Paranoia Noir: The Hidden Reality of Film Noir
Patrycja Włodek
patrycja.wlodek@gmail.comPedagogical University of Krakow (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4019-3727
Abstract
Paranoia is a frequent cinematic subject in movies depicting both representations of paranoid personalities and conspiracy theories. It might be not only part of the plot (events), but also an important factor influencing the narrative structure and other filmic devices. It might also serve as a metaphor. This happens in film noir, where paranoia is both a subject and an element influencing the general vibe. In three categories of film noir – gothic noir, puzzle/mind-game films and stoner noir – filmmakers use subjectivisation and other narrative devices in order to introduce paranoia both as a metaphor and a commentary on contemporary social reality.
Keywords:
paranoia, subjectivisation, film noir, gothic noir, puzzle films, stoner noirReferences
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Authors
Patrycja Włodekpatrycja.wlodek@gmail.com
Pedagogical University of Krakow Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4019-3727
PhD, Jagiellonian University graduate (film studies and sociology), Assistant Professor at the Pedagogical University of Krakow; she specializes in the history of American cinema. Film critic and author, contributor to many magazines, periodicals and books. Author of the books “Świat był przemoczoną pustką”. Czarny kryminał Raymonda Chandlera w literaturze i filmie [“The World Was a Wet Emptiness”: Raymond Chandler, Hard-boiled Fiction and Film Noir] (2015) and Kres niewinności. Obraz i upamiętnienie ery Eisenhowera w amerykańskich filmach i serialach – pomiędzy reprezentacją, nostalgią a krytycznym retro [The End of Innocence: Depiction and Commemoration of the Eisenhower Era in American Cinema and Television – Representation, Nostalgia and Critical Retro] (2018).
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