As defined by Merriam-Webster, a film noir is a "a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music." The word quite literally translates to black film in French. Film noir was first created in France in the 1930s. The first known film noirs include The Maltese Falcon and Laura. These films are dark, mysterious, and often give off the vibe as if they were created in the 20's.
My love for film noir films stemmed from 2010 television series Pretty Little Liars. The series follows four teenage girls following the disappearance and murder of their fifth best friend, Alison DiLaurentis. The entire series has a murderous and eerie tone to it, with their stalker “A” and other unwanted characters lurking in the shadows. However, in their fourth season, the series did something that they had never done before by introducing an episode done entirely in black and white.
Titled “Shadow Play,” this episode perfectly foreshadows upcoming events in the series whilst also taking viewers out of the perfect town of Rosewood and back to the 20’s for one hour long episode. The four friends are taken into this alternate universe as a result of Spencer’s overabundance of sleeping pills, therefore everything that follows in the episode is amplified by this feature. Ezra, Aria’s English teacher and long-term boyfriend is depicted as the villain, with his sidekick Mona (otherwise known as the original “A”). An otherwise grappling detail to note is that Alison herself comes back from the grave to make a feature in this episode, a foreshadow to the next season, where it is revealed that she was never really dead. In a way, this only multiplies the mystery and eeriness of the episode, as it left viewers thinking, “What does this mean?”
At only fourteen years old, I fell in love with the style of film noir from the instant that I saw the preview for this Pretty Little Liars episode on ABC Family. The beauty of the lack of color with the presence of shadows and mystery intrigued me. As shown in screen caps from Shadow Play below, the fashion and design known in this time period only added to this. Throughout the episode, the four main characters plus other female characters like Mona and Alison wear elegant outfits, hats, overdone makeup, pearls. It is very Great Gatsby in that sense.
With my own film, I only hope to create the same ambiance through color, shadows, acting, design and makeup, and setting. There is such a specific feeling given through film noir films, a feeling of horror and romance that cannot be replicated. I know that with proper work ethic, time, effort, and creativity, my group members and I can create the same beauty that most film noirs encapsulate.
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