A Fresh Take on the Past

     Absolutely enjoyed reading Dangerous Days and Midnight in Silicon Valley from the collection of Los Angeles Noir. Right away I could see the characteristics in these Neo Noir stories that were similar to the classic noir we started with, and the differences that gives them a fresh perspective.

     In classic noir, the obvious black and white filming differs from the newer Neo noir and it's life in color. Many similarities also exist, especially the crime, although in classic noir, the murders and malicious acts seem to be down played, while in Neo Noir in stories such as Dangerous Days, the crimes are viciously graphic and detailed. In the period of classic noir,there seen to be much more reservations about the way opinions and ideas are presented to the reader. Another similarity is the presence of the infamous Femme Fatale. Although they exist in both classic and Neo noir, in Neo noir, the venomous women seem to be much more sexually assertive and seeking to satisfy themselves sexually as well. In classic noir, it seemed that the women were all talk and no action, and in Neo noir, the femme fatales take things further sexually. Of course this is because of the way the scripting is done. Society has come to be very open sexually compared to previous times.  Something that left an impression on me, and definitely proved to be a huge difference from classic noir and Neo noir, was the amount of blunt sexual remarks and ideas made throughout the story Dangerous Days. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to it, nowadays as we know, sex sells. Having been introduced to classic film noir and seeing the more reserved manner in which sexual situations are explained, it made me realize the straight to the point way that things are said and described now. It is definitely more acceptable nowadays and is actually desired by many. As we can see, there are many ways to compare and contrast the two.

     There are many reasons to love both classic noir and Neo noir. Classic noir, gives off a sense of elegance and wonderfully represents it's era, while Neo noir gives new generations sassy new story lines that keep us hooked. Neo noir is very successful at reinventing something old like classic noir, into something new without killing the initial core that gave it life. 

Back to Basics and New Adventures

     Neo noir, classic noir, both spectacular in their own way. Classic noir being from the past and Neo noir from the present, both very captivating to the viewer. Classic noirs inspiration came largely from the events and status of the present time, back at that time, including World War II. While Neo noir, has the same idea but with the situations and aura from modern day. Both have incredible qualities that instantly make them hits.
     A great example of classic noir is Double Indemnity. It was said to be one of the best of it's time. In classic noir there was lots of low lighting, and night time filming for night. A good example of Neo noir is Southland, a tv series about policemen and women working in Los Angeles. Within that show, you see crooked cops and lots of crime.  While classic noir was filmed in black and white, Neo noir adds a splash of color, which adds some extra life to it. Quick camera movements are also a part of film noir, showing anxiety and desperateness by the characters. The music that is heard in the noir films is very inticing and gives a sense of claustrophobia and is quite chilling.
     Whether you like classic noir, or Neo noir, they are both wonderfully developed ideas of film and they both seem to have been and continue to be very popular with the viewing audiences. Classic noir or neo noir, whatever era you feel like, there's one for you. The visuals and story lines are very well thought out, they draw you in even if you try to holdback. Noir...try it!

On Point Critique

The popularity of the film noir flick "Double Indemnity," can be clearly detected within the reading of any of the many film reviews that are out there. Whether you have been a film noir junkie since their debut, or you are new to this tone and mood, you are bound to be drawn in by the amazing storylines. A magnificent example of such an article is Notes on Film:Double Indemnity, by Thomas Caldwell.
Within the article, the author makes sure to point out the many "essential film noir ingredients," including the antihero, the femme fatale, and also the first person narrator. Film noir which translates into, "black film" in French, has many different elements that represent it, low-key lighting being one of which the author of Notes on Film:Double Indemnity explains. "Double Indemnity is an incredibly dark film with characters emerging from darkness, shadows obscuring the faces of the characters and a strong prevalence of Venetian blinds casting striped shadows over everything in shot." He goes on to explain, "...this use of shadows portrays the environment that the characters live in as dangerous and full of corruption, mystery, and violence, inhabited by people with dubious motives and ambiguous morals." The author creatively and clearly explains the themes that represent film noir to it's fullest. Reading the insights of the author, I felt even more compelled by the novel and movie than I already was. He accurately formulates the roles of Phyllis and Walter and disects the purpose of their roles in Double Indemnity. He beautifully explains Phyllis' character in his article by saying, "Barbara Stanwycks portrayal of Phyllis Dietrichson is still considered one of the all time great femme fatales as she perfectly embodies the seductress feigning helplessness who is gradually revealed to be manipulative and deadly." He also mentions that women were quite drawn to the idea of strong women, the "femme fatales" in these films, I can definitely see why the female audience felt that way. In some twisted way, the femme fatales seem too make women feel more empowered, they embody the characteristics that some women wished they carried.
All in all Thomas Caldwells article depicted Double Indemnity wonderfully. He appeared to be quite knowledgable on film noir and a fan at that. I absolutely enjoyed his article and believe a stranger to film noir or Double Indemnity would learn a great deal from the reading of Thomas Caldwells, Notes on Film: Double Indemnity.

