Film Noir in regards to 'The Maltese Falcon'

The Codes and Conventions of Film Noir...

Film Noir is defined as a style or genre of film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied to American thrillers and detective films made in the 1940's and 50's. Directors such as Orson Welles  and Billy Wilder are some of the earliest film directors credited with creating Film Noirs.

 

Characters & Language

In film noir's there are numerous roles which often make appearances, Male Characters often used in Film Noir include the:

• Hero/anti-hero
• Hard boiled detective
• Private investigator
• Police
• Gangsters
• Sociopaths
• killers
• War veterans
• Politicians
• Shady underground figures 

Female characters in Film Noir however have less roles, the two main ways in which they're portrayed are as the Femme fatale or the reliable helper. The femme fatal is often portrayed as mysterious, duplicitous, double crossing, gorgeous, manipulative, and desperate. The other role which juxtaposes this is the dutiful, helpful, reliable, trustworthy, loving woman often over looked by the male lead.

During the period that these films took off society was different in comparison to what it is today. Males often objectifying woman as the during the 1940's this was the social norm, women where subject to discrimination. This objectification is shown clearly in film noir for example in the 1941 film 'The Maltese Falcon' directed by John Huston the male lead, detective Sam Spade played by Humphrey Bogart uses patronising and belittling language in regards to woman he is surrounded with. Phrases such as "sweetheart" "precious" and "knockout" are used either to or as a description of women by Bogart's character. It is revealed through Spades actions that he is a hard unemotional man, when he learnt of the death of his partner he responds in a neutral manner. He doesn't react to the news with obvious upset, suggesting he has become hardened to things such as death- giving him a dark and edgy appeal. His interactions with the femme fatal character in the beginning of the film shows the typical patriarchy of the time, he acts overtly concerned for her and uses patronising language to convey his desires. A male character that juxtaposes the character of Sam Spade in the Maltese falcon is Peter Lorre's character, Joel Cairo. Cairo is one of the three protagonists of the movie and is conveyed as overly effeminate, this suggested homosexuality would have at the time been viewed as wrong and added to the audiences negative opinion of Cairo. This mixed with the suggestion that all three of the protagonists are homosexual would have caused a stir during the time of the films release.
The femme fatal in this movie Brigid O’Shaughnessy follows the classic conventions of a femme fatal, she is portrayed as a innocent, upper crust English woman. Which gives the audience a sense of ease as she seems unlikely to be a threat. She wears fine clothing which contrasts to the poor conditions surrounding her in the detectives office, making it appear she is above them. Her character also comes across as demure as she emphasises her fear and concern. This fits in with the typical view that women were the weaker sex and compliments Spades male patronising persona and the belittling language he uses to sooth her.

 

Sound

Sound plays an important role in film noir often being used to accentuate the scene and create drama. Often in classic Film noir a voice over was used this was because the quality of the sound on the film would often be poor and unclear. The voice over actor used would often be the same actor playing the detective in the movie. Non-diegetic sound tracks are also used to add to the atmosphere of film noir often music which inspires feelings of foreboding drama. often classic jazz or blues music is used as this usually fits into the specific genre.  

 

Lighting

Lighting in Film noir focuses of low key lighting or chiaroscuro which emphasises shadow and harsh lighting. Chiaroscuro adds volume and depth to shots, which was what directors in the 1940's needed as they didn't have much money for fancy sets or the most advanced technologies to make there sets look professional. In film noir the classic three point lighting set up is used, the key light is usually the most important light on the set. The key light tends to be the brightest light and most dominant, complimenting the key light is the fill light. The fill light is usually opposite the key light and used to fill in the shadows created by the key light. The final light in the three point set up is the back light, this separates the subject from the background. In film noir the two most important lights are strong key and back lights as these create contrast on the subject. Hard lights tend to be used more in film noir as this gives a stronger, sharper shadow compared to soft light. Hard light uses a single light source whereas soft light has a larger area and leaves a fuzzy shadow. To dramatize film noir shots hard light is mainly used, however soft light is used for female characters in order to soften and glamorize them. A classic use of lighting and shadow used in film noir is of venetian blinds, the lines they create are almost iconic in film noir.

