The Film Noir Cycle and its Final Installment

             Film noir developed in reaction to World War II and/or the Depression, but what was responsible for marking the end of the movement? Why did it come to a screeching halt after all of its successes? Stephen Armstrong argues that the subgenre’s ending was in reaction to a sociological change in regard to technological advances, anti-communist obsession, and the fall of politician McCarthy. Meanwhile J.P Telotte asserts that a shift in cultural anxieties is responsible for the extinction of the film noir, concerning the bomb, the nuclear holocaust, and the failure of our communication. Michael Grost analyzes the 1955 film Kiss Me Deadly which was released at the end of the noir cycle, discussing innovative techniques used in the film that set it apart from the other noirs that came before it. He attributes the end of the noir cycle to the social commentary the films communicate to audiences: the corrupt individuals who lack any real ability, virtue or accomplishment, rise to the top. Aldrich, director of Kiss Me Deadly, completely deglamorizes them. Like the arrival of the phenomenon later referred to as film noir, the end of the film noir cycle and its final installment Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly, are in reaction to many cultural and social factors including social change (the need to talk, the “post-post-war disillusionment”, and national unity), technological advances (the spread of television and nuclear warfare), and ultimately a shift from the cynicism and negativity during the noir era to a necessary “confidence about the present and optimism for the future” (Armstrong).

            Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly exemplifies Telotte’s need to communicate, to make meaning, to draw connections, and to control the means of communication. Mike Hammer uses an answering machine to screen his phone calls, giving him control over who he speaks to, and when he will speak to them, if at all. In the opening sequence, Christina expresses her desire to tell someone about the trouble she is in, and states that when people are in trouble, they need to talk to someone about it. She also talks about the meanings she can derive upon meeting Hammer, about his car, his clothing, drawing conclusions about his character based on these material cues. The way our culture communicates is ever evolving, and while the film noir subgenre was phasing out, society was confronted with the paradoxical notion that as humans, we need to talk, to listen, and yet society had already forced individuals into a state of alienation and isolation following the war and the depression. The film noir often employs the use of voice-over narration in an attempt to communicate and make meaning of the inner most thoughts of troubled characters, but the end of the noir cycle conveys the collective understanding that our attempts to communicate have failed.

            Technological advancements during this time seemed to be beneficial to communication (of course in many ways they were), but at the same time, certain advancements and developments perpetuated the inevitable isolation and alienation occurring, dividing individuals rather than uniting them. For example, Hammer uses the answering machine to avoid live conversation. Furthermore, the television is a non-interactive communication medium, much like the radio. People can watch television, listen to the radio, but cannot reply to messages received. People can listen/watch, but cannot speak. Their thoughts, feelings, and anxieties become internalized. Hammer prides himself with his ability to withhold information. Perhaps this is not always something to be proud of.

            For the duration of the film noir movement, the focus on cynicism, inner turmoil, corruption, and darkness put in to question national identity, individual identity, gender roles, morals, authority, and the class system, among other things. In Kiss Me Deadly Hammer is repeatedly asked, “Who are you?”,  “what do you want?”, “Are you alright?” and “who do you think you are?” He responds with negative comebacks, or ambiguous, uncertain answers. The loss of identity and belonging turns up again and again in films noirs, including Aldrich’s film. Hammer is unable to communicate, he uses technology to avoid confrontation and communication in general, and his character is difficult to interrogate and identify in the diegetic world, and it is equally difficult for the viewing audience.

            Aldrich deglamorizes the corrupt characters, unlike earlier noir representations. He effectively emphasizes technology’s influence on the human ability and ensuing failure to communicate. The narrative incorporates society’s new anxieties concerning bombs and nuclear warfare, by having the antagonists plant bombs on the suspecting protagonist’s car. There is much to be said about this film, its coinciding with the collapse of the film noir, and the plentitude of social and cultural happenings occurring simultaneously.