Why Steven Spielberg Became a Director

Here's a short video I thought you might find interesting...



Any thoughts? (Comment for extra credit if you like.)

Film Noir IV: Tech Noir

Tech noir are science-fiction centered noir films. Also called future-noirs, these are modern-day noirs set in futuristic settings. In a way, tech noir is noir-meets-cyberpunk, first popularized by William Gibson's 1984 book Neuromancer. Examples of tech noir include:

Film Noir III: Neo-Noir (Post Noir)

Neo-noirs, or 'post noirs', are modern era noir films refashioned for present-day sensibilities. Starting in the 1960s, most neo-noirs attempt to re-establish the moods and themes of classic noirs and in a way reflect or comment on earlier noir films - a great example of films as film criticism.

Film Noir II: Pre-Noir

Where did Noir come from? Noir found its roots in early German expressionism:







Noir also took many of its themes from the ganster/crime stories of the 1930s:

Film Noir I - Classic Noir

Definition:
Film noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was coined by French film critics who noticed the trend of how 'dark', downbeat, and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France to theaters following the WWII.



The classic noir story:
A cynical, hard-hearted, disillusioned male character encounters a beautiful but promiscuous, amoral, double-dealing and seductive femme fatale. She uses her feminine sexuality to manipulate him. After a betrayal or double-cross, she is frequently destroyed as well, often at the cost of the hero's life.



Typical noir moods:

• melancholy
• bleakness
• disillusionment
• ambiguity
• moral corruption
• guilt
• desperation
• paranoia

The classic noir anti-hero:

• corrupt
• down-and-out
• conflicted
• hard-boiled
• morally-ambiguous
• cynical
• obsessive (sexual or otherwise)
• brooding
• menacing
• frightened

The typical noir story line:

• elliptical
• non-linear and twisting
• maze-like and convoluted
• typically told with foreboding background music and flashbacks 
• often told with witty dialogue, and/or reflective and confessional, first-person voice-over narration.

Typical noir themes:

• the dark and inhumane side of human nature
• doomed love
• emphasized the brutal, unhealthy, seamy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human experience

Typical noir visuals:

• expressionistic lighting
• deep-focus or depth of field camera work
• disorienting visual schemes
• ominous shadows
• skewed camera angles
• circling cigarette smoke
• unbalanced or moody compositions

Interior settings are often:

• single-source lighting
• venetian-blinded windows and rooms
• dark, claustrophobic, gloomy appearances.

Exterior settings are often:

• urban night scenes with deep shadows
• dark alleyways
• rain-slicked or mean streets
• flashing neon lights
• low key lighting

1975: Best Picture Showdown

In 1975, five films were nominated for 'Best Picture' by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. They were:

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest won. Jaws did not. Jaws, for better or worse, spawned three direct sequels and, some would argue, changed the face of Hollywood forever. (Summer suddenly became the season to make money in movie theaters - a phenomenon that had never before occurred.)

Here is the question of the day:

Did Cuckoo's Nest rightfully win the 'Best Picture' award, or was Jaws robbed?

This will not be an online discussion. Instead, please answer the question in a multi-paragraph, 300 word essay. Please put the word count in the upper right hand corner along with your name. Please be sure that your essay is thoughtful and thorough, as well as grammatically correct. You will probably want to take into account and state the criteria by which you are making your determination. You should also back up your claims with specific evidence from each film.