What Does Film Noir Mean?

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What does film noir mean?

Definitions for film noirfilm noir

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word film noir.

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. film noirnoun

   a movie that is marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters

   "film noir was applied by French critics to describe American thriller or detective films in the 1940s"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. film noirnoun

   A film characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical or desperate characters.

2. Etymology: "black film"

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. film noir

   Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. It is a French term that literally translates to "black film" or "dark film." The genre typically features dark, moody visuals, and narratives revolving around murder, deceit, crime, and moral ambiguity. This style of filmmaking originated in the 1940s and 1950s.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Film noir

   Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classical film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression. The term film noir, French for "black film," first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era. Cinema historians and critics defined the category retrospectively. Before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic films noirs were referred to as melodramas. Whether film noir qualifies as a distinct genre is a matter of opinion. Film noir encompasses a range of plots: the central figure may be a private eye, a plainclothes policeman, an aging boxer, a hapless grifter, a law-abiding citizen lured into a life of crime, or simply a victim of circumstance. Although film noir was originally associated with American productions, films now so described have been made around the world. Many pictures released from the 1960s onward share attributes with film noir of the classical period, and often treat its conventions self-referentially. Some refer to such latter-day works as neo-noir. The clichés of film noir have inspired parody since the mid-1940s.

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1. • Movie

How to pronounce film noir?

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How to say film noir in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of film noir in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of film noir in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of film noir in a Sentence

1. Joseph Strickland:

   Growing up, I was able to watch a lot of classic movies ranging from the 1930's film noir masterpieces to old monster movies. I loved everything from the Golden Age of Hollywood era.

2. Joseph Strickland:

   I tend to be drawn to the thriller genre and all of its subgenres, including film noir, suspense, and psychological. I am attracted to the duplexity of the seemingly normal appearances that most people put on for public display as a front, all the while shielding a darker embodiment behind the false masks.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNethttp://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=film noir
2. ^ Wiktionaryhttps://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Film_Noir
3. ^ ChatGPThttps://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=film noir

Translations for film noir

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

• film noirFrench
• фильм-нуарRussian
• film noirSwedish

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"film noir." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LTD, 2026. Web. 4 Feb. 2026. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/film+noir>.

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