The aspect of Film Noir that I’d like to focus on is the directorial style: antitraditional mise-en-scene. I found this particularly intriguing, because through my interior design eye and in general, I usually vote for asymmetry. To explain what I mean by this, Film Noir is all about throwing off those “harmonious triangular three-shots” as Place and Peterson point out. I find this aspect of Film Noir refreshing, because I feel like it acts as the Beatles of the film industry. It pushes the limits and standards to create something new and easily controversial.

Also regarding this antitradional mise-en-scene, I’d like to touch on the claustrophobic framing devices that are involved. The idea of other items and big distracting frames overshadowing the character seems absurd, and I feel like a lot of people want to give this style significance to the character or the mood. For example, in the Pawnbroker, in the scenes where he is working in his shop, people claim that the camera style of shooting in front of the bars represents his loneliness and his isolation. However, I think Film Noir is beyond that. Like the reading states, in Film Noir, “the visual style shaped by camera movement, lenses, lighting, and composition retains a fundamental and astonishingly poorly documented importance.”

In Christ in Concrete (1949), there’s a perfect example of this shot that I’m such a fan of. In the scene where Julio reads Luigi the letter, there is a shot where we get an awkward angle of Luigi’s head and face as Geremio is reading the letter (21:58). The minute I saw this shot, I thought it screamed Film Noir when it comes to the antitraditional mise-en-scene. In my opinion, the balance is a little off here too, so that element adds even more to my point.

The second shot that stood out to me is the discourse between the two of them again where Geremio is telling Luigi that he hasn’t told her about the house (30:05). This shot is similar to the Pawnbroker style, because there is a large fence-like decorative piece that the camera shoots in front of. This brings out the claustrophobic framing device that is so prevalent in Film Noir.

The use of imbalance and strange angles that is presented in Film Noir has  struck my interest and definitely stood out as I watched Christ in Concrete.

Let me just say that if my life were a film noir, I would be very afraid…all the time. So much is conveyed through image, or lack thereof, and through music that sitting through a film noir, to me, is a very unsettling experience. There is haunting, fleeting paranoid atmosphere amidst the diegetic universe conveyed primarily through atypical lighting and claustrophobic scene layouts. The score likewise elevates the sense of helplessness and panic that runs through the core of film noir.

The music in Christ in Concrete (1949) certainly speaks for itself, with the first five minutes of the film entirely narrative by the haunting, jittery non-diegetic music that follows Geremio through his confused, traumatic journey home. The opening scene completely embodies the essence of film noir and sets the tone for the entire movie. While the music gradually elevates the tension of his return home, tight low angle shots of Geremio’s contorted face and the cold, hollow sky powerfully conveys the fragmented mental status of the main character. The entire film operates on this basis: the psychologically corrupt, devious motives that characters harbor are accentuated through these tight shots, usually low angle, that either focus our attention of the minutia of our specimen’s face, or on the compressed universe in which our characters operate. For example, many scenes in which Geremio and his fellow coworkers drink at the tavern involve condense, claustrophobic arrangement and an abundance of shadows, as the men usually reflect upon matters of a dark nature.

These scenes are almost always poorly lit, as backlighting, or low-key lighting, takes charge over high-key lighting. The fill light is almost completely eliminated resulting in a chiaroscuro effect that portrays the characters in devious manner. Many scenes, especially the opening scene, in which Geremio stumbles to his door in an anxious stupor, are very poorly lit, which builds tension and forces us to question our character’s motives. Nothing is illuminated in film noir, both literally and figuratively—physical stature and personal character are muddled by the absence of light.

Through the employment of low-key lighting and claustrophobic camera angles, film noir and more specifically, Christ in Concrete, are able to convey this sense of paranoia and doubt. Motives are unclear—Geremio’s character is often changing, and darker impulses tend to overcome him during testing times. Lighting throughout the movie, perhaps the most obvious motif in Christ in Concrete clouds both character and motive, setting the stage for a haunting, unsettling thrill ride.

I want to talk about the film noir mood of despair and upset in the film Christ in Concrete directed by Edward Dmytryk.

