Neo-noir

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Neo-noir (from the Greek neo, new; and the French noir, black) is a type of motion picture that prominently utilizes elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style or visual elements that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.

1 History
2 Examples
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

Main article: film noir

The term Film Noir (French for "black film") was coined by critic Nino Frank in 1946, but was little used by film makers, critics or fans until several decades later. The classic era of film noir is usually dated to the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Typically American crime dramas or psychological thrillers, films noir had a number of common themes and plot devices, and many distinctive visual elements. Characters were often conflicted antiheros, trapped in a difficult situation and making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems. Visual elements included low-key lighting, striking use of light and shadow, and unusual camera placement.

Although there have been few new major films in the classic film noir genre since the early 1960s, it has nonetheless had significant impact on other genres. These films usually incorporate both thematic and visual elements reminiscent of films noir. As many classic films noir were independent features (given the lack of attention that major Hollywood studios paid to many noir projects) it is fitting that many neo-noir films are also independent.

By the 1970s, newer motion pictures were sometimes earning comparisons to earlier films noir. Unlike classic noirs, neo-noir films are aware of modern circumstances and technology -- details that were typically absent or unimportant to the plot of classic film noir. Modern themes employed in these films include identity crises, memory issues and subjectivity, and technological problems and their social ramifications. Similarly, the term can be applied to other works of fiction that incorporate these elements.