film noir

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French film noir (“dark film”, literally “black film”), attributed to French film critic Nino Frank (1946).

Noun

film noir (countable and uncountable, plural film noirs or films noirs)

  1. (film, uncountable) A film genre characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical or desperate characters.
    • 2017, Ian Brookes, Film Noir: A Critical Introduction, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN:
      During this period his own films were being studied alongside classic film noir together with European arthouse cinema and the works of directors from around the world.
  2. (countable) An individual film in this genre.

Derived terms

Further reading

French

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /film nwaʁ/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

film noir m (plural films noirs)

  1. film noir
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