The noir mood of despair keeps recurring throughout the whole film. At the opening, Geremio(Sam Wanamaker) is drunken and upset. His face is in shadow, which intensify his upset mood and internal struggle of not knowing what he should do. As he gets back to his tenement, he finds that the door is locked and he knocks on the door but no one answers, so later he breaks into the tenement. Here, the closed door symbolizes the conflict between him and his wife Annunziata (Lea Padovani) because Annunziata is so crazy about house but Geremio cannot offer it and feel stressful and guilty (He has promised Annunziata a house 9 years ago). When the door is opened, we can see furious and despair Annuanziata standing still and staring at unfaithful Geremio; and then, she is yelling at Geremio and ask him to leave. At this moment, the music is fast and tight; it does not stop until Geremio smacks Annuanziata. The silence heightens the tension and stands for their almost broken relationship; however, shortly, the silence is intruded by their children’s singing of birthday song to Geremio. The immediate dissolving of silence between Geremio and Annuanziata that result from children’s appearance also suggests that the family will not break up.

Even though eventually Geremio and Annuanziata’s relationship recovers and everyone (if not everyone, at least me) expect a harmonious ending, Geremio dies accidently. Despair comes to Annuanziata again; this time, She loses his husband completely. Although she gets compensation ultimately and is able to buy the house, she is not exciting anymore because this price is too high.

Rather ironic, the original American dream finally turns into a nightmare. It seems that this film is telling people that there is no American dream and there is no hope. Maybe it is the result of the depression and it is the reason why film noir is different from other genres.

One aspect of film noir, according to Place and Peterson’s piece on visual motifs of film noir, that I found particularly striking in Christ in Concrete is stunning camera work.  Oftentimes there are close ups or medium shots on the main characters in the film.  This gives a sort of feeling of claustrophobia.  It makes the viewer seem nervous and really uncertain about what is happening in the film and how they should feel about it.  These relatively close shots allow you to see every detail of the characters.  It allows the viewer, in a way, to feel like they can look into the soul of the character on screen.  I specifically remember being especially affected by how clearly I could see Nunziata’s character grow and change.  The audience watches her progress from being a beautiful and naïve young lady into being a hardened and experienced woman who has lived through some very hard and trying times.  This becomes very evident through the change in her expression and stature becomes very dark and reflects the actions of the film as it progresses

Another visual aspect that I found particularly striking is its use of a deep focus.  Like the close up, it allows the audience to see practically every detail of every shot, even when the shot is dark and full of shadows, which is another visual characteristic of film noir.  Despite the darkness and shadows in every scene every figure is in sharp focus.  This adds an element of suspense and adds to the claustrophobic feelings that film noir instills in its viewers.  According to Place and Peterson, this deep focus allows for the viewer to make the connection that the protagonist and his or her environment are directly interconnected and related.  The dirty, gritty streets that Geremio and Nunziata interact with on a daily basis mold their actions.  They cannoy have the life they want which leads Geremio to betray Nunziata and Nunziata to become a hardened woman, very unlike the cheerful and afraid young girl that she was when she initially entered the storyline of the film.

As I was reading Some Visual Motifs of Film Noir, I felt that I would have to pay close attention to the movie in order to find some of the motifs that characterize film noir. I thought the visual motifs would be difficult to notice but I was wrong. The film is full of shadows, high contrast, hiding faces, tough close-ups, and depth of field. It was very easy to realize the effect some of the techniques had on character and plot development.

Hey, everyone! Today’s focus shall be on film noir. How interesting! By viewing the first five minutes of Christ in Concrete (1949), I thought this was some sort of horror film. I mean with all the tense and creepy music playing in background and the ominous portrayal of the buildings, who wouldn’t say so? If there’s one salient point I can say about this film, it is that the lighting played a key role during this film. For example, in the beginning of Christ in Concrete, the low-key lighting on Geremio’s (Sam Wanamake) face and the overwhelming darkness of the setting give us an impression that some misdeed has happened. The chiaroscuro effect created by the low-key lighting places emphasis on the character’s expression. For example, the shades created by the low-key lighting on Geremio’s face made me suspect him of some wrongdoing. The somewhat creepy score of the film accentuated the role of low-key lighting because it made the mood seem more dramatic and suspenseful, as if something solemn was going to transpire. In addition, the sequence of cuts of Geremio climbing up the stairs and his distraught countenance made me curious as to what shall happen next. Even the accelerated movement of the camera following Geremio as he goes up the stairs adds to the dramatic effect the director intends to induce.

