Miker,
Re your question below:
"So are you saying that dark and sinister is not possible in
color?"
Not precisely. Obviously, most of what are sometimes called
"neo-noir" films are in color. And, with the photographic
technology now available, they are able to put across the
same kind of chiarascuro effects that marked the black and
white noirs from the
"classic" noir cycle (roughly late '30's/early '40's through
late '50's/early '60's).
What I AM saying is that there IS a recognizable period
during which the type of film that, in retrospect, came to be
labeled as films noir were particularly prevalent. And during
that time, color cinematography, no matter what the subject
matter, tended to be bright, cheery, and without shadow.
Hence films that might have been noir (and which were often
excellent in any case) like the aforementioned HOUSE OF
BAMBOO, 1969's MARLOWE, 1968's MADIGAN, 1968's THE DETECTIVE,
1972's FRENZY, 1967's GUNN, etc., tended to have a very
bright look that mitigated against the imagery associated
with noir. Maybe it was possible to make them look dark, but,
whether it was a technological limitation, or a deliberate
choice, artistic or commericial, they didn't have that
"look", that atmospheric visual effect, that's associated
with film noir.
Later, when the classic crime films of the '40's and
'50's came to be labeled noir (and, remember, this was in
retrospect), and directors set out to make film noirs
(something the original filmmakers never did because they
weren't even aware of the term), and cinematography had,
evidently, advanced somewhat (or, as I said, maybe it hadn't;
maybe the capability was always there, and just wasn't used),
crime films, despite being in color, were able to achieve
similar types of visual effects that gave those "neo-noirs" a
dark, sinister feel. Examples, BLADE RUNNER, MANHUNTER,
etc.
These films always seem a bit self-conscious to me, in a way
that the "true" noirs don't, but that they have a dark,
sinister look is undeniable.
JIM DOHERTY
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