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Course Description

You will learn about the distinctive visual, narrative, and aural style of film noir - one of the most influential and enduring genres in cinema history. You will examine how the noir style emerged in the 1940s and 1950s, and how it continues to shape contemporary film, television, and other media. This class will utilize film clips from classic films and hidden gems to illustrate the importance of the genre.
Peter Aglinskas is a Harper College professor of Music and is on the faculty of Indiana University Northwest Fine and Performing Arts.

Course Outline

•    The origins and historical context of film noir
•    Iconic noir visual elements like chiaroscuro lighting, low angles, and deep shadows
•    Narrative tropes such as the femme fatale, the morally ambiguous protagonist, and the dark, fatalistic worldview
•    The use of voice-over, jazz scores, and other aural techniques to create a moody, atmospheric tone
•    The influence of noir style on later genres like neo-noir, neo-expressionism, and contemporary crime dramas
•    Analysis of classic noir films as well as more recent works that pay homage to the noir aesthetic
 

Learner Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
•    Identify and analyze the key visual, narrative, and aural elements that define the noir style
•    Understand the historical and cultural contexts that gave rise to film noir in the mid-20th century
•    Appreciate how the noir aesthetic has evolved and been reinterpreted in subsequent decades
•    Develop the ability to recognize and discuss the noir influence in a wide range of media
 

Notes

LLI Members receive a 50% discount.

Part of the Lifelong Learning Institute's Tuesday @ 10 series

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Thank you for your interest in this course. While we currently do not have a section open for enrollment, we invite you to join us the next time the class is offered. To ensure you don’t miss out, please complete a Course Inquiry and we’ll be sure to notify you as soon as the next enrollment opens.
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