Film noir, which enjoyed particular success in the 1930s and 1940s, is probably the most profound genre of classic Hollywood cinema. Eckhart Schmidt tries to show the background and developments and speaks, among others, with directors such as Richard Fleischer and Robert Wise as well as with "femme fatale" actresses. Filmmakers of the following generations explain how the style and themes of noir continue to shape cinema today.
Spain. 1978. Year of the first democratic elections following the dictatorship, and of the birth cine quinqui (delinquent movies): films that rapidly became a big commercial success, showing things that were banned by the censorship not too long before.
In 1940s Los Angeles, when womanizing composer Keith Vincent is found dead, the inquest concludes it was a suicide but police detective Joe Warne isn't so sure.
Film Noir burrows into the mind; it's disorienting, intriguing and enthralling. Noir brings us into a gritty underworld of lush morbidity, providing intimate peeks at its tough, scheming dames, mischievous misfits and flawed men - all caught in the wicked web of a twisted fate.
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea creature would guess: He's a vegetarian.
Two girls are driving to Daytona when their car breaks down. Rather than sit in an old broken down truck in the middle of nowhere while they wait for their friends to come pick them up, they decide to go with J (Violent J), a clown, who invites them to his bed and breakfast.
In Santiago, Andrés Barros is a partner at an up-and-coming law firm. He's getting married, and his friends, including his law partner Roberto, arrange a bachelor party where he spends the night with a prostitute, Gloria.
Two young film authors, Angelo and Lillo, the former a screenwriter, the latter a director, try in every way to present their works to Mr Piras, a successful producer now converted to television production.
Based on one of the most famous mysterious disappearances in the world, Richard John Bingham, the Seventh Earl of Lucan, was accused of the murder of 29-year-old nanny Sandra Rivett on 7 November 1974, at his family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, in London.
