Why I Love Noir: A Confession
The Scoop features personal essays on movie-centric topics.
By Dave Comello
I’m currently into my third bourbon as I write under duress and direction from my son [Cinema Sugar editor Chad Comello] about why I like noir. It’s like being hauled downtown to answer questions by some frustrated police lieutenant who knows I won’t give it up easily.
I complain about his editing, his deadlines, his reductions—to which he replies like Lt. Sims in Crime Wave: “What do you want, Christmas every day?”
You really wanna know why I like noir? All right, pull up a chair and gimme a light. I’ll tell you what I know.
Catharsis through Crime
During World War II, people wanted musicals, happy endings, patriotic war movies, and stories that offered hope.
But toward the end of the war and into the 1950s, Hollywood started depicting the harsh realities of war and its consequences in people’s lives through the stylish crime dramas of film noir (French for “black/dark film”). There was a kind of catharsis in its cynicism, shady characters, and melodramatic mysteries.
Unabashed and Unrelenting
As I’ve delved deep into the world of noir, I’ve come to appreciate many things about it.
I love that it is unabashed, unrelenting, and unable to pull any punches. It exposes the shadowy realms we all pass through, including the darker side of human character. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
But it also encourages me to persevere under duress. To be honest in my assessment of myself and others. To be welcoming but wise while interacting with people.
An Artful Blend
I love how noir blends all the artistic elements of filmmaking into a darkly alluring puzzle box.
The script taps into hard-boiled themes to tell a gritty but honest story. The cinematography uses shadows and set design to create an evocative setting. And the actors make that setting come to life through no-nonsense personas and snappy dialogue.
And oh, the dialogue! I keep a running list of clever, snappy, or acidic quotes I’ve encountered in my noir viewings. My friend John and I will stop a movie to replay a scene just to enjoy the lighting, the dialogue, or the scene as a whole. We’ve even dubbed his garage where we watch them the Noir Lounge.
A Guy I Know
No modern movie captures my attention like this genre, but I know it’s an acquired taste. My tastebuds for noir were wetted with my love for moviemaking in general—especially Hollywood’s black-and-white era from the 1930s through 1950s, before the silver screen turned Technicolor.
If you want to know more about this era and the lost art of noir it produced, I can give you a name of a guy who knows a guy. His name is Eddie Muller. Don’t tell him I sent you.
“This is our ticket, baby. You have no idea how much dough this dame’s got.” — The Big Bluff
Such is noir...