Film noir, which is based mainly around the crime drama genre, was a term used by French critics for dark film. A popular period for film noir was 1946, when this term was first used. This period was discovered to be a time of dark, bleak insecurity amongst society, possibly due to the recent end of the war. Therefore, film noir was a representation of this insecurity, which society was then able to relate or escape to - this was an explanation for the popularity of this genre. The main themes based around film noir are the idea of despair, paranoia and injustice, which is evident in both of these films.
The use of media language both Insomnia and The Third Man suggest the genre of film noir. However, this is seen more in ‘The Third Man’ through the typical codes and conventions of film noir. This is seen in the constant contrasts and extremes of light creating shadows, which is a typical feature of film noir as it connotes mystery and insecurity/paranoia in society of the time. This is comparable to the mist effect and extreme bright light in ‘Insomnia’, where everything seems somewhat disorientating to the audience. This creates a sense of mystery and paranoia also, as seen in ‘The Third Man’. Furthermore, the characters in each of these films are faced with a moral dilemma and are slightly displaced in society, which is a typical convention of film noir. The idea of insecurity is brought out in this idea which may affect the attitudes of the audience and the social dilemmas used are a reflection of the audience, as it makes the reader think about what they would do in this dilemma and if they are really perfect. Therefore, judgment can not be passed on the characters in each of these films. Furthermore, the sewer scene in The Third Man has many contrasts of light, creating a light coming from the end of the shot. This may be seen as “the light at the end of the tunnel”. The idea of the sewer also represents Harry Lime to be ’the rat in the sewer’, meaning he is at his lowest point. Furthermore, the contrast of light and dark is seen to be a metaphor for good and evil in the characters. It also creates the idea of some things being hidden but others are seen.
The City of Vienna and town of Troms are both represented as insular and are controlled by local laws, creating a hostile environment for strangers. This is seen in ’Insomnia’ as Swedish Jonas finds himself in Norway, an alien place to him. It is also seen in the shots in The Third Man and Insomnia of the train station and the plane. This is a typical convention of film noir and thriller as it creates the sense of the characters being outside their comfort zone, connoting disorientation and insecurity towards the audience.
The representation of women in film noir is seen to be ruthless and disloyal. The ‘femme fatale’ aspect of noir represents women to be feeling trapped by marriage, going against all the roles that society has given them. A sexual yearning within women is shown through film noir. This is shown in character Anna in The Third Man, who is very ambiguous to the audience. This is seen through her costume as she is seen in a long coat and a hat, which hides her identity from the audience. The typical sexual needs of a woman in film noir are also seen through Anna as she yearns to be with Harry Lime. This is also seen through Tanya in ’Insomnia’ as she is seen wearing a low cut blouse and has a modern brown hair cut. However, Froya is seen to be the more intelligent female character in the movie as she is seen very covered up in dim clothing, with a heart necklace around her neck. This heart necklace suggests she has a love interest and not a lust interest.
In addition, the male protagonist is represented as a flawed character in ’The Third Man’ as Holly Martins is in fact not an innocent man. However, Jonas’ representation of a protagonist is ambiguous, but is finally seen to be immoral by the audience - going against the idea of a protagonist. The costume of the characters in The Third Man creates a romanticized 40’s criminal look for Holly Martins with his hat and suit, which creates ambiguity in his character as a hat is generally covering his identity. Also, the use of a suit connotes supremacy and dominance, which is a typical convention of film noir as the male roles are generally seen to be higher in dominance.
Additionally, the music in The Third Man was cutting edge for the time it was made. This genre of music was typically seen in the thriller genre to keep the audience on edge. Therefore, it was a conventional thriller aspect for its time. Insomnia, similarly, uses cutting edge music to keep the audience on edge.
The use of camera shots in ‘The Third Man’ include many extreme long shots which capture the use of shadows and lighting in the shots. Additionally, there is a vast use of extreme close ups in both the Third Man and Insomnia, which is a typical convention of film noir as it creates ambiguity in the characters. Furthermore, high and low angled shots are used to illustrate the dominance, which is mainly seen in the male characters, or inferiority, which is usually seen in the female gender, of the characters. The Third Man also uses tilted camera angles, which creates disorientation to the audience and is a typical convention of film noir and is also seen in Insomnia. Additionally, the fast transactions in each of the films creates the idea of chaos, which is typical of the film noir genre.
In conclusion, The Third Man and Insomnia meet the codes and conventions of film noir through many things including lighting, camera shots, costume, characters and music. The lighting of the films creates ambiguity through the use of high contrasts of light, creating shadows. In addition, the use of suits creates supremacy which is a typical convention of film noir. The idea of threats and supremacy is a large convention of film noir.
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