Noir Films

From researching famous Noir films, I was able to gain knowledge on elements of noir and how their films are created. Once I knew the repertoire of elements, this helped me in creating my own plot for my Noir Trailer because it allowed me to pick elements that I liked, and bring them all together to form one, very noir trailer.

Double Indemnity (1944) - Directed by Billy Wilder

In Double Indemnity, a salesman in insurance called Walter Neff meets the wife of one of his clients. Both him and Phyllis (the wife of the client) have an affair. Phyllis decides she wants her husband dead in order to gain accident insurance money. Walter comes up with a way that allows them to get double the pay out, based on a double indemnity cause.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl

The Maltese Falcon (1941) - Directed by John Huston 

Sam Spade, is a partner of a detective agency. Though he finds himself hounded by the police after his partner was killed investigating a man. Because Spade does not get along with his partner very well, the police see motive for him wanting rid of his partner. The girl who asked his partner to investigate/follow the man is not who she says she is, and is really involved in the 'Maltese Falcon' - a gold encrusted life size statue of a falcon.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl 

A Touch of Evil (1958) - Directed by Orson Welles. Mexican Narcotics officer Mike Vargas, is interrupted from his honeymoon, when an American building contractor is killed by a bomb placed in his car. He was killed on the US side of the border, but the bomb was obviously planted on the Mexican border. Vargas must soon testify against Grandi, a drug lord who's brother and sons are tracking him. Hoping to scare him off the case, the bomb kills the U.S rich developer, Vargas involves himself in the investigation. American Chief Police, Hank, is in charge of the investigation as the murder happened on the US side of the border. However, Mike Vargas participates as observer because he finds out that the Mexican citizen Sanchez is the prime suspect.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052311/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl 

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) – Directed by Robert Aldrich

Tough L.A. private eye Mike Hammer gives a ride to Christina, a frightened young woman he finds running along the road one night. His car is run off the road by unseen thugs. Hammer is knocked out and Christina is tortured in an unsuccessful attempt to get information from her. They are put back into Hammer's car which then is forced off a cliff. Hammer wakes up in the hospital. Velda, his trusty secretary, informs him that Christina is dead. Pat Chambers, Mike's policeman friend, tells him to stay off the case, but Mike thinks it might be a big story--meaning big money for him--because the FBI is interested. He, Velda, and Nick, his garage mechanic friend, start investigating in hopes of finding out why Christina was killed.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048261/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl