Reading and Screening Diary PDF

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Film 245 - Genre: Film Noir Reading and screening diary 2 - Dec 06 1. October 11 Body Heat by Lawrence Kasdan (1981, USA, 113 min) Lawrence Kasdan made his debut behind the camera with a film that took up one of the most fundamental themes of good black cinema: The femme fatale. In the film, Kasdan reintroduces one of the key characters of the great classics of the genre, the fatal woman that convinces the lover blinded by passion to murder a third party, usually an old and rich husband. The femme fatale (as in the majority of Film Noirs) is sensual, daring and selfish, does not mind to step over people in order to achieve their goal. The murder will become an insurance for a life full of money without having to put up with an old man next to her. The lover is the one who commits the crime while he is blind with love and passion. She has cold emotions and is always calculating. In "Body Heat" the story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Ned, and as spectators we identify with him because we know what he knows, we see the events go by as Ned discovers them and we feel cheated like him when the film ends. Also, Body Heat is probably one of the most sensual movies in Hollywood history. Kasdan created a sensual atmosphere that gives the film its name: the heat and sweat of the bodies. In the 80s and 90s, American cinema dared to make films with a rather sexual tone as a way to retaliate decades of rigorous and puritanical selfcensorship. 2. October 18

LA Confidential by Curtis Hanson (1997, USA, 198 min) LA Confidential is based on a novel by American writer James Ellroy that was adapted to the big screen by Curtis Hanson. It is a story that undoubtedly has the usual black film clichés but is not a blatant copy of the classics of the genre. LA Confidential begins as the typical film noir where the protagonists reveal their roles and tasks that throughout the film will serve to find out the side they belong to. Soon the lives of each one, so distant, will be involved in the same investigation. The only one that seems to remain intact is the protagonist, played by Guy Pearce. In the background, LA Confidential is much more than a story of police and criminals or the infinite corruption of a city as complicated as Los Angeles. The trio of police began their profession following some ideals that were lost over time while allowing themselves to be swallowed by the rot around them. The plot of the film is divided into plots and subplots and is full of characters that seem secondary but that contribute a lot to the film. Despite the fact that LA Confidential shows us an endless number of angles in the same story, the viewer does not get lost but instead arrives with the protagonists to an epic, mythical and unforgettable outcome.

3. October 25 Guest Lecture: North-African Neo Noir The films of the North-African Neo-Noir are very influenced by the political situation in which the country is at the moment when directors and producers decide to make a film. The movie we saw in class had the "Arabic spring" as background. It is the story of the murder of a famous singer in Cairo, Egypt and is based on a real-life event. The African neo-noir has all the specifications of a Hollywood Noir. The good detective who wants to defeat the bad cops and solve a crime. Many of these films are based on crime novels. In these films the corrupt city becomes a character, there are multiple storylines or subplots happening at the same time, we also can see, of course, corruption, and the contrast between social classes (rich/poor) is quite noticeable. The narrative structure of the film we saw in class is episodic, most of the scenes are shot at night, it's chaotic, it has long shots and wide shots, and realistic forensic procedures. This film shows the police cynicism in its maximum expression and the protagonist tries to deal with all the corruption around him. The film also shows the way immigrants live when they are in Cairo momentarily, since they are looking to go to Europe.

4. November 15 Devil in a Blue Dress by Carl Franklin (1995, USA, 102 min) It is an adaptation of Walter Mosley's novel, directed by Carl Franklin. The story is set in 1948, with social annotations such as the demobilization of soldiers after World War II, emigration to California and unemployment, without forgetting basic references such as racial discrimination and the brutality of police methods. Starring Denzel Washington as a black man who finds it difficult to fulfill the American dream and after finding no job ends up accepting a slightly different one and with a detective nature where he has to locate a mysterious woman. Our protagonist ends up trapped in a maze of murderers, drug trafficking, corrupt police and dirty politicians. What at first seems like an easy job turns into a nightmare because he will be persecuted, beaten and involved in two violent murders whose causes point to the mysterious woman dressed in blue. The film gathers many of the constants of the black cinema; amoral characters, irony, loneliness, blurred limit between good and evil and the traditional femme fatal. The style of narration in voiceover as in L.A. Confidential help the viewer considerably not to get lost in this story of so many data and characters.

5. November 22 Deep Crimson by Arturo Ripstein (1996, Mexico/France/Spain, 114 min) Coral is an overweight nurse, she is dissatisfied with life, is mother of two children and is in love with Charles Boyer. Coral through the pages of "lonely hearts" contacts with a man who boasts his Spanish gallantry, Nicolás. But this gallant is a scrounger who make solitary women fell in love with him to steal them. The film is set in the 40s and what begins as a light comedy culminates in one of the cruellest melodramas of Mexican cinema. Two passionate and lost souls who cross their path end up being a misfortune for the lives of three women and for themselves. The shame they both feel for themselves is reflected in the mirrors in which they do not stop looking at during the development of the story. It is difficult to find another film where so many mirrors appear, where there is so much eagerness to like, to feel fulfilled. "Deep Crimson" is a mixture of sick love, ambition, faith, naivety, hatred, compassion, loneliness, despair and betrayal. The film is based on a real event, which took place in the United States, which was taken to the cinema in 1970 under the name of The Honeymoon Killers. The film makes us feel sorry for the desperation of these everyday monsters, whose deformities are as common as baldness, fatness or halitosis.

6. November 29 Croupier by Mike Hodges (1998, UK/France/Germany/Ireland, 94 min) Croupier is a film of 1998 directed by Mike Hodges and interpreted by the actors Clive Owen, Nick Reding and Rhona Mitra. It is a very interesting and wellstructured film that surpasses most of the films of the genre launched by the powerful Hollywood industry. The protagonist of the story is Jack, a man of extremely arrogant personality divided between loyalty to his project of becoming a famous writer and his new career as a croupier. There is a Jack and a Jake in the same character. The first, represents the player, the writer who works in the casino to pay the bills, and the second, exemplifies the dealer, a man who likes to provide assistance to their customers without having to lose all the money. Attracted by a mysterious player who catches his attention, Jack ends up getting involved in the world of crime. Croupier is a film of high emotions and can be exciting for those who like action movies, casinos and drama. It is a Neo-noir with a story that catches from the first moment....