Conventions In Film Noir

German expressionist films were made in the 1920's and highly impacted the creation of Film Noir and its conventions. The visuals within Film Noir match perfectly to the visuals in German expressionist cinema. The darkness, disillusionment and tone/mood of the films. Other films that were influenced by German expressionism and is showed through Cinematography are Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, 1982. Chinatown, Roman Polanski, 1974 and Devil in a blue dress, Carl Franklin, 1995.

 Item 1

This image is from the film Blade Runner and clearly shows a stroung link to German expressionism with the dark lighting, omnious shadows. The use of staircases that create skewed angles on screen and convey the narrative.

 Item 2


This image is from the film Chinatown. Like the image above it clearly shows a strong link to German expressionism and Film Noir. The use of contrast with the characters suit, desk and the harsh background. Also the line shadows that are reflected into the shot by the use of lighting.

 Item 3

Here is an image from the film Devil in a Blue Dress and has a clear obvious link to German Expressionism and Stylish Hollywood Crime. The main image reflects the stylish gangsta linking to Hollywood Crime. In addition to this the sepia effect reflects the Hollywood sun and also is a nice contrast to Denzel Washingston's skin tone, and makes the black shadows more bold. In the background there is a clear shadow of a woman with a dominant stance (femme fatale). The bold images that create the setting of Hollywood (palm trees). Overall the composistion and use of visual imagery and shadows link to Neo Noir and German Expressionism.