Comments on: Noir More Dark Than Black http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/noir-more-dark-than-black.html Films Noir: all about film noir Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:43:24 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Jim http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/noir-more-dark-than-black.html/comment-page-1#comment-20 Jim Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:21:10 +0000 http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/noir-more-dark-than-black.html#comment-20 I think you make an excellent point here. When I was framing this I guess I was thinking Noir in relationship to a figure like Charles Foster Kane or some of the larger biopic pictures that have the great individual as their central character. Wilder's quote frames these characters not so much as marginal as he does average or middle-class. Yet, I'm not so sure that Walter Neff comes across as your average Joe. I think the same can be said of the "protagonists" from Out of the Past and Kiss Me Deadly for sure, all of these "protagonists" are anything but everyday middle-class Americans. Think about Walter Neff, he isn't married with a happy nuclear family, his apartment is rather modest, and his first encounter with Phyllis is a bit steamier and more dynamic than what you might expect from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." As to the complexity of these characters, I couldn't agree with you more. What attracts me to the Noir is that it takes the marginal, or "middle-class," figure and gives you a look at their inner-working in some really gripping ways. Also, it systematically demystifies any sense of their normality, or a concept of normality more generally. In short, though, this is a great site and you have no idea how much I have enjoyed looking through your archives. I also want to thank you for engaging in a focused discussion about Noir -I can't think of anything more worthwhile and entertaining. I have a bunch to say about both Out of the Past and Kiss Me Deadly, so I imagine their will be many more conversations to come! Thanks. I think you make an excellent point here. When I was framing this I guess I was thinking Noir in relationship to a figure like Charles Foster Kane or some of the larger biopic pictures that have the great individual as their central character. Wilder’s quote frames these characters not so much as marginal as he does average or middle-class. Yet, I’m not so sure that Walter Neff comes across as your average Joe. I think the same can be said of the “protagonists” from Out of the Past and Kiss Me Deadly for sure, all of these “protagonists” are anything but everyday middle-class Americans. Think about Walter Neff, he isn’t married with a happy nuclear family, his apartment is rather modest, and his first encounter with Phyllis is a bit steamier and more dynamic than what you might expect from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” As to the complexity of these characters, I couldn’t agree with you more. What attracts me to the Noir is that it takes the marginal, or “middle-class,” figure and gives you a look at their inner-working in some really gripping ways. Also, it systematically demystifies any sense of their normality, or a concept of normality more generally.

In short, though, this is a great site and you have no idea how much I have enjoyed looking through your archives. I also want to thank you for engaging in a focused discussion about Noir -I can’t think of anything more worthwhile and entertaining. I have a bunch to say about both Out of the Past and Kiss Me Deadly, so I imagine their will be many more conversations to come!

Thanks.

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