History of Film Noir

Film Noir literally means ‘Film Black’ in French. The films themselves are often full of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters. It was originally a term used by French film critics to describe dark American detective and thriller films that followed the war put out in cinemas. Nino Frank was first to use the term in 1946 about films such as ‘Double Indemnity’, which was realised in 1944.

Film noir that we all know today developed during and after the second world war as it was a time in which a lot of the things which were shown in the films may have actually been going on. Producers took advantage of this as they created an almost hype with audiences thought England, America and France. This is said to have been the ‘Golden era’ for Film Noir.