engleski

The Coen Brothers' Philosophy of Neo-Noir

The paper examines the history of the classical film noir and the problems of its definition and periodization, as well as the rise of its postmodern counterpart, neo-noir. Even though defining the term neo-noir has caused disputes between several critics and film historians, the common ground concerning its definition has not been reached. This is supported by numerous terms which are trying to encompass the complexity of its meaning. Be that as it may, many authors share the agreement that noir can be best described as a film which is represented through a combination of stylistic, thematic, and iconographic elements. The second part of the paper deals with noir’s postmodern counterpart, or neo-noir. Neo-noir films are the films which appeared after the classic noir period but contain noir themes and noir sensibility. These films introduced some innovations like the usage of stylized color and hypermobile camerawork. Neo-noir filmmakers manipulated their style and showcased the self-reflexivity that the classic noirs lacked. As a product of postmodern pastiche, neo-noirs branched out into various subgenres and became one of the most important contemporary genres in the modern Hollywood. What this paper deals with in particular are the Coen brothers and their works which heavily rely on the classic noir tradition but in a postmodern way. The paper analyzes three films: Blood Simple. (1984), Fargo (1996), and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001). The aim of this work is to identify and analyze neo-noir elements represented in the work of the authors who have displayed interest in film noir in a thematic, stylistic and technical sense.

film noir, neo-noir, self-reflexivity, pastiche, style

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