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Fictional work using the crime formula, but in which crime becomes a dark metaphor that is symptomatic of what is wrong with society, rather than simply a single aberration from the norm. The film noir world is one of disillusionment and full of pervasive evil, guilt, fear, and paranoia. The protagonists are frequently anti-heroic hardboiled detectives, and are surrounded by corrupt characters that may include a femme fatale. Narratives are frequently convoluted and characterized by the use of flashbacks, voice-over narration, and echoed by visual devices reminiscent of German expressionism, such as shadows, low key lighting, and oblique, unbalanced compositions. Unlike mysteries, identifying the culprit proves less significant than revelations that justify the hero's cynical perspective. Note: Film noir was primarily made in a cycle during the 1940s and into the 1950s, but includes work made in previous and subsequent years that invoke the feel and mood of classical film noir (BODY HEAT; CHINATOWN), including television. Feature examples: AGAINST ALL ODDS; THE BIG SLEEP (with Adaptation); THE BLUE DAHLIA (with Adaptation); D.O.A.; DOUBLE INDEMNITY (with Adaptation); KISS ME DEADLY (with Adaptation); THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI; THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) (with Adaptation); MURDER, MY SWEET (with Adaptation); OUT OF THE PAST; SCARLET STREET; TOUCH OF EVIL (with Adaptation). TV examples: DANTE'S INFERNO; M SQUAD; MARLOWE--PRIVATE EYE (with Adaptation); PETER GUNN.

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