Noir … Hollywood’s response to the breakdown and reworking of longstanding representational codes appeared with the use of anti-heros, inverted narrative structure, gritty urban realism, and stories set at night. This departure from normative cultural practice largely coincided with related developments in music (bebop), painting (abstract expressionism), and other expressive forms. This session will briefly look at Film Noir’s roots in German Romanticism and Expressionism, its relationships with contemporary arts, and its successors in contemporary film culture. This heavily illustrated session will offer a primer to one of the most important moments in America’s film history.
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