In this blog post, I will conduct a comparative analysis of “The Departed” and “The Maltese Falcon” to examine how each film’s portrayal of “identity” and desire expands or contracts the boundaries of the film noir genre. Introduction: Why Film Noir? One lecture I attended during class left a particularly strong impression on me. It summarized the key difference between film noir and...
“The War on Crime” and “Good Friends” are both crime films, so why do they offer different kinds of thrills?
In this blog post, I’ll compare and examine the structure of desire shared by “The War on Crime” and “Good Friends,” and how their differing cinematic realisms create distinct thrills and levels of immersion. The Challenges and Thrills of Crime Films Depicting crime in film is surprisingly tricky. While romantic dramas focus on the emotions of love, comedies on laughter, and horror films...
Is ‘Infernal Affairs’ a crime film rather than a true film noir?
In this blog post, I’ll examine how ‘Infernal Affairs’ can be systematically interpreted as a “crime film” in terms of imagery, characters, and plot, based on Thomas Schatz’s genre theory. Why Is It a Genre Film? I recently watched a Japanese film titled ‘The Disgusting Life of Matsuko’. Thanks to the dazzling colors that dazzled my eyes throughout the film and a...
What characteristics of the film noir genre does the ‘Infernal Affairs’ series exhibit?
This blog post focuses on the genre characteristics of Hong Kong film noir as exemplified by the ‘Infernal Affairs’ series and their variations. The Origins and Typical Characteristics of Film Noir Film noir originated when French critics began using the term to describe low-budget “B-movies” produced in Hollywood after World War II that featured crime or thrillers with a dark...
How do the films “The Departed” and “The Maltese Falcon” differ in their portrayal of desire and identity?
This blog post compares how “The Departed” and “The Maltese Falcon” reveal desire and identity, offering an in-depth analysis of the noir-like tension and narrative differences presented by both works. Introduction Noir, meaning ‘black’ in French. For a long time, I naturally assumed that the term ‘noir’ referred to films with a dark, somber atmosphere. This perception isn’t just my...
Can ‘Goodfellas’ be considered Martin Scorsese’s signature film?
This blog post explores why Martin Scorsese’s film Goodfellas is regarded as his masterpiece and analyzes its impact on the gangster genre. Goodfellas: Setting a New Standard for Gangster Films Imagine Scorsese’s filmography without ‘Taxi Driver’. It’s unimaginable. Even now, the film that comes to mind when you think of Scorsese is ‘Taxi Driver’. On the other hand, a...