I found in the article that neo-noir has the look, style and mood of classic noir, but that it was borrowed from film noir. It emulates the new Hollywood not being able to create true noir because true noir was from a time period.. It would be difficult if not possible to reproduce classic noir. Although many neo-noirs imitate classic noir, it is mainly based on what is currently happening. It is not based around the 1940's but of something that is going on now. Classic noir was an "innocent, unconscious cinematic reaction to the popular culture of its time," but neo-noir are "self-conscious and more than cognizant of their heritage". In true noir the criminal is punished in some way as is the femme fatale, but in neo-noir both often go unpunished. Like in so many other attempts to recreate a classic, neo-noir falls dramatically short of reaching it's potential. Considering that we do not live in the era of WWII it's hard to know how those times felt and how people were. The innocence of the 1940's is gone. The elements that made noir noir don't exist in this time. Noir was based on a particular cultural moment, which included postwar disillusionment, Cold War hysteria, anxiety over womens changing role in society, and the influence of artistic movements which transformed representational systems (article).
I liked how you wrote that neo-noir was an imitation of classic noir. It’s true; try as you might you can never imitate the feeling of a certain time era. In those days noir came naturally to film-makers they didn’t have to try to imitate an era before them, they just did as they felt and captured the bleakness and feeling of their time. Overall I really liked your summary and understanding of classic noir and neo-noir, one of my favorite things you mentioned was when you said that in true noir the criminal is always punished, one way or another, but in neo-noir he often goes unpunished. That difference seems to really capture the different mentality between now and then.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you describe the difference between film noir and neo-noir. When I was reading the article I had a hard time understanding some of the differences between the two. After reading your blog I understand it more. I liked the quotes, “innocent, unconscious cinematic reaction to the popular culture of its time,” and “self-conscious and more than cognizant of their heritage.”, you used to describe classic noir and neo-noir. I enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to reading more in the future. Thank you for helping me to understand the difference between classic noir and neo-noir better.
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