Film noir

Film noir (/fɪlm nwɑːr/; French pronunciation: ​[film nwaʁ]) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly such that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classical film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression.

The term film noir, French for "black film" (literal) or "dark film" (closer meaning), first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era. Cinema historians and critics defined the category retrospectively. Before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic films noirs were referred to as melodramas. Whether film noir qualifies as a distinct genre is a matter of ongoing debate among scholars.

List of film noir titles

Film noir is not a clearly defined genre (see here for details on the characteristics). Therefore, the composition of this list may be controversial. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an expert in this field, e.g.

The terms which are used below to subsume various periods and variations of film noir are not definitive and are meant as a navigational aid rather than as critical argument. Because the 1940s and 1950s are universally regarded as the "classic period" of American film noir, films released prior to 1940 are listed under the caption "Precursors / early noir-like films". Films released after 1959 should generally only be listed in the list of neo-noir titles.

Precursors / early noir-like films

Classic American noir

1940

1941

Film Noir (album)

Film Noir is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's twenty-second album, nineteenth studio album, and third album devoted to standards, released in 1997. Jimmy Webb co-produced the album and contributed his vocals, orchestration and piano skills to the project which was filmed for an AMC documentary (which premiered in September 1997). He also co-wrote the title song "Film Noir" with Simon. John Travolta duets with Simon on the song "Two Sleepy People". Film director Martin Scorsese provided liner notes in the fold out booklet.

Promotion

Simon made and released a music video for Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye. She also performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman. and appeared on The View and CBS This Morning. She performed Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year, along with Jimmy Webb, on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Songs In Shadow: The Making of Carly Simon's Film Noir aired as a special presententation on AMC. This documentary also features footage of Jimmy Webb, Arif Mardin and Van Dyke Parks in the studio recording the album with Simon.