This brief chronology traces the development and evolution of film noir during the “classic” period 1940-1959.
1940
1940 saw the first appearance of films containing strong elements of noir. These movies departed from the stagey, escapist, and often fanciful films of the 1930s, with stories that were darker in mood and setting. Many film scholars consider Stranger On The Third Floor to be the first true noir movie, with its tale of psychological torment, use of voiceover, and expressionist compositions. However, others feel film noir didn’t establish itself until The Maltese Falcon the following year. Both viewpoints have merit, and certainly none of the noir films from 1940 featured hardboiled gumshoes moving about dark city streets, but we do see the emergence of the femme fatale and sordid tales of murder and betrayal. The other noir films from 1940 are Rebecca, The Letter, and They Drive by Night.
1941
The noir style continued to develop in 1941, most notably with the release of The Maltese Falcon, which not only made Humphrey Bogart an international star, but thrust the doors open for a non-stop parade of dark detective movies, based on, or inspired by, the writings of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. But there were other significant noir films in 1941 that had nothing to do with private detectives: High Sierra, Hitchcock’s Suspicion, and I Wake Up Screaming were all notable milestones in the early noir archive.
1942
America had entered the war by 1942, and much of Hollywood’s energies were focused on supporting the war effort with morale-boosting films, consequently, there weren’t many noir releases in 1942. This Gun For Hire was probably the darkest entry, with Alan Ladd portraying a silent, cold-hearted killer, who pursues his target with calculated single-minded persistence. Meanwhile, Street Of Chance and Crossroads featured protagonists suffering from amnesia – a storytelling device that would become a staple of noir films.
1943
The first war-related noir movies appeared in 1943, with Journey Into Fear and The Fallen Sparrow. The latter was notable because it dealt with the damaging psychological effects of war, a theme that would be revisited in several noir films of the late 40s and early 50s. These films hinted at the loss of innocence that was seeping into American society. The casualties and horrors of war were mounting and the world didn’t seem like such a safe place anymore. Hitchcock’s Shadow Of A Doubt echoed this by revealing a dark underbelly seething beneath the sunny veneer of daily American life. He had Joseph Cotten spell it out clearly for the audience in a terse lecture to Teresa Wright, who plays a young woman living a seemingly idyllic life in a small American town: “You live in a dream. You’re a sleepwalker – blind. How do you know what the world is like? Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know if you ripped the fronts off houses you’d find swine? The world’s a hell.” Noir films would offer penetrating glimpses into that hell for years to come.
1944
Film noir truly arrived in 1944 with the release of two landmark films. First, Double Indemnity firmly established the importance of the femme fatale character and crystallized several key story elements that would endure throughout the classic noir period. It was highly praised and earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Next, Murder, My Sweet, featuring Raymond Chandler’s detective, Philip Marlowe, marked RKO’s entry into film noir. This was significant because it demonstrated a small studio could compete on the same footing with its larger, wealthier counterparts, since good noir films could actually be made on a small budget. Camera technology had evolved through the war effort, and cameras were now more portable and able to shoot in low light. This, coupled with location shooting and dark, shadowy environments that didn’t require massive lighting rigs or elaborate sets, meant that low-budget noir films could stand toe-to-toe with their big-budget counterparts. Film noir became a viable creative medium for serious independent film producers.
1945
Alcoholism, amnesia, people wrongly accused of crimes, grave moral dilemmas, and average citizens ensnared in impossible dead-end predicaments, made up the landscape of 1945 film noir. Dark storytelling had definitely hit its stride, and the trend would only gain momentum in the following years. Notable entries include Mildred Pierce, Oscar winner The Lost Weekend, Spellbound, the low budget tour de force, Detour, and Leave Her to Heaven, the first of only a handful of color films to be considered film noir.
1946
After experiencing the atrocities of war, many returning solidiers found it difficult to resume the routines of daily life, and at the same time, discovered society had changed in unexpected ways. Women had entered the workforce and gained independence during the war years, and many were not willing to retreat back to the role of housewife. This new female empowerment fed into the portrayal of strong-willed and manipulative femme fatales in noir films. A general sense of uncertainty and transformation was growing in American society, and feelings of unease became the heartbeat of noir films. Several iconic film noir masterpieces were produced in 1946: The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Big Sleep, The Killers, Gilda, and Notorious.
1947
In terms of sheer number of movies produced, film noir reached its zenith in 1947, and included one of the greatest noir films: Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. The term “film noir” was first used by French film critics in 1946, when they noticed an increasingly dark trend in many of the films coming out of America in the 1940s. However, Hollywood film makers never used this term to describe their work, nor did they consciously set out to “make a film noir”. The bleak stories with gritty environments were simply one type of film for which the public had an appetite, and Hollywood responded. But of course, not all movies were noir. Comedies, dramas, romances, and westerns were still the mainstream. Noir films were simply an offshoot that tapped into the public’s anxieties and fears. Among the many significant noirs from 1947 are Crossfire, Brute Force, Nightmare Alley, and Body and Soul.
1948
One sub-genre popularized by film noir was the procedural detective story, in which the plot closely followed detectives trying to solve a crime. The emphasis was on realism, and consequently these films were almost documentary-like. Evolving technology enabled cameras to follow directly in the footsteps of the detective characters – be it down a dark alley, in a cramped patrol car, or into a suspect’s apartment. Film noir’s gritty realistic style was perfect for such films, the first of which appeared in 1948 with He Walked By Night and The Naked City, and would continue to thrive in the 1950s. Other noteworthy noirs from the year include Key Largo, Sorry, Wrong Number, The Big Clock, and Force of Evil.
