On Sat, 20 Jan 1996, Rolf W Brandis wrote: > In one person's opinion "Film Noir" is not and never will be a genuine film > genre. > Rather it is an artificial classification dubbed so by a group of French film > critics who became frustrated by American exports during the immediate post > World War II time period. > Contract players reported back to their studios for work and since they were > on the payroll again they were quickly assigned to mostly inexpensive films > which were easy to write and produce. > Their common style, mood and tone (and frequent omniscient voice-over > narration, as well as the consistent use of flashbacks) attest to the fact > that they were hastily made and distributed as the "B" films of double-features. > I believe too many of us have been seduced by the nostalgia of these films > instead of their genuine aesthetics. > I'd be interested in any rebuttals. > Rolf W. Brandis > > ---- > To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L > in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask] I would be curious about films that attempt to be copies or *homages* in terms of so-called *film noir.* For example, Body Heat. If the original films of the forties and early fifties were not a legitimate genre, then are the later copy films creating a *new* genre, which we could call, say, *film noir*? If we concede that these newer films have created a new genre, then what are we to call the films they have copied? Ron Hoffman [log in to unmask] ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]