I thought that the different examples of film noir demonstrated in the reading Some Visual Motifs of Film Noir were really interesting. I thought that the remark about shadows in this reading was important because the utilization of silhouettes/shadows was seen in the film Christ in Concrete. The use of shadows in the film is noticeable from the very beginning of the movie, when Geremio walks about the stairs and walks across the narrow corridors of the building he was in. The blending of light and dark and the shadow of Geremio on the walls enhanced the gloomy environment around Geremio. Also, in the very end of the film where poor Geremio is drowning in the wet concrete, the lighting was high and the camera was primarily centered on his face. While being submerged by the concrete, Geremio’s facial expressions were clearly defined. We can see his fear and sense his agonizing situation from these expressions. It was quite ironic how Geremio himself suffered from the unsafe working conditions, when he was the one who told the other workers if they were afraid to be injured on the job they should quit it.

For the film as a whole, I thought it was all right. I was surprised when Annuziata (Lea Padovani) said “at least the house has been paid for,” in the end of the film. I felt at that moment Annuziata was happy that she obtained money to support herself and her children. She seemed both depressed and happy after the death of Geremio. I say this because she now has financial assistance from the death of her husband, but also grieves from the pain that it took so much just to buy the house they could have easily bought within a year’s time if they saved appropriately. It was nearly ten years, and both Geremio and Annuziata were unable to pay for the house. If Geremio wasn’t so obstinate and was more willing to find a more suitable job (perhaps, one that doesn’t earn $1.50 an hour…), his life would be better off. Alas, this wasn’t the case. I also found it quite random how Geremio just has an affair with Kathleen (Kathleen Ryan) despite being married.

One last thing I would like to touch upon is the scene in the movie where Geremio and Annuziata are lying down in their bed. The lighting in this scene played an important role because it lit up the faces of the couple in comparison to the obscure environment around them. With the camera focus on them, we can visualize yet again the solemness of the atmosphere and easily scrutinize their facial expressions. The lighting in this film enables it to be classified as film noir. All the shadows, silhouettes, shaded faces, and high/low key light scenes…yep, definitely film noir. Once again, I wasn’t expecting Geremio to die. I guess that caught me by surprise!

Happy March 7^th Everybody!

I was actually really excited for film noir week because we’ve talked so much about it in class, and I wanted to see what it really looks like, how all the elements tied together! At first I was confused and didn’t really like the film but that could be due to the fact that when I started watching it I was on the L I R² (aka LIRR), and the person next to me was snoring -_-. Nevertheless when I was able to see the film in the quiet of my room I actually really liked it! The film was a captivating drama full of powerful visual elements. I’m glad to say I finally understand all the hoopla over film noir.

Although the film has a myriad of examples of the techniques presented in Some Visual Motifs of Film Noir I would like to shed some light  (get it cause it’s low-light! ^_^) on the opening scene when Geremio goes home. According to Place and Peterson, “small areas of light seem on the verge of being completely overwhelmed by the darkness that threatens them from all sides. Thus faces are shot low-key, interior sets are always dark, with foreboding shadow patterns lacing the walls, and exteriors are shot “night-for night.””

The opening scene perfectly emulates these words on the screen. The exterior shots have shadows all over the buildings, Geremio’s figure is almost pitch black, similar to the effect of a back light. Then as he walks inside and up the stairs there are shadows all over the walls, Geremio is once again covered with shadows, etc.

The corridors themselves add to the scene because they are all so narrow and give a sense of claustrophobia, anxiety, and tension, another feature of film noir according to the reading. The use of mise-en-scene in this scene is also significant. The placement of the lights, choosing to have some lights burned out all added to the drama of the scene. The stairway was also a powerful element as Geremio struggled to climb it, due to his distress. The way the camera quickly following him as he climbed one flight then quickly cut to another flight increased the anxiety and tension. Shooting some parts of the scene at a low angle and placing Geremio at unconventional places was another interesting choice that also screams film noir.

I think this scene was one of the most powerful and beautiful scenes in the film. When you first watch it you’re very lost and disorientated, not sure what’s going on and what the point is. But I think that’s what the director wanted. Choosing to start with this film then flashback to show how Geremio got here makes you want to go back to watch this scene. Once you do that, you see the symbolic prowess of the scene and the fact that it serves as a backdrop of the whole film. It’s introducing the audience generally to film noir but specifically to this chaotic, dark, tense world.

This scene is not only powerful but beautiful as well. All the visual elements come together and perfectly compliment the music playing in the background. The fusion of these features creates a dramatic and tense atmosphere. Overall, two thumbs up for film noir, in my opinion a very powerful and beautiful form of film.

On a side note, I was disappointed at the lack of fist pumping and GTL references in the film. Which means that either Jersey Shore or Christ in Concrete is the more accurate depiction of Italian culture. And I think we all know which one it is. 😉