Blog #3

Select a quote from one of the filmmakers interviewed in the first 10 minutes of the documentary Film Noir that describes a main idea that also appeared in either Out of the Past or L.A. Confidential (or both). Explain how the quote you've selected applies to one or both of these two movies. (Name the filmmakers you quote.)

Errol Morris: “Noire is concerned with errors and confusions, It’s the noir idea, we don’t know what’s going on, but we do know something is bad out there controlling events. For me, the best noir films are films about fall guys, a person who finds himself caught in a net, the more he struggles the deeper and deeper he becomes entwined in nightmare.”

Such a quote easily personifies the true noir of Out of the Past or the neo-noir of L.A. Confidential. Both narratives utilize plots that exemplify the quote. In Out of the Past Jeff Bailey has his mysterious past catch up with him one day when he's ordered to meet with gambler Whit Sterling. Whit's new job for Jeff is clearly a trap, but Jeff's precautions only leave him more tightly enmeshed and ultimately framing him. Bailey is aware of this throughout, unsure of whom to trust, but the only way out is through. The same thing holds true for L.A. Confidential where we have an intricate noir tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style. Only by working together are they able to solve the conspiracy of the Night Owl murder but become targets themselves in their search for truth. Again, the only way out is through.

How to spot a femme fatale:

Which description in the documentary of the femme fatale best identifies Kathie from Out of the Past? Do any fit Lynn from L.A. Confidential? For each, explain how, why/why not. (Give the name of the filmmaker whose description it is.)

Certainly both women exemplify “That Black Widow sensibility” as Paul Shrader calls it.  Both women live independent lives in society. Both are dangerous due to their sexuality for which the men in their respective lives cannot help but succumb to. Kathie however is far more intelligent and far more manipulative. Lynn is a convenient plot device but she is more a tool of manipulation (By way of Pierce Patchett) than the driving force behind it. Katie has her own agenda and attempts to play everyone for fools. Both use their sexuality to get things they want. Both use it as a tool to manipulate others, but ultimately Lynn wants to return to a “normal” life with Bud that represents traditional gender roles and she succeeds in does so.

Noir photography, lighting, and location:

Recall how the use of shadow and light, the use of deep focus, AND the type of locations used for shooting in Out of the Past help to create the world of film noir. How do these same elements show up in the neo-noir film L.A. Confidential? How do you think the use of color photography changes the effect of these elements?

The visual style of all Noir films utilized German-expressionistic chiaroscuro style lighting, giving harsh shadows with prominent key lighting that allows for an overall sense of foreboding. Light against dark represents good against evil and the inability to distinguish what lurks in the shadows helps to frame the ambiguous characters in the narrative. This also helps to externalize characters that are often trapped in the plot. There is no light, there is no release, and thus there is no escape. The colorization of L.A. Confidential certainly dilutes the impact of high contrast black and white. Certain scenes like the Victory Motel shootout still allowed for high contrast moments. The colorization of the noir helps root the story in reality however, which is an ardent goal of all noir. For as much as we love classical noir, they rarely hold up to modern audiences due to being dated as “B Movies”.   The other noirish elements are still used in Confidential however. The production design is simple and functional and representative of isolation and alienation. Beyond the depth of field and production design (including costuming) however, L.A. Confidential uses noir more in structuring the plot, then portraying the classical visual style.

Setting is a significant element in both Out of the Past and L.A. Confidential, but used in different ways due to the change from black and white to color photography.  L.A. Confidential is a much brighter film, using daytime and color extensively in many locations for many scenes but manages to maintain a seedy noir feel simultaneously with the use of detailed locations that convey the feel of 1950's Los Angeles.  From City Hall, to movie premiers in the background, to the sparse and foreboding Victory Motel, setting is what allows L.A. Confidential to convey noir without the same dark contrast used in films like Out of the Past.  Out of the past travels to vastly different locales from Lake Tahoe, to Mexico, to urban San Francisco and despite these varied settings, maintains a constant dark grainy feel that is the traditional style of noir.  Both are enjoyable to watch for their own reasons but L.A. Confidential is a modern twist on noir film-making that is great fun to take in.