1949
Although the HUAC investigations into the entertainment industry had been active since the mid-40s, the first film noir plots dealing with Communisim appeared in 1949 with The Woman on Pier 13 and The Red Menace. Because many notable writers, directors, and actors involved in the production of noir films happened to be of Eastern European origin, they were relentlessly targeted by the anti-Communist witch hunt, and many were ultimately blacklisted or even imprisoned. Post-war America was in the throes of the Red Scare, and the perceived threat of Communist infiltration into America was yet another source of tension and unease that fueled the noir sensibility. Significant noir films from 1949 include White Heat, They Live by Night, The Third Man, and Oscar winner All the King’s Men.
1950
As America entered the 1950s, film noir continued to reflect the country’s collective anxiety and fears. Fully embracing a trend that started in the late 1940s, a large number of noir films from 1950 focused on prison life, dangerous escaped convicts, and mob activity. But some of the more notable entries from 1950 actually dealt with a wide range of ominous topics, including The Asphalt Jungle, D.O.A., Gun Crazy, and Sunset Boulevard, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
1951
In addition to police, prison, and mob stories, 1951 delivered two noir films that focused specifically on racism: Storm Warning and The Well. These aren’t the only films of the era to address racial tension, but they are among only a handful that confronted the topic head-on. Once again, film noir delved into uncomfortable issues percolating beneath the white picket fence veneer of American society. Other memorable noirs from 1951 include Ace In The Hole, A Place In The Sun, and Strangers On A Train.
1952
Noir films of the 1940s primarily dealt with conflicts of a personal nature, but in the 1950s, some of that focus shifted to stories about issues affecting society at large. The topics of racism and Communism had already found their way into noir films, and 1952 saw several entries that examined news reporting and media in The Captive City, Deadline – U.S.A., Scandal Sheet, and The Sellout, and psychotic serial killers randomly targeting the public in Beware, My Lovely, The Sniper, and Without Warning.
1953
As the mid-1950s approached, the noir landscape had largely solidified. The vast majority of noir films from this latter part of the classic era settled into familiar topics of murder, organized crime, and betrayal. 1953 did offer up some fresh stories in Pickup on South Street, The Glass Wall, and Man In The Dark, but it also brought us a pair of remakes of venerable 1940s noirs: Man In The Attic was a new take on The Lodger (1944), and Vicki was a remake of I Wake Up Screaming (1941), and while not a direct remake, Angel Face was derivative of Double Indemnity (1944).
1954
The threat of nuclear war was a potent source of anxiety in the 1950s, and while science fiction movies of the era pretty much cornered the market on movies about the effects of nuclear bombs and radiation, however outrageous and fantastical, the topic also crept its way into the realm of film noir in 1954’s World For Ransom. Other significant entries were Crime Wave, Pushover, Human Desire, and Suddenly.
1955
While many noir films of the 1940s embraced the expressionist visual style of deep shadows, exaggerated perspective, and unexpected camera angles, either by creative choice, experimentation, or due to budgetary limitations, by the 1950s, the vast majority of noir films settled into more a conventional cinematic form. However, 1955’s The Night Of The Hunter was a striking exception. This controversial film is filled to the brim with constant visual experimentation, combining a variety of unusual cinematic approaches. Other notable noirs from 1955 include The Desperate Hours, Kiss Me Deadly, and Confidential Report.
1956
Teenage delinquents, hot-rodders, and motorcycle gangs were a growing phenomenon in 1950s America, providing yet another threat to the perceived stability of American society. Juvenile rebellion and teen violence were the subject of many films of the era, and were the focus of a noir film for the first time in 1956’s Crime In The Streets. Other important noir films from 1956 include The Killing, The Harder They Fall, While the City Sleeps, and The Wrong Man.
1957
Film noir had always occupied a small, but significant, niche within the overall output of American cinema, but in the latter half of the 1950s, the number of noir films being produced had dwindled significantly. Television was luring audiences away from movie theaters, and to bring them back, film studios concentrated their efforts on producing dazzling widescreen spectacles in vivid Technicolor. Film noir still had its place in theaters, but the innovation and experimentation of prior years had largely given way to predictable stories with bankable topics. Notable noirs include Sweet Smell of Success, Crime of Passion, Plunder Road, and Nightfall.
1958
Although classic film noir was in decline as the 1950s came to a close, it was far from dead. 1958 brought us one of the boldest and stylistically fresh noirs of all time, Orson Welles’ Touch Of Evil, a masterpiece of black & white cinematography and storytelling. Also, Susan Hayward earned a Best Actress Oscar for her powerful performance in I Want To Live!
1959
1959 brought to a close the era known as Classic Film Noir with films like Odds Against Tomorrow, The Crimson Kimono, and City of Fear, but of course, it wasn’t the end of noir films. Many outstanding noirs would continue to be produced in subsequent years, spanning a wide variety of genres, utilizing both classic and cutting edge cinematic styles. In addition to both contemporary and futuristic noirs, there would also be films that paid homage to, or directly emulated, noir films from the classic era. The 1940s and 50s will forever represent the birth, development, and golden era of film noir, offering up a wealth of gritty dark films with an iconic style all their own, that were truly a product of their times.
Author & Curator,
– Johnny Gumshoe
The Film Noir Report 