The period of about seventeen years from
1941 to 1958 in the context of American cinema tells us the similar story of a
rebellious, highly eloquent and symbolic journey of cinema against so- called
bourgeoisie and its hollow propaganda of borrowed heroism, lackadaisical
society and opportunistic politics. The darkness that covered in the lives of
the common man and the discrepancies faced while meeting the faces of survival
disturbed equilibrium of relationships which came out as the bitter truths of
life. American life was dwelling in the realm of doubt, despair and quest. The
times after World War II laid the same tracks of manipulating the common man. A
disillusioned mind and was fed up of walking in the dark as there was no proper
path to be followed where these fundamental queries met their solutions. The ‘age
of doubt’ has injected lethargy in the mindsets of the people who were grappled
in the dichotomy of orthodox values and never dying patriotic spirit. But this
darkness then bounced back with profundity through dark cinema after the war in
America, famously known as ‘film noir’. Although it is one of the most vibrant,
technically remarkable and aptly contextualized movements in the history of
cinema; it still remained the less talked about as compared with that of the
Westerns and Gangster films. The very questioning of the structures and
disregard to the presumed conventions helped film noir to come out like a trait
of modernity in the context of post war American cinema.
The typical low key lighting
shots, passionate camaraderie with the darkness, shady locales in the cities
and the characters voicing the manipulated, enthralled psyche of the common man
came out as a modernized way of looking towards the harsh and the real face of
life. It can be said that the movement of ‘film noir’ not only showed the new
way of perceiving the reality but also represented this face of life through
unique characteristics. The best example can be the femme fatale. The powerful, seductive woman who takes on the
corrupt world to establish her own regime and succeeds in practicing her own
terms and conditions. A treacherous woman, using her sexuality was new to the
screen and was received with a great curiosity in her image and also in the
thought which substantiated it. This was considered as a modern depiction of women on screen as these images stood not only
for their emancipated nature but also for transgressing stepping in so called
‘male’ territories. It is observed in urban Indian cinema where an accomplished
woman takes on her male counterpart to seek redemption of her orders or
desires. In case of Indian films, we have seen the traits of this treacherous
woman in number of gangster movies. But she had a fixed plan when we locate the
loss of her authority and ideals in this immoral world. She has been struggling
hard with the harsh face of reality and making terms with it.
In Jism (2002), Sonia played by Bipasha Basu followed all the possible traits of
noir and it succeeded in translating the similar codes of sexual explicitness.
The strong, seductive, adulterous femme
fatale Sonia played by Bipasha Basu manipulates a lawyer Kabir Lal (John
Abraham) to conspire the murder of her business tycoon husband (Gulshan
Grover). Kabir who falls prey to her ways, gets entrapped in her love succeeds
in killing her husband as per the plan but comes across the double standards of
Sonia’s ruthlessness. Lack of social inclusion and moral freedom has been
symbolized by the incapability of Sonia’s husband in loving her. This is why
she steps out of her sphere.
In recent example of Hate Story (2012) and its sequel Hate Story 2 (2014) we come across such
a new age rebellious woman who defies norms of traditionalist right wing
politics to restore the order of her love life. In its prequel, a woman conspires
for avenging her fallout in ruthless competition of corporate world. The sequel
speaks about her bitter rising above her fears of the manipulative patriarch.
With the visual analogy of shadows
and a backdrop of the socio- political turmoil; we are able to draw upon the
significant cinema of depression. The films openly dealt with the impulses and
tendencies of the mind which were discussed in isolation in a ‘low key’ lighting
tone. But film noir had the audacity to present the society as it was and was
extremely influential, inspiring for the cinema of the coming generations.
There are many instances of the films after 60s and 70s which went back to
these works or straight away influenced by them, following the trailing shadow
of their precursors. According to me, there are very few film movements in the
history of cinema which have made a profound impression through both - their
cinematic styles and codes and the contemporary epoch they addressed to. The
greatness of film noir thus lies in its modern element. The films of ‘neo noir’
followed a postmodern trait like incredulity of the preset conventions but the
main difference can be viewed in case of the Indian noir films of the recent
times that in order to be incredulous the conventions, we are setting new
conventions for new age identities. These identities- mainly of women making
their way through a difficult ways find their expression of freedom. They add a
new parameter for darkness on screen.
Amol Jadhav
Assistant Professor
Amol is an independent filmmaker with an academics specialization in film language, criticism & technique. He owns an independent production house that produces short films documentaries & features films, which have been featured in various reputed film festivals across the globe. He has combined cinema on academics and professional levels thus giving it a new paradigm.
