phrase
French
Film Noir
lit. โblack filmโ
A genre of cynical, low-key-lit crime films, originally American but named by French critics.
Origin
French critics in the 1940s named the dark, fatalistic American crime films of the era 'film noir.' Hallmarks: morally ambiguous protagonists, femme fatales, voiceover narration, urban shadows.
Modern usage
Still a working genre label; 'noir' as a stand-alone adjective describes anything moody, urban, and morally murky.
Tags
film
genre