A4 Post 2: Conventions of Film Noir

Film Noir has many conventions that almost all films tend to follow. From the dark setting to the dark story, the entirety of the genre seems to be about exploring the dark side of urban areas in the United States. Along with that, the films all portray the post-WWII era, so there is an attempt to show the feelings of the soldiers returning from war and the women who have lost their jobs due to this return of soldiers. The main protagonist in these films also tends to have a very ambiguous sense of morale because there really isn't much that they're not willing to do to solve the mystery that is imposed upon them through circumstances created by the directors of the films. Film Noir isn't the most positive genre of movies, but it's very interesting to see how the past is portrayed by these directors from the 90's.

One of the more famous noir films is titled Devil in a Blue Dress. This movie features a black protagonist, which in itself is very nuance as these films tend to have white male protagonists, who is sent on a case to talk to a white woman by the name of Daphne Monet. Throughout the film, there are definitely many dark settings and as the film continues, the story turns dark as the search for a woman changes into a murder mystery. Not only that, but the fact that Ezekiel Rawlins, the main protagonist, is a war veteran definitely taps into the idea that this film is also trying to portray life during the post-war period. For the most part, this films seems to really follow the traditions that previous noir films set for this genre.

The exception to this adherence to tradition is the ending of the film. For the most part, noir films tend to have a very sad and depressing ending, often resulting from spontaneous, unexpected, unwanted conclusions to conflicts set up in the film. Devil in a Blue Dress has an ending that contrasts with this image greatly, the film has Easy Rawlins just talking about his coping and forgetting of the events that had occurred throughout the film. Along with that, the setting at the end is happier than other noir films and supports the idea of family a great deal more.

If there's one thing that Devil in a Blue Dress portrayed properly about the 1940's, it's that there was a "color line" that couldn't be crossed by almost anybody. This relates a great deal to our AMST course because it shows what happens when ethnic difference is not tolerated. Even the rich men in the film feared crossing the color line, which caused the main woman in the film to be rejected by the man running for office: her Creole background caused fear in the politician. It makes sense that there was a sense of fear because there were actually numerous laws that prohibited miscegenation, so being caught would mean immediately being out of the race for he politician, but the fact that these laws existed and caused a politician, who is important and nearly famous, to fear crossing it.