Film Noir

Post-war America saw a huge shift in the roles of men and women. Women felt a new surge of empowerment while the men were away at war and their roles in society changed dramatically. They were stronger, more needed and freer. When the soldiers returned home, there was question of where the women would go. They had been helping to maintain order within the country while the men were away fighting and did not want to go back to being just housewives and decorations. With bold, brazen courage they took a stand and shifted their position in society. This allows the noir film to be a dark mirror for post-war America. Through it's stylistic choices and presentation, Detour will serve as the sole example for this notion.
Film noir questions social institutions. Before these dark types of films came out, a woman's role in a movie was to be sweet, innocent and obedient. Women were soft and cast only as side parts that barely took any attention from the main male star. Film noir challenged this idea and created the femme fatale; the dark, commanding role for a woman. The creation of the femme fatale finally produced a powerful woman's role in film. It mirrored the new role of women in society; the woman that earned income and provided for the family. Both types of women were seen as strong and independent.
In Detour, Vera looks at Al (and the camera) wildly and talks fast. She commands the scene and draws the attention to herself. Vera was essentially the face of the women that were no longer afraid to be outspoken and fearless. She's rough around the edges and the lighting in certain scenes really plays up this idea. The mix of fill and key light (Place & Peterson 1974) creates a mysterious style surrounding Vera. The viewer is unsure of how to feel about her, let alone trust her. Shadows often fall on her face and mask a portion of it. This lends to the air that she could be dangerous. As her role progresses in the film, her face is more exposed and we are starting to... [continues]

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