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The term film noir was coined by French film critics, and literally means “black cinema.” This cinematic term was first attributed to Nino Frank, who applied it to Hollywood films released right after the Second World War. He said that many American crime and detective films released in French theaters at that time had a pessimistic and rather fatalistic view of reality. Film noir movies reached their heyday during the second golden age of Hollywood cinema, helping to define the crime and mystery genre for subsequent generations. Film noir is visually characterized by black and white cinematography that traces it development to German Expressionist cinema. The term film noir was unknown to contemporary American film makers, but the sobriquet caught on with American film critics in the 1970s. American film historians would go on to define the film noir canon in retrospect. Films that would come to epitomize classic film noir include The Maltese Falcon (1940) and The Woman in the Window (1944). Directors such as Fritz Lang and Nicholas Ray helped shape the development of film noir. Film noir had some defining features: the protagonist was usually a cynical cop or private detective. A common source of interest was the iconic femme fatale, who provided both mystery and romance to a normally bleak storyline that encompassed multiple murder and suicide cases. Many viewers can watch movies free on websites that offer streaming or downloading of classic film noir movies. The classic film noir femme fatale was epitomized by Hollywood beauties such as Ava Gardner and Lana Turner. Marilyn Monroe played a femme fatale briefly in Asphalt Jungle. The film noir femme fatale was usually a voluptuous woman clad in a skimpy red dress. In one hand, she held a filtered cigar, and with the other, a murder weapon she would use to threaten the protagonist. Many interested viewers can watch movies free on websites that offer film noir movies. Film noir movies were often more experimental than standard Hollywood features. This was because most film noir productions were what we would recognize today as B-grade films which did not appeal to mass audiences. Narrative voiceovers and flashbacks were often convoluted, while dramatic, shadowed photography and unusual camera angles were explored by directors. Many film noir aficionados can still watch movies free on websites that offer classic cinema.
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