Table Of Content

Darkness Calls A Critical Investigation of Neo-Noir Sue Short Darkness Calls “This book makes a number of original contributions to the study of both classic and neo-noir: it takes into account the genre’s appeal to both male and female viewers; provides one of the first extensive treatments of the various functions of comedy in neo-noir; includes a discussion of a number of twenty-first century films as well as television noirs; and makes a convincing case for seeing noir as a potentially optimistic genre and not just a fatalistic and despairing one. Short writes with clarity and flair and the book offers a spirited engagement with existing scholarship—serving as an excellent introduction to noir criticism while una- fraid to take issue with a number of long-standing claims. It should appeal to anyone interested in film noir and its contemporary legacy and is accessible to non-academics, with a potentially wide readership.” —Douglas Keesey, California Polytechnic State University, USA. Author of Neo-Noir: Contemporary Film Noir from Chinatown to The Dark Knight (2010) “Darkness Calls takes us on a perilous trek across neo-noir’s bleak and ever-shifting terrain, from lost sleazy sixties gem Lady in a Cage to Killing Eve’s dark slapstick. Mapping out key themes and major tendencies, Short is never afraid to challenge received wisdom or critical orthodoxies.” —Mark Bould, University of the West of England, UK. Author of Film Noir: From Berlin to Sin City (2005) and co-editor of Neo-Noir (2009) Sue Short Darkness Calls A Critical Investigation of Neo-Noir Sue Short Birkbeck University of London London, UK ISBN 978-3-030-13806-6 ISBN 978-3-030-13807-3 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13807-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2019934458 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover image: Suzanne Goodwin/Stockimo/Alamy Stock Photo Cover design by eStudio Calamar This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland In loving memory of my father. C ontents 1 Introduction: In Pursuit of the Neo-Noir 1 The Critical Profile Built—And Its Shortcomings 6 Why Is It Noir and How Is It New? 14 The Aims and Outline of This Investigation 30 Works Cited 39 2 Crime, Corruption and Social Critique: A Thematic Overview of Noir 43 What Counts as a Counter Cinema? 44 Common Themes and Tropes 53 New Developments and Departures 70 Works Cited 82 3 Conflict and Crisis: Masculinity and Noir 83 The ‘Crisis’ Argument Reconsidered 84 Performativity and Reclaimed Machismo 94 Reluctant Avengers and the Rejection of Violence 109 Works Cited 113 4 Fear and Fantasy: Women in Noir 115 The Femme Fatale: A Figure of Antipathy or Potential Identification? 116 Avengers, Assassins, Amnesiacs and Outlaws 124 vii viii CoNTENTS Heroic Helpers and Dogged Detectives 136 Works Cited 146 5 Noir by Any Other Name?: Generic Confusion and Diffusion 149 Nothing New: A History of Hybridity 150 In League with the Devil or Doing God’s Work?: Some Big Questions in Horror-Noir 154 Misused Power and Manufactured Realities: SF-Noir 159 Works Cited 180 6 A Lighter Shade of Noir: Differing Uses of Comedy 183 A Sign of Exhausted Ideas or Renewed Inventiveness? 184 Mordant Mirth and Cruel Comedy 187 From Fear to Absurdity: Outlandish Extremes and Parodic Twists 195 Works Cited 209 7 Fatalism vs Free Will: Nihilism and Noir 211 The Labyrinth and Existential Malaise 212 Altruism Versus Egotism—Noir’s Competing Impulses 225 The True Proof of a ‘Counter Cinema’: Lighting the Darkness 230 Works Cited 234 Filmography 237 Index 249 CHAPTER 1 Introduction: In Pursuit of the Neo-Noir Heists and homicides that rarely go to plan, assassins and amnesiacs with identity issues, and an array of characters placed in difficult situa- tions, whether it is lovers on the run seeking to evade capture; innocent protagonists trying to clear their name; lone cops aiming to expose corruption in the force; or a number of detectives (both ‘official’ and otherwise) whose investigation often reveals more about themselves than their supposed quarry. As such a list suggests, neo-noir plots are both famil- iar and diverse, inviting ongoing intrigue while frustrating easy analysis. Whether set in the past or the present (or extrapolated to a near-future), played relatively straight or radically revised, we can recognise repeated themes and seemingly perennial concerns. Adopting various forms— including cinema, television and new digital platforms—examples have encompassed a range of styles and now span the globe, yet despite its apparent prevalence today—and increased academic attention—many core questions remain unanswered. What has propelled noir’s appeal, half a century on after its supposed decline? What has led film-makers and series creators to rework given tropes? What debates continue to divide critics? And why are we, as viewers, so drawn to stories that often show us at our worst? Referencing a range of films and series, citing critical work in the field—while also challenging many of the assumptions made—this book sets out to advance our understanding of a subject that has fascinated audiences and academics alike (arguably, for very different reasons), enduring, in large part, due to its capacity to keep us guessing. © The Author(s) 2019 1 S. Short, Darkness Calls, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13807-3_1 