#3) Text & Genre

In American Film Genres (from Sharon’s notes), Rick Altman states that genres create a particular “world” and as audience members, “we follow its rules; when we enter into a genre film, all our decisions are self-consciously modified to support a different kind of satisfaction…From one genre to another, the genre spectator always participates in overly counter-cultural acts.” (280) As we become familiar with a genre, we begin to expect certain outcomes, characters, stylistic choices, etc. Then our satisfaction comes from the action in that world, which differs from our reality. For example, “in the western and the gangster film, we long for the spectacle of a type of violence that society roundly condemns.” (280) We could conclude that the motivation for recurring themes, motifs, and styles in genres is the unspoken situation of the people creating and finding pleasure in these genres. People’s ideologies are therefore reflected in their movies, and the way we interpret, categorize, or utilize the genre is a demonstration of our understanding of its purpose in our current culture and society.

In Paul Schrader’s Notes on Film Noir, he exemplifies how a genre naturally forms out of the issues and mindset of the time period. Film noir is rooted in America’s involvement in the world wars, thus it reflected post-war realism. It “suited America’s post-war mood; the public’s desire for a more honest and harsh view of America would not be satisfied by the same studio streets they had been watching for a dozen years…It was now taking place in the streets with everyday people.” (55) Furthermore, all characters had elements of secrecy, crime, and deceit to them, yet the satisfaction was found in the detective characters, attempting to stop the crime and solve the mystery to save the innocent and condemn the bad. America enjoyed this type of escape, where crime didn’t pay, yet an unrealistic state of happiness and bliss was not being shoved in their faces. The noir world was cold, dark, and sinister, formulating a nightmarish world of American mannerism, and creating artistic solutions to sociological problems.

In his essay, Ideology, Genre, and Auteur, Robin Wood states that genres “represent different strategies for dealing with the same ideological tensions.” Film noir is dealing with stresses and tensions (depression, pessimism, and hopelessness) in a very blatant and literal fashion, and we can still determine that from the stylistic choices because these same ideological tensions can be felt today through the film, and in our own society. Although this genre is used more ironically today (perhaps we believe we have advanced in our methods of storytelling for the screen, that film noir can no longer be taken seriously, due to its melodramatic “black and white” structure), the elements that make up the “noir” genre are still effective in addressing emotions of fear and a need for a hero.

In The Maltese Falcon (1941), the film noir elements are found within the cinematography, particularly regarding angles and lighting. As for lighting, much of the film’s deepest interrogations take place in the small detective office, at night, with the camera very close to a lit lamp. Furthermore, light often streamed in through the open blinds which established an eerie mood, as if the light resembled someone outside of the building, possibly spying on the intimate conversation taking place in tight quarters. The sharp, contrasting lights against the dark room (and the darkness outside) also accentuates the interrogation aspect of the conversation typically taking place: someone is being questioned about their involvement with or knowledge of a crime, for example. The lighting therefore intensifies the heat of the conversation, and the need to bring the dark, secretive things to light.

            The low camera angles, particularly in the office during an interrogation, makes the actors look taller and more menacing, since the camera is filming essentially from the ground up. Also, it was quite often that someone’s back was to the camera. While this is a pretty standard procedure for filming two characters talking to each other, it is more stylized and exaggerated in film noir to add to the mystery; this camera angle conceals the reactions of the other person (the listener), and makes it seem like the two people are therefore not seeing eye-to-eye. Perhaps one is hiding something from the other, which is often the case. This angle also makes the audience feel like they are not getting the full story or the full effect of the conversation, further highlighting the enigmatic and puzzling nature of the plot and characters’ true motives. There is a level of discomfort and distance felt when we are to look at someone’s back during a scene. We feel cut out from it—not in the conversation or able to “read the room.”

By using mainly medium shots and close-ups, the film is accenting the small, tight nature of the spaces in the shot. The camera consequently cannot reveal much of what is happening around them. It enhances the tension and the forced intimacy, which the detectives must create in order to get answers from those under question. This also intensifies the violence (physical and gun shots), and the sexual tension between Spade and Brigid. The close-up shots of her reflect the way in which Spade might be fooled by her attempt at looking innocent, or captivated and distracted by her beautiful, womanly features. Yet she receives her proper punishment at the end, thank goodness.

In conclusion, the formation and utilization of genres reflect the worlds into which people desire to escape, and the manner in which film can satisfy their needs, by creatively displaying their ideologies and societal issues at the time. The film noir genre/mood reflected the mental, psychological, and emotional state of the American people during and after the world wars, through the reflection of everyday people in real environments (not sets) dealing with the darkness of crime, deceit, and hopelessness. The cinematography accentuates this mood through the contrasting abilities of both lighting and camera angles. Yet viewers still received much satisfaction from the characters and plot. After all, crime never pays in the end. The whereabouts of the Maltese Falcon remain a mystery, and the crazy chick finally goes to jail. Justice is served.