Sweet...Or Bittersweet

       So the end was approaching and it's now arrived. The end of Double Indemnity was very surprising to me. Even more so surprising, the outcome of the ill-fated relationship between Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger, oh and we can't forget Lola and Sachetti, they definitely played an important role in this whole mess that unfolded right before out eyes. Throughout the book, we've all had so many mixed emotions about the situations that have unravelled and the ending didn't fail to stun me just as much.
       After plotting against Mr. Nirdlinger together with Phyllis, Walter now wanted to get her out of his way so he could move on with his life, alongside Lola. Silly of him to think that Phyllis wouldn't also want him out of her way. So after Walter is shot by Phyllis and ends up in the hospital, he spills the whole story to Keyes. He's hoping that by doing this, Lola wouldn't get mixed up in any of it, since she and Sachetti were found at the scene of the crime. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, Keyes had decided to "help" Walter. "Now get this. There'll be a reservation for you, under a name I'll give you, on a steamer leaving San Pedro Thursday night for Balboa and points south. You take that steamer." (Pg.109) Now what is actually more uncanny, is that Phyllis is on that steamer with Walter, to his possible dismay. Now how can this be justified? There they are, these two cold blooded murderers, and it seems as though they've got off scotch free, or have they? When it comes to Phyllis, this is the story of her life, she sees no value in life, so she feels no guilt, because according to her, she was doing her husband a favor. She has a twisted mind and she recognizes that and doesn't seem to think it's a problem. "But there's something in me that loves Death. I think of myself as Death, sometimes." (Pg.18)On the other hand, Walter feels very guilty, he killed the father of the woman he loves, which was now Lola. He wasn't at peace within himself, it was eating away at him. I was rooting for Walter, I wanted him and Lola to go off together and live happily ever after. They truly seemed to have a healthy relationship based on "real love", not the lust that brought together Phyllis and Walter. Not as far as Lola was concerned, apparently she still loved Sachetti. Now that may be unjust of me to say, after all he was a killer, but to each his own. When it comes to Phyllis, she should have been detained by authorities and held responsible for all the "accidental" murders she had committed. She is heartless and deserves to suffer like she made so many suffer. What happened at the end with Phyllis and Walter, was not quite satisfying to me, although don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed every minute of it. I mean, with characters like them, we never get what we are expecting. Even if the reader comes away from the book thinking justice wasn't served, Walter and Phyllis will have to endure a life sentence, perhaps not in a jail cell, but within their own souls.
       Whether we agree or disagree with the consequences that Walter and Phyllis did or did not have to face, we can all probably agree that this book was far greater than what we had bargained for. It captivates the reader from beginning to end, and leaves you wanting more. Too bad, all things must come to an end, and each reader can walk away having interpreted the end as sweet, or bittersweet......

Dying to Kill, Killing for Love

     Have you ever loved someone so much, you would die for them? How about this, have you ever loved someone so much you would kill for them? Well in Double Indemnity, the power of love, or maybe more like, the power of lust takes a step into a whole other level when Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger form a deadly relationship. A chance encounter of two strangers, becomes a cobweb full of lies, betrayal, seduction, and finally, murder, when the two decide to end the life of Mr. Nirdlinger. But where will such a heinous crime leave Phyllis Nirdlinger and Walter Huff? Will they be able to carry on with their perverted relationship after the deed is done and truly love one another? Or will they turn against each other, only to fend for themselves after being accomplices in this tragic crime?   
     When Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger met, they were simply discussing insurance. By the end of that first encounter, they had formed a connection that they both knew was forbidden. By the second encounter, Phyllis had managed to get Walter, to help her plot the "accidental" murder of her husband Mr. Nirdlinger. "Phyllis, you seem to think that because I can call it on you, you're not going to do it. You Are going to do it, and I'm going to help you." (Double Indemnity by James M. Cain pg.17) He was willing to put it all on the line for her, almost like he was trying to prove himself to her, how "potent" he was. Of course he could possibly have a hidden agenda himself, but he made it seem to Phyllis, that he wanted to help her, for her own "benefit." In the time before the murder occurred, Phyllis and Walter were very passionate towards one another, always anticipating their next encounter. Well once they had gone through with their plan of murdering Mr. Nirdlinger, they became distant from one another. Could it have been due to outside obligation or personal choice? Walter on one hand, became very nervous and maybe overly cautious, trying to keep his distance from Phyllis (being that she is going to be kept on a short leash by Keyes), while Phyllis wanted to keep on with her life and relationship with Walter. She seemed to notice or imagine that Walter was acting different. She even asked Walter if he still loved her, he said yes, but really was this ever real love? "I love her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake." (Double Indemnity by James M. Cain pg.70) What one could decipher from that quote from the book, is that the love he felt for her was not authentic, more a fear for her venomous character, perhaps respect for her due to the things he knew she was capable of. This was a new feeling towards her that came over him. In reality they are both shady people that embarked on a deadly journey together, not knowing that after all was said and done, they would face certain consequences within themselves, if not with authorities at first.

