Messages and Values questions in Film Noir

fate
1. Fate is not kind and life is uncertain.,
  1. Al is picked up by a wrong person, and then he picks up a wrong person.
    1. Gets picked up by Charlie Haskel- turns out to be trouble
    2. He picks up Vera- turns out to be trouble.
Greed
1. It's a destructive impulse.
  1. This leads to Vera's death.,
  2. Haskel is willing to lie to his own father.
    1. He tells his father his job is selling religious books, when in a matter of fact he's actually a bookie.
  3. Al is critical of the corrupting influence of money.
Traps
1. Life can trap you and there is no way out.
  1. Claustrophobic sets: The Car and The Hotel Room
  2. Gradual decline in Al's appearance.
  3. Always trying to open a window.
    1. Let in air, means of escape, but Vera doesn't let him. She locks doors- traps him.
Disguise
1. you can reinvent/disguise but never escape your nature.
  1. Al becomes Haskel Vera dresses up.
Most screen play writers/directors are not just story tellers. Films often contain investigations/criticisms/exploration of what is going on in the society in which they are produced.
Crime/Deviance
1. In the 1940s there was the Hays Code which meant only certain things could be put on screen. This meant that criminals had to be caught.
2. Gone Girl, there is Natural Law. This links in with the revenge that she wants.
  1. Could admire Amy?
People cannot be trusted to be who they say they are- our identities are all just acts/performances and impressions we create.

Resource summary

	Created by G-Dog about 10 years ago