Film Noir, french for 'Black Film', is a highly stylized cinematic technique often used in Hollywood crime dramas. It is a style of film that focuses on cynical attitudes and sexual desire, using narratives connected to 1940s-50s gangsters and the 'party scene' around the prohibition in america.
This visual style derives from German expressionist cinematography, and many of the prototypical stories where inspired by the huge amount of crime fiction that emerged in America during the great depression.
As all genres do, Film Noir has several stock characters that are seen throughout the genre.
- The Anti-Hero - A protagonist who is distinguished by flaws in their character rather than positive traits.
- The Femme Fatale - A deceptive villainess that often deceives or seduces the Anti-Hero to benefit her own plans. (French translation for fatal women.
- The Redemptive Women - A beautiful women that assists the Anti-Hero in his adventures and is often the love interest in the feature.
