II. Mementos Link to Classic Film Noir
1. Voice Over Narration- We are hearing the film through Leonard’s point of view, although due to his condition, it is hard to believe everything he says. Leonard doesn’t trust others, but he is not a reliable character either. The voice over narration makes the audience feel as though they are in Leonard’s mind, giving us a very close look at what his daily experiences are like.
2. Conclusion of Film- The conclusion of the movie is actually seen at the beginning of the film, as in Double Indemnity. What that does is prevent the audience from expecting a happy ending or a different outcome. It also makes the audience more intrigued as to what events caused the outcome of the film.
-Alienation: Leonard is always obsessing about locating and murdering “John G,” and allows his life to be consumed with that. Also the motel where he stays at shows the lonely type of existence that he lives ever since losing his wife. His life revolves around that so he alienates himself from society unless it has something to do with “John G.”
-Venetian Blinds: In the black and white scenes, which show Leonard discussing the Sammy Jankis story, we can see venetian blinds in the background. This links to Double Indemnity where we hear about the venetian blinds in the Nirdlinger’s home. Also depending on the way the viewer interprets the movie, the black and white scenes can be seen as a type of confession on Leonard’s part as to what he did to his wife, meaning he may have fabricated the Sammy Jankis story for his own way of coping. That connects back to Double Indemnity when we see Walter recording his confession.
III. Mementos Link to Neo Noir
1. Colored Scenes- Cinema had advanced with newer technology and instead of black and white, they began to incorporate color.2. Anxieties of the Times- The growth of mental illness in 90s America was a topic that began to be used within Neo Noir films. There was a lot of mistrust when it came to the government and other institutions, but now it had been taken further, the protagonist could no longer trust himself, a great example being Leonard in Memento.
-The parallel story in Memento about Sammy Jankis and his wife supposedly trying to commit insurance fraud, which again links Memento to Double Indemnity and Walter and Phyllis’s insurance scam.
QuotesIn the article, “Christopher Nolans Memento-Analysis of the Narrative Structure of a Noirish revenge film,” Dr. Robert Hurd states, “… Black and white sequences offer a very objective view of Leonard’s character. The audience watches the protagonist in his hotel room from a third person or security camera point of view. The color scenes on the other hand are very subjective and from Leonard’s point of view. The camera is always kind of over his shoulder or right behind him in these scenes and there are many close ups of the main character. The audience is shown details that only Lenny can see. Through this way of filming the protagonist, a very close relationship between the viewers and Lenny is constructed.”
This quote goes well with the film and its connection to noir. It mentions the black and white sequences, along with the colored sequences as well as the camera angles and views. The colored scenes make it almost feel as though you are in Leonard’s shoes, experiencing the effects of the loss of short term memory. The black and white scenes provide an outsider view of the situation. At times the audience takes on the role of the detective trying to piece together the clues that Leonard discovers. The alternating black and white scenes with colored scenes make the movie complex since one moves in forward order while the other goes backwards.
In Eric Szyszka’s article, “Brain Damage: Neo Noir and the Nineties,” he states, “While it can be terrifying to realize you were just suffocated in a web of lies, it is far worse to realize you were actually the one lying to yourself. Noir protagonists are usually single men emotionally burdened with betrayals or losses suffered somewhere in the past, often psychologically flawed or wounded and sometimes fatally incapacitated. In Memento we are presented with Leonard Shelby who is a composite of the standard private investigator of film noir fame, a regular Sam Spade or Mike Hammer, but crossbred with someone like completely flawed insurance salesman Walter Neff from Billy Wilder’s 1944 masterpiece Double Indemnity. What is the result of this mixture? A brain damaged insurance investigator.”
This quote is very good at explaining an anxiety of the time, being a sense of truth and identity. There was so much new information coming from different sources such as the internet, that it was hard to identify the truth. The connection between that and Memento, is Leonard’s search for the truth while having to deal with his condition and not knowing who he could or couldn’t trust. The other characters surrounding him in the movie, Natalie the femme fatal and Teddy the corrupt cop, manipulate Leonard throughout the film, making him think they wanted to help him in his search for the truth, all the meanwhile deceiving him. That means not only does Leonard have to be cautious with the information provided by others, but his own as well. So how is Leonard to find the truth when he has no real reliable sources? He is pretty much hopeless, like most ambiguous protagonists.