The socio-political dimension of film noir

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dc.contributor.authorMaltère, Huguesen
dc.contributor.committeechairLuke, Timothy W.en
dc.contributor.committeememberWhite, Stephen K.en
dc.contributor.committeememberPrince, Stephen R.en
dc.contributor.departmentPolitical Scienceen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:42:44Zen
dc.date.adate2009-08-14en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:42:44Zen
dc.date.issued1992-08-18en
dc.date.rdate2009-08-14en
dc.date.sdate2009-08-14en
dc.description.abstractAfter World War II, Hollywood produced a series of low budget pictures characterized by a dark mood, bleak urban landscapes and fierce violence. French critics called them <i>films noirs</i> (black films). These movies presented a critical vision of the social injustice present in the American capitalist society. This thesis examines the socio-political dimension of <i>film noir</i> firstly through its social, literary and filmic origins, then through a piecework study of shots and dialogues from six <i>noir</i> pictures: <u>Body and Soul</u> (1947), <u>Force of Evil</u> (1948), <u>Knock On Any Door</u> (1949), <u>Kiss of Death</u> (1947), <u>I Walk Alone</u>(1948) and <u>The Set-up</u> (1949). It is shown how the Marxist convictions of their makers influenced their style and their content. Even <i>films noirs</i> made by apolitical or moderate filmmakers follow a similar pattern. It is concluded that <i>film noir</i> contains expressions of anti-capitalist struggle toward social justice and moral redemption. The appeal of these ideas to many Americans is shown by the box-office success of these pictures, while many <i>noir</i> writers, actors and directors were the victims of the reactionary repression of the early fifties.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Artsen
dc.format.extentvi, 188 leavesen
dc.format.mediumBTDen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.otheretd-08142009-040450en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08142009-040450/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/44231en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V855_1992.M248.pdfen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 28552587en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V855 1992.M248en
dc.subject.lcshFilm noir -- Political aspects -- United Statesen
dc.subject.lcshFilm noir -- Social aspects -- United Statesen
dc.subject.lcshPolitics in motion pictures -- United Statesen
dc.titleThe socio-political dimension of film noiren
dc.typeThesisen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplinePolitical Scienceen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen

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