak? In this term paper, film noir as a movie genre in the 1940s will be examined and applied to the contemporary TV-series "True Detective" (2014). First of all, it is important to provide a theoretical foundation. Therefore, the history of film noir and how it developed will be discussed tersely. Afterwards, the main elements that mark a film noir as film noir will be described. Themes, like nihilism or pessimism are essential parts of film noir, but so is murder and corruption. The characters are also quite dreary, there is a male victim, who gets seduced by a femme fatale and precisely that woman might be involved with the noir psychopath. Hence, themes and characters are part of this term paper. Cinematic features are not to be forgotten: the extensive use of e.g. voice-over and cut-backs is also representative. It will be explained what the features mentioned before are and how they are applied in film noir. After the theoretical foundation is made, the analysis of the HBO TV-series True Detective takes place. The choice has been made because many newspapers and articles considered True Detective as film noir and it was sapid to investigate whether this can be proven on facts or whether it is simply an assumption. After a short summary of the series, the items themes, characters and narrative strategies will be explored and applied to the film noir schema. Concluding, the aspect of neo-noir will be taken into account and the decision will be made whether True Detective can be seen as a product of film noir.

European Film Noir

European Film Noir PDF Author: Andrew Spicer
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 1526141361
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
European Film Noir is the first book to bring together specialist discussions of film noir in specific European national cinemas. Written by leading scholars, this groundbreaking study provides an authoritative understanding of an important aspect of European cinema and of film noir itself, for too long considered as a solely American form. The Introduction reviews the problems of defining film noir, its key characteristics and discusses its significance to the development of European film, the relationship of specific national films noirs to each other, to American noir and to historical and social change. Eight chapters then discuss film noir in France, Germany, Britain and Spain, analysing both earlier developments and the evolution of neo-noir through to the present. A further chapter explores film noir in Italian cinema where its presence is not so well defined. Each piece provides a critical overview of the most significant films in relation to their industrial and social contexts. European Film Noir is an important contribution to the study of European cinema that will have a broad appeal to undergraduates, cinéastes, film teachers and researchers.