     When we begin a relationship with someone, it shouldn't be for all the wrong reasons, if that's the case the relationship is more than likely doomed to failure. Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger, started off on the wrong foot, they were starting a relationship on damaging motives, far from what a normal couple would. A vicious crime that was being schemed up brought together and entangled the very different lives of two people, only to complicate their very existence. Rather than bringing them together in love and excitement, that "love" that they had felt at one desperate moment, quickly appears to be fading.

First Delectable Taste of Double Indemnity

Wow! Double indemnity is so interesting, you want to keep reading it without stopping. Although I have only read the first 3 chapters, I can already begin to catch on to certain ideas and themes that have the quintessential idea of film noir.
Double Indemnity most definitely has the characteristics of what a true film noir should be. The contents are very well thoughtout, and every sentence and every word has an important role in the story. In the article, "Notes on Film Noir," the author Paul Shrader states that the qualities of film noir include, "nightmarish, weird, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel," all very much on key with Double Indemnity. The plot to murder Mrs. Nirdlingers husband is cruel indeed, and odd that Mr.Huff, his insurance agent is the one planting new ideas in the wives already twisted mind on how, when, and where they will get rid of him. So sinister and odd, that two strangers meet (Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger) and create a connection, a bond, that will tie them together for the purpose of committing such a malice act.
In the book Double Indemnity, right off the bat, the wife of Mr. Nirdlinger, Phyllis Nirdlinger, falls into that infamous category of the femme fatal. Simply her presence appears to ignite something within Walter Huff. Mrs. Nirdlinger was able to unbeknownst, seduce Walter Huff, so much so that he is willing to help her plan and carry out the "accidental" death of her husband. Phyllis has accomplished to get into Mr. Huffs head. He is so intrigued, he cannot resist her. Mrs. Nirdlinger has convinced him to do her "dirty work." Typical of a femme fatal to use their body and sexuality to draw in a man and use him for all he is worth. Like any skillful femme fatal, Mrs. Nirdlinger is able to manipulate Mr. Huff into making her fantasy, one treacherous reality.
Deceit, desperation, crime, and even...murder, a chilling part of this world, all comes to life in Double Indemnity. The characters, the plot, it all has this special way of attracting most anyone to want to know more, and trust me, you will come back for more.

Why does noir seem to appeal to a limited audience today instead of enjoying a wider following?

          Although noir films were such a big hit after World War II, nowadays, fans are limited to a semi-small group. After reading the article, "The Neo-Noir 90s," I personally am more drawn towards the viewing pleasure of this genre. That could be due partly to the enjoyment and thrill I get from eerie, gloomy, and dark subjects, basically things that aren't part of what most would consider the "norm." Not necessarily in a "Gothic" way, more of a love for uniqueness and intricacy.
          Different people, from different walks of life, may certainly have conflicting feelings towards noir films. There is actually a popular quote from Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, that comes to mind when I think of why noir films are not drawing in many devotees to their audiences, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." We as individuals, have different taste in all sorts of things, including the types of films we enjoy. A group of people may be watching the same movie and interpret it in a completely different way as individuals. Most people strive for happiness and want to surround themselves only with things that are positive and encouraging, so many people may feel that noir films are depressing and negative, therefore, pushing them away from these films. What movie goers need to understand, is that there is nothing wrong with enjoying a "dark" noir film in the privacy of your own home, or in a crowded theater. Yes, most people want to play it safe and not step out of their comfort zone, but it's just a movie, it should be the entertainment value that matters. You see, film students and film critics, are more familiar  with the meanings behind noir films, where as a regular Joe, might easily get confused with the elements that are used. The lack of appeal for the noir films comes from the fear that audiences may have for the subjects/themes and styles that are used, hence, they steer clear from these flicks.
           If people today, would attempt to have a more open mind, they would get the opportunity to enjoy the diverse subject matter and exhilaration of noir films, and come away with a better understanding and appreciation for this work of art.