To what extent is Memento part of the Film Noir genre?
This may not seem like the most obvious element to study when it comes to this film, however it feels far too simplistic to just label the movie as merely a thriller or even a crime drama. There is a definite stylistic element to this story and the way it is told. Much, much more than just a film told backwards. The genre that it feels most like is the classic Film Noir.
Whilst this genre is mostly associated with films of the 1940s it has had various reboots - therefore we must understand what genre it fits into we must know the conventions that make a film noir.
To write this essay you will complete the following tasks...
1. Read and makes notes on an essay about conventions of film noir.
2. Watch the film and make notes using your research as a guide
3. Apply the research from your essay to the film by selecting a sequence of clips from the film
4. Use an additional piece of research to add to your findings.
5. Write several paragraphs (totalling no more than 1000 words) answering the question above
Task 1.
The essay below will be your main piece of Secondary research. It is from David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson's excellent book Film Art: An Introduction.Task 1.
- Read through the chapter
- Whilst reading, highlight key points
- Annotate the pages to put points into your own words
- Write out a dozen key quotations from throughout the chapter - each one should go on a separate Research Log sheet - found below the chapter.
- Summarise what the chapter has been about in your own words
Here is the research log - you are going to need LOTS of these!
Task 2.
Watch Memento - but you must keep notes, these should be based on the things that you have read about from the chapter on narrative.- Keep your summary of the chapter in front of you, as well as the quotations you've copied out. (have these written out separately from your research logs).
- Write very (very) brief summary of each scene as it appears in the movie
- Whenever something happens that either reinforces or challenges the points you've written down, make a note of it
- Throughout the movie write down anything that happens that you feel answers the question in any small way
- As soon as the film is finished, write down your immediate response to the film in relation to the question you are trying to answer
Task 3.
From your notes on the film AND the notes you've made from the chapter - think about any key sequences that would be worth analysis in answering the question. Find clips from the film on YouTube that you can look at again.Here are some that might help...
The opening sequence of Memento certainly gives the audience a taste of what is yet to come in terms of Narrative devices but what does it tell us about the Genre of the movie? Remember to analyse the sequence from which ever codes are appropriate. Can the clip be used to prove some of the elements in the essay or perhaps even contradict them...
This scene is from pretty early on in the film (and therefore later in the story!) where Leonard discovers the key evidence that leads him to believe that Teddy is his wife's killer. Films Noir have distinctive characters, visual style and narratives as you should have found from your reading. There is plenty here to help provide an argument 'For' the case of this being part of the Noir canon...
This is the start of the longest Black & White sequence in the entire movie, that in itself is a visual signifier of the Film Noir, but then so are a host of other things in this scene. Think about dialogue and different settings as well as the tone or feel to the sequence...
These final moments pick up where the last scene left off. However you might want to use the analysis of this scene to provide an argument for this film being part of an updated 'Neo-Noir'. Christopher Nolan says that the end of a film should help the audience assess and understand everything we have seen before it. How does this scene change our perceptions of almost everything. How does pulling the rug from under the audience a typical trope of the Noir genre...
Task 4.
Search for another piece of research relating your topic area - it can even be specifically about the film itself, a review of the film, an interview with Nolan, an essay or an article - write down some quotations that are interesting, even if you disagree with them.
You don't have to search too far to find Secondary research specifically written about Memento - however this isn't always useful for every research project.
Without a new angle or a new perspective the question will always remain:
Why write something if it's already been written?
For our purposes this is just a practice so it's fine, but the point made is important for you to remember - don't worry if you can't find the exact academic writing that answers your question, find the writings on the subject you are investigating and use it - that's where you get the marks in this essay.
Once you have read some different sources you can write them up on a research log like the one you have in your coursework booklet.
Task 5.
This is the hardest part but the most essential. Putting everything together. In no more than 1000 words you are going to write the essay at the top of this page. Using all of the elements that you've collected together in Tasks 1-4.
This should be as simple as fitting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - follow these steps and you should be able to answer the question:
To what extent is Memento part of the Film Noir genre.
- Choose one of the sequences you thought would be interesting to discuss and provide a short textual analysis.
- Find a quotation from your academic research that either proves or is at odds with the point your textual analysis makes.
- Explain the quotation and why it either proves or challenges your textual analysis.
- Give your own opinions
...alternatively...
- Find a quotation from your academics research that makes a statement about the representation of women in film or the media, or summarises a theory
- Write a textual analysis from a section of the film which either proves or disproves your point
- Explain what your own thoughts are on this area.You MUST include quotations from your research - whichever way you do this!
Either of these two options are useful and may be combined when writing the paragraphs of your own essay. The second option might require you to do additional textual analysis. The first option might require you to do extra reading. However, if both your Textual Analyses and Academic research is thorough then you should be fine.
Sample paragraph
There are many elements of Memento that could easily be considered as typical of the Noir genre, most notably the use of Black & White in half of the scenes. This allows Nolan, the director, to explore characters in more depth and present them to an audience in more interesting ways. Using the colours to emphasise lighting and by reinforcing this with sound effects and non-diegetic sound:
"Porfiro argues that sound and music in Noir are often used not just to heighten atmosphere and mood, but also accentuate the subjective and psychological focus of noir's systems and modes of narration."
(Steve Neale, Genre and Hollywood, p173)
A perfect example is the first black and white scene in the movie. The scene opens with an extreme close up shot of Leonards face in profile almost entirely cast in shadowy darkness and a prominent mechanical yet rhythmic clunking sound in the background. As the shot becomes a close up from in front of him the shadows remain, half of his face is indistinguishable. Both sound and lighting combine to emphasise a sombre, dark and mysterious tone to the movie. However as Porfiro argues, this is not all. As the shots of the empty coat hangers and sparse bedroom arrive in conjunction with Leonard's voice over, the audience realise that this room is symbolic of Leonard's mind. Empty, barren of ideas, a forgotten place, and this itself is representative of Leonard's damaged psychological state; a common feature of Noir's chief protagonists.
If you want to see some examples of how essays have been written well then click here.
