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Mar 11, 2021 · While male directors still dominated, neo-noir became one of the key modes of the emerging New Black Cinema, with African-American directors including Bill Duke, Carl Franklin, Charles Burnett and the Hughes brothers all riffing on noir themes. Meanwhile, the Wachowskis’ Bound (1996) put a lesbian relationship front and centre.
- 12 Jessica Rabbit - 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'
- 11 Gilda Mundson - 'Gilda'
- 10 Judy Barton - 'Vertigo'
- 9 Brigid O'Shaughnessy - 'The Maltese Falcon'
- 8 Norma Desmond - 'Sunset Boulevard'
- 7 Kitty Collins - 'The Killers'
- 6 Kathie Moffat - 'Out of The Past'
- 5 Emily Nelson - 'A Simple Favor'
- 4 Jane Palmer - 'Too Late For Tears'
- 3 Catherine Tramell - 'Basic Instinct'
Few noirs are as unique or groundbreaking as Robert Zemeckis' 1988 animated-live-action hybrid Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Starring Bob Hoskinsand set in a version of Hollywood where cartoons and humans co-exist, the film follows PI Eddie Valiant, who must help exonerate Roger Rabbit from the murder of the Acme Corporation's owner. Like every good noi...
There never was a woman like Gilda. The one and only Rita Hayworth is the secret behind Gilda's timeless quality. The film lives and dies with her, and while the mystery that gives it its noir status is engaging, Hayworth is the reason to stay to the end. Gilda looks and sounds like a femme fatale, but she isn't. The film subverts noir expectations...
Alfred Hitchcock's noir-ish masterpiece Vertigo centers on a PI who becomes obsessed with the woman he is tasked with following. Blending elements of the psychological thriller with some of noir's most common tropes, Vertigois a timeless classic elevated by a pair of stellar lead performances. Kim Novakshines as the film's female lead and femme fat...
Classic film noir has numerous femme fatales, but Brigid O'Shaughnessy is among the most memorable. Played by the underrated Mary Astor, Brigid is the main antagonist in John Huston's noir classic The Maltese Falcon. As one of the first noirs in the golden age, Astor's O'Shaughnessy introduced many of the classic femme fatale elements audiences wou...
The obsessed artist trope has been around since the dawn of film, but few movies pull it off as perfectly as Billy Wilder's noir masterpiece Sunset Boulevard. William Holdenstars as Joe Gillis, a struggling writer who enters an intense partnership with Norma Desmond, a fading silent-film star obsessed with making a comeback. Gloria Swansonimmortali...
Burt Lancaster made his film debut in 1946's The Killers opposite the now-iconic Ava Gardner. The timeless beauty plays Kitty Collins, the deadly and shameless femme fatale at the center of the film's action. Few actors ever looked so striking as Gardner in The Killers. The face, the hair, the costumes! Gardner's Kitty is lethal but beautiful, an i...
Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas star in Jacques Tourneur's 1947 noir Out of the Past. The film follows a PI who escapes to a rural town but can't outrun his past. Greer plays one of the best femme fatales to ever femme fatale, the duplicitous Kathie Moffat. Kathie is a murderous, lying, and conniving woman who is always one step ahead ...
Blake Lively arguably gives the best performance of her career in Paul Feig's delicious black comedy thriller A Simple Favor. Anna Kendrickstars as Stephanie, an over-achieving stay-at-home mother who becomes close friends with the elegant but mysterious Emily, played by Lively. When Emily disappears, Stephanie begins to dig into her past, realizin...
Too Late for Tears stars Lizabeth Scottas one of cinema's ultimate femme fatales, the (almost) infallible Jane Palmer. The plot concerns a ruthless and scheming woman who stumbles upon a suitcase full of stolen money. Driven by greed, she holds on to the suitcase and goes to extreme lengths to protect her new wealth. Unique among the parade of noir...
Film noir evolved into the so-called neo-noir revival of post-70s cinema. The late 80s and 90s provided some of the best examples of neo-noir, with Paul Verhoeven's 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct acting as one of the best and most widely-known examples. The film is a defining part of neo-noir, mainly thanks to Sharon Stone's star-making perfor...
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After Saboteur (1942), as his fame as a director grew, film companies began to refer to his films as 'Alfred Hitchcock's', for example Alfred Hitcock's Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock's Family Plot (1976), Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972).
Nov 18, 2019 · We’ve put together a list of the best neo-noir movies to answer that. This isn’t a personal top 30 list; instead, it’s a range of the most influential neo-noir films that offer dos (and some don’ts) for filmmakers.
Nov 8, 2023 · Also, like the best of noir, it has a compelling female lead, in the person of Faye Dunaway, who plays Evelyn Cross Mulwray. 4 of 25. 'Blade Runner' Warner Bros via MovieStillsDB. Blade Runner...
Feb 27, 2019 · A guide to some of the best neo-noirs, the most political and stylish genre of film and TV, from “Jackie Brown” to “Gone Girl.”
People also ask
What is the archetype of female roles in film noir?
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How did neo-noir influence the New Black Cinema?
Are neo-noir movies self-aware?
Feb 22, 2021 · The archetype of female roles in film noir can be divided into three categories: the girl-next-door, the femme fatale and the good-bad girl. The girl-next-door is characterised as being ordinary, approachable and innocent.
