Looking at the dark side of American films

JAKARTA (JP): War, with its surfeit of tragedy and misery, brings its protagonists face to face with their most basic natures. War itself is sometimes seen as an agent of change: for film buffs, World War II has contributed significantly to the change in how films portray the dark side of humanity.

Characterized by cynicism, darkness and despair, film noir emerged from the American film industry as the traumatic World War II experience was still fresh in the minds of film makers.

Although the style did not dominate the film production of its period, which lasted between 1940 and 1960, film noir was an alternative to the received movie styles, which were dominated by musicals and westerns.

"Films noirs are characterized by a downbeat atmosphere and graphic violence that expressed postwar American pessimism. In this type of film, the attitude of cynicism is carried to the point of nihilism by assuming the absolute and irredeemable corruption of society and the system the directors lived in," says Teater Utan Kayu's film curator Rayya Makarim.

The theater, located on Jl. Utan Kayu 68 H, East Jakarta, will screen films noirs for three days this weekend, starting on Friday.

Greed, lust and cruelty became the main themes of these films; murderous femmes fatales, down-and out paranoid detectives, and mental patients are characters who express the themes.

"The protagonists are frequently unsympathetic antiheroes who pursue their base designs or simply drift aimlessly through sinister night worlds of the American jungle," said Rayya.

In its early development however the main characters were played by stars known for their glamour roles, and this adds to the style's eccentricity.

The main character of The Postman Always Rings Twice, for example, was played by Lana Turner, who was at the peak of her career as a starlet. Directed by Tay Garnet in 1946, this black and white crime thriller is recognized as one of the classics of its genre even today.

The thriller centers on lovers Cora (Lana Turner) and Frank Chambers (John Garfield) and their murder of Cora's easy-going husband (Cecil Kellaway). As the District Attorney (Hume Cronyn) becomes suspicious, he is determined to play the lovers against each other to get the truth. The Theater will screen the movie on Sunday at 2 pm.

Film noir's cinematography is also influenced by the dark postwar mood. Running on a low budget, film studios were forced to be innovative when filming.

"Film noir makes use of dark, shadowy camera work to evoke a menacing, hostile universe in which nothing is as it appears," said Rayya.

Unnatural compositions and unconventional camera angles also add to the psychology of film noir. Wide-angle lenses are often used in these films to allow greater depth of field to the point of creating expressive distortion in close-ups.

Beside somber themes, the film's lighting also contributes in enforcing film noir's distinctive style. Low-key lighting and night shooting (shooting night scenes at night time, rather than during daylight using dark filters) are key visual characteristics. Films noirs of today, such as Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential still subscribe to most of these characteristics.

Teater Utan Kayu's film noir festival will begin with The Maltese Falcon on Friday at 4 p.m. Directed and written by John Huston based on Dashiell Hammett's novel, the movie was about Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), a detective lured into a complex plot involving the investigation of his partner's murder. Although it was John Huston's directorial debut, the thriller captures the sardonic humor of the novel and was considered Huston's finest.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver, portrays the depressing life of Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro), an emotionally isolated human time bomb. Working as a New York taxi driver, Bickle steers his cab through the steaming streets of the Big Apple, which is portrayed as Hell on Earth. Bickle is bereft of all hope, fixating on his overwhelming sense of disgust and ultimately resigned to violence. Featuring the 13 years-old Jodie Foster as a young prostitute, the movie was critically acclaimed and was an Oscar nominee. The film will be screened on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Similar to The Postman always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity was based on James M. Cain's novel, yet the later movie attracted more favorable critiques. Again, the movie was about a pair of lovers, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), an insurance agent, and Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck). The two devise a plan to kill Phyllis' husband to get US$100,000 on a double indemnity insurance claim. The movie was directed by Billy Wilder. It will be screened on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Film noir's photography was at its best in Otto Preminger's Laura (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.). The movie is about the murder of a beautiful young career woman, Laura (Gene Tierney) who was killed shortly before her marriage to a dashing playboy (Vincent Price). Prior to her murder, the spell of Laura's beauty fell on a wealthy journalist (Clifton Webb) and a detective (Dana Andrews) who was assigned to the case. Joseph La Shelle's cinematography won an Academy Award for this film.

The last movie screened will be Roman Polanski's Chinatown (Sunday, 4 p.m). Starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, the movie is about a private detective (Nicholson) who tries to unravel a case of deception, incest and intrigue. The thriller's Oscar-winning script was written by Robert Towne.

So, how do these villainous and depressing stories portray our modern society?

"It is always suggested that the iniquities of modern society could be resolved through good faith and work. Yet film noir showed all human values to be seriously embattled, and sneered at the prospects for change," said Rayya.

A discussion on film noir will be held following the screening of Chinatown. (46)