In the classic film noir movie 'The Maltese Falcon' lighting meets the age old conventions of the genre and plays a key role in creating an enigma for the audience to wonder about and emphasise the dramatic atmosphere. To add emphasis to the dark dealings in the film, director John Huston uses low key lighting in most scenes in the film. The outdoor shots in particular mainly take place during the night or early hours of the morning meaning that the light from a streetlamp appears to be the only light source in the shot. This single light source is a theme not only in 'The Maltese Falcon' but many film noir movies. Most of the time in the film, fill lights used on characters faces are weak or not even present adding to the dramatic ambiance created by the film.

In juxtaposition of this however is the soft and bright lighting used during the introduction of the femme fatal character, this female character has softer light used to add to the innocence her character is trying to portray.
  
 

Narrative

The narrative of Film noir movies tend repeat themselves throughout the genre. There is usually a hard bitten, world weary detective who has his pessimistic world view reinforced by a betrayal at the hands of a manipulative femme fatale. Usually the detective is drawn in by the femme fatale, falling for her innocent act and seduced. However sees just in time her true motivations and saves the day. This is a classic example of  'The Spider and the Fly' Wherein the detective is the fly and the femme fatal is a spider. Another aspect of film noir narratives are twists in the plot which leave the audience feeling shocked, often these twist pertain to the femme fatal characters involvement.

In 'The Maltese Falcon' the story follows the aforementioned narrative. Detective Sam Spade is drawn in by his client, the femme fatal and hired to tail a man to find her sister. However after shocking plot twists turns the Femme fatal has her true and deadly motivations become clear. During the film there are moments when the audience is left questioning if Spade really is a 'good guy' as there are aspects of his personality that seem to be morally corrupt but in the end Spade does the right thing and turns over O'Shaughnessy to the police.

 

Use of The Camera

The use of Camera has a major role in all film however in 'The Maltese Falcon' Director John Huston relied on it to a greater extent as the technologies and sets in the 1940's where lacking in finance. He made it so that camera was working hand-in-hand with lighting to create mood fitting with the ambiguous and dark atmosphere. To add intensity to scenes with little kinetic action, the film uses a quick cut to a close up of a character’s face. An example of this is when Wilmer Cook discovers that the other characters have chosen him as the 'fall guy' for the murders in the movie. A similar technique is used to showcase the Maltese Falcon as it is unwrapped, showing the audience that the item holds significant importance to the characters on set. By using close up shots Huston is also avoiding having to show the background set, which usually lacked in design as money for extensive sets was often little. The film also features low-angle shots to build suspense and allow for the audience to get a sense being unworthy when presented with shots that make characters on screen appear to be looking down. Low-angle shots are used prominently in conversation especially between Spade and the “Fat Man.” The camera in this instance is aimed up towards the sitting Fat Man to give an impression of authority to his massive figure. and make him seem even more imposing. Through shots such as this, Huston keeps tension high in 'The Maltese Falcon' which is the main aim all director of film noir seek to achieve.

 

Iconography

Whenever Film Noir is mentioned everybody gets images that instantly pop into their heads, it is these iconic items, scenes and pieces of clothing which make film noir memorable. Classic iconic items include;  

• Guns
• Cigarettes
• Cigars
• Venetian blinds
• Trilby hats
• trench coats
• Gloves
• Decanters of bourbon
• Red dress/lipstick
• Rain
• Standing under streetlamps
• pipe smoking

 

Mise-en-scene

In film noir classic things that are in the frame including things such as office building, shady downtown locations and under streetlamps. these are all classic film noir locations as they add drama and mystery as well as fitting with the codes and conventions.

In the start of the Maltese falcon the characters are introduced to the audience in a classic PI office showing how the film fits with the genre.