Best Film Noir of All Time....

[sdaniels]

ok then... let's say I accept your opinion - what characteristics would you say a film noir should have?

here are some other peoples definitions... Brick applies to all of these...

"a movie that is marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters"

"A film / movie characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical or desperate characters"

my personal favourite! as it incorporates both of our opinions...

"A French phrase literally meaning "black film" that developed in the early 40s; refers to a genre of mostly black-and-white films that blossomed in the post-war era in American cinema, with bleak subject matter and a somber, downbeat tone; the plot (often a quest), low-key lighting often in night scenes, camera angles (often canted or high-angle shots), the setting (the gloomy underworld of crime and corruption), iconography (guns, urban settings), characters (disillusioned, jaded), and other elements combined to present a dark atmosphere of pessimism, tension, cynicism, or oppression."

This is from http://www.filmnoirstudies.com/home.asp