RetroNoir Film Series

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the early 1960s. The term film noir (French for “black film”) was unknown to most American film industry professionals of the classic era. Cinema historians and critics defined the noir canon in retrospect; before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic film and crime noirs were referred to as melodramas. Latter-day works such as “LA Confidential” and “Seven” are often referred to as neo-noirs.