Two Faces...Same Coin

          VS        

There are several differences between classic noir and neo noir films. Some of them can be that the classic noir was in black and white versus neo noir in color, noir films were created in the early '40s and associated with with World War II while neo noir movies were produced in the late 20th century. Obviously the scenarios changed, while noir has a lack of space, hotel rooms or urban streets, might because the budget. Neo noir is film in places with more room and its lines are based in real situations as political, social or general life. In addition, the narrative which is present in noir mode is not longer used for the modern noir films, the author of  The Dark Past Keeps returning: Gender Themes in Neo-Noir, Heather borrows the quote "Form is fragmented, narratives are discontinuous, and absolute truth is meaningless" (Salim). I do know exactly why, but might be because the scenes are more understanding so the narrative is not necessary.  Either classic noir and neo noir characters have different roles but the same freaky intention: manipulate with their emotions to accomplish their goal.

Noir male protagonist do everything for the femme fatale desires until both are destroyed for their own human nature. Neo noir story-tales apparently are based either to find how to be a real man or how the roles of man an woman has affected femaleness. Some of the actors are not longer guided for a woman instead they are driven for a male. Like in the case of Fight Club, where Jack in his intent to avoid Marla, he finds himself being guide by Tyler, to whom he sees as a teacher of his life. Moreover, Tyler has the theory of "Manhood is lost because we were raised for a woman, and then later for another woman, a wife." In my humble opinion this Tyler wants to create and raise kids without female figure.

Based to what I comprehended, it looks like there are two types of female protagonists involved in the neo noir films. Either she plays the role of whom makes men's life miserable and she is see just as sexual object or as the classic noir femme fatale with the difference that she neither died nor change her life style. Such characters can be appreciate in the movie "Fight Club"  and "The Last Seduction". Where in the first movie mentioned before, Marla plays the only female persona, a woman that confronts en several occasions the rejection from men. And the other side, The Last Seduction film, Bridget as a femme fatale killed her husband and her lover paid the consequences of such crime. This scenario is as same as classic noir, but here Bridget left without to pay for her evil actions and with money in her packet.

As the quote that Heather Fireman took from Marla San Felippo "The Last Seduction reflects anxieties about current feminist advances, examining masculinity and femininity in light of deconstructed and reconstructed gender roles." Therefore, female characters have something else in their minds than being beautiful, treacherous, and being killed. They play to be alive with glory and money.

Lack of colors versus color films, predatory characters, and different budget are some of the descriptions of Classic Noir and Neo Noir, however the tale of the fisherman and the fish is the same, I think that later on we will see who is the fisherman and who is the prey...