2 S. SHoRT Although the term ‘neo-noir’ is regularly used by critics, and readily adopted by the media industry, confusion reigns about what this label means and how it should be applied. Published work in this area has yielded much debate yet also relatively little consensus, with commentators unwilling to stray too far from an established academic doctrine, or simply asserting their own individual preferences, resulting in assessments that are often too partial or subjective to be much use as a guide to neo-noir. This book aims to avoid these pitfalls by treating its subject as a cold case reopened, keen to find what apparent ‘experts’ may have missed. It provides an informative and accessible appraisal that questions why noir has proved so ripe for continued revision on screen, as well as renewed academic interest. While various strands of interpretation are discussed, many critical claims are also interrogated, including question- able assessments about its assumed audience and underlying ideology. In contrast to the dogmatic assertions often made by noir scholars, a more balanced approach is favoured here, acknowledging noir’s potential to be both progressive and problematic. It challenges the idealism that has often led critics to look upon neo-noir as a pale imitation of film noir, takes issue with many claims about the purported meaning of texts and updates existing scholarship in a number of ways: drawing attention to television series as well as cinema, emphasising contemporary examples not discussed elsewhere, and endeavours to shed some light on dark tales by examining various factors behind neo-noir’s appeal—a question that demands due consideration in seeking to understand its differing modes of engagement. Noir’s interest is a complex question, especially given the diverse forms it has assumed. As James Naremore asserts ‘The truth is the history of noir is not over and it cannot be given a single explanation. No doubt movies of the noir type have always appealed strongly – but not exclusively – to middle class white males who project themselves into stories about loners, losers, out-laws and flawed idealists at the margins of society. The different manifestations of noir, however, can never be completely subsumed under a single demographic group or psychological explanation’. (1998: 275) Naremore is right in warning against trying to oversimplify noir’s attrac- tion (including contentious claims about its main audience) yet he also asserts a particularly important idea in terms of its appeal, suggesting 1 INTRoDUCTIoN: IN PURSUIT oF THE NEo-NoIR 3 viewers might find some affinity with the marginalised protagonists on screen, who are either drawn into unlawful conduct or struggle to stay honest in a crooked world. What might viewers gain from immersing themselves in such a fraught fictional environment? or by identifying with characters who seem to lack any control over their lives? Is there a transgressive pleasure to be had in witnessing characters break the law, sometimes securing a degree of power that is otherwise untenable, and what other pleasures might this narrative form offer? From its earliest examples, noir has skirted controversy in its depiction of criminality and ‘taboo’ subject matter, allowing us to observe illicit activities in a world beyond the norm. In the intense dramas that unfold temptation, betrayal and tragedy often feature, giving noir what Naremore terms as ‘mythic force’ (277). Richard Martin suggests that noir might even be regarded as a ‘contemporary nightmare-like correlative to classical mythology’ which updates the action yet maintains the same underlying concerns, ‘presenting essentially timeless narratives about the darker side of the human condition’ (1999: 6). As occurs in myth, flawed characters are tested in some way and it is these flaws—a veritable gamut of human folly including lust, greed, megalomania and ruthless aggression—which heightens the sense of drama in these tales and also makes such characters relatable.1 It is by inviting us to identify with largely ‘unheroic’ figures that noir narratives first set themselves apart. Critic Nino Frank, credited with coining the term ‘film noir’ in his article ‘A New Kind of Police Drama: The Criminal Adventure’ (1946), notes a fundamental difference to the standard policier in making the criminal, rather than police, its focus— observing ‘the essential question is no longer “who-done-it” but how does this protagonist act?’ Frank maintains that viewers are drawn to more ‘psychological’ narratives because they better represent ‘the kind of gross cruelties which actually exist and the past concealment of which has served no purpose: the struggle to survive is not a new story’ (Frank 2018). By presenting the criminal not as a simplistic villain, but a figure we might regard with some sympathy in their bid to survive respective difficulties, noir is thus perceived as a significant new take on the con- ventional crime drama. As other early commentators, Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton, put it in their article ‘Towards a definition of Film Noir’ (1955), rather than reflect the point of view of the police ‘the film noir is from within, from the point of view of the criminals’ (1997: 20), granting a perspective that creates intrigue and an unsettling