CI5472 Teaching Film, Television, and Media
Module 7: Film/Television Genres ~ Different Genre Types
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The detective/film-noir genre (see thrillingdetective.com and filmsite.org) focuses on the problem of the violation of the law, determining reasons for the violation, identifying possible violators, relying on informants and evidence, coping with mishaps and false leads, revealing the actual violator, and restoring a sense of equilibrium (Miller, 2001). |
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The 1940s and 1950s film noir genre portrayed the often corrupt world of The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Double Indemnity, The Killers, Notorious, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Key Largo, The Lady From Shanghai, The Third Man, Sunset Boulevard, The Big Heat, Lady in the Lake, and The Lady from Shanghai,based on detective novels by such writers as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. These films, usually made in black and white with low lighting, interior settings, and inventive camera techniques, conveyed a sense of bleak, cynical pessimism — that the institutions of law and order are themselves corrupt. More recent films such as Chinatown, The Long Goodbye, and L.A. Confidential make nostalgic references to these 1940/50 films, particularly in terms of highlighting the corruption of the system |
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The police/detective/crime television shows such as Dragnet, Baretta, C.S.I. (Crime Scene Investigation), Cagney and Lacey, Hill Street Blues, Homicide, Law & Order, Miami Vice, Prime Suspect, Poirot, Inspector Morse, and NYPD Blue develop the main character of the detective in more detail across the series, so that audiences establish a relationship with the character. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
dmoz.org:
Cop Shows |
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The detective/film noir genre focuses on the character of the often cynical, worldly detective figure — Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, Charlie Chan, Philip Marlowe, as well as the detectives who appear on PBS’s Mystery Theater: Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Adam Dalgliesh, Inspector Morse, Brother Cadfael, Ross Tanner, Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, Hetty Wainsthrop, Dave Creegan, and Cordelia Gray. See also Yahoo Directory: Mystery. |
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These detective heroes are often complex figures, whose identity
is often interchangeable with that of the criminal. The thin line
between the detective and the criminal was portrayed by Clint Eastwood
in the Dirty Harry series in which the detective resorts
to violence to achieve his goals. |
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In addition to the detective hero, there is typically a sidekick, who, as in the Western, lacks the deductive skill of the hero, but who often has access to insider information useful to the hero. There is, particularly in film noir, the figure of the beautiful, but duplicitous femme fatale, who manipulates the hero into actions that benefit her, often at the hero’s expense. |
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More recent films such as The Last Seduction, Red Rock West, and Croupier, explore new themes of deception/morality, reflecting a post-Vietnam War perspective related to violence and crime. |
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Pamela Green: Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English through Detective Fiction British Film Institute: Ghost Stories on Film Christopher Ingham, The Murder Mystery Webquest: Who Killed William Robinson? (an historical mystery) |
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For further reading: |
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Miller, R. (1996). Mystery!: A celebration: stalking public television's greatest sleuths. New York: Bay Books. |
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Muller, E. (1998). Dark city: The lost world of film noir. Boston: St. Martin’s Press. |
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Spicer, A. (2002). Film noir. New York: Longman. |
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Detective/Film Noir |
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Teaching activities on genre developed by students in CI5472, Spring, 2004 |
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