The Best of Film Noir
Film noir was a strong influence in American cinema during the 1940s and 1950s, With a dark or twilit backdrop, plots centre on the criminal underbelly of America, tainted with immorality and fatalistic disillusionment.
The lead characters are anti-heroes, trapped by their past, with no way out from their future. Dingy realism, nervous gestures, brooding music and overplayed action all contribute to the success of a good film noir. John Huston directed Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, one of the earliest of the genre, followed by Howard Hawks' legendary partnership of Bogart and Bacalle in adaptations of Raymond Chandler.
