Film Review: Film Noir - Sin City

In the short scene from The Customer Is Always Right (Part 1), the male character narrates the story in a poetic way, accompanied by the soft sax playing in the background. The lights from the party through the windows cast multiple shadows around the characters, but their faces can be clearly seen (high key light), untypical of a film shot in the Noir tradition. What is characteristic is the sax mentioned above, and that the film is shot in black and white. This last point however is not totally true, and it is here that another unique trait is found in Sin City. The effect of only showing one or two vibrant colors in contrast to the black and white tones of the movie draw the eyes of the audience and focus them on major details and getting the message across clearly: the red dress, the red lipstick and the green eyes, portraying a beauty in the night. Another effect used in Sin City is the use of negative silhouettes, showing only the rough shapes of things, giving it a dramatic and comical (in the sense that it can be found in comics/graphic novels - not that it is melodramatic/silly) effect. This negative coloring also artistically enhances the shape of a heart between the two as they kiss, possibly a technique I may wish to learn from in the future. In the background, sirens and gunshots can be heard, setting the film in a violent neighborhood and possibly creating the action, crime and mystery mood for the plot to build on.