Re: RARA-AVIS: Noir style but not Noir Content.

From: tieresias@att.net
Date: 17 Feb 2003


> I agree with Rene--
>
> Citizen Kane has a definite noir style, but the
> content is not noir.
>
> Great movie.
>
> Jack

This might be a chicken or the egg question, but isn't it possible that "Citizen Kane" influenced noir film-makers? After all, look at "The Maltese Falcon", which came out in 1941, the same year. Stylistically they're similar, although Welles took more chances in his rookie endeavor with camera angles, etc., than Huston did (also in his rookie endeavor as a director), and let's face it, "Citizen Kane" is a nexus point in film-making. *Everyone* who came after was influenced by
"Kane" in one way or another, even if it was to resist Welles' influence. Truly a seminal work for the film industry in general, and for noir in particular, I'd say.

This is not say that "Citizen Kane" is "the greatest film ever made" (although in my considered opinion, it is), per se. Merely that it was incredibly influential over all. It is possible to be influential and not in a good way, after all.

Take "The Matrix" for example. Innovative fight scenes? Yes. "Good" fight scenes? Not in my opinion. The action is too frenetic, scripted and video-gamish to be something that I can watch without wanting to fast-forward through it. But coupled with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"(one of the *stupidest* movies I have ever seen),
"The Matrix" has influenced everything that came after.

It's one reason I would rather rent action movies than see them in the theatres nowadays. I can fast forward through the flying across rooftops and speeded-up film processes.

Just my four cents (as I weighed in on other topics as well),

Brian

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