FORMAL FILM STUDY: Best Picture (Oscar) Nominated Neo-Noir Films over a Decade [1971-1980]

I recently became interested in 70s films, especially those of the neo-noir genre, so I wanted the focus of my formal film study to have something to do with that genre and decade. I was also interested in looking at what makes a movie award show material. Somehow I managed to find three films that had all of these elements. My topic for this formal film study is "Oscar best picture nominated neo-noir films over a decade--from 1971-1980. And the three films I chose were A Clockwork Orange (1971), Chinatown (1974), and Raging Bull (1980). I chose films ranging from the early 70s to early 80s because I was interested in looking at how the neo-noir genre changed (if at all) over the course of a decade. But I realized after watching the three movies that, in regards to the genre, they had more similarities than differences. 

I watched these movies in the order that they came out so I could better see how neo-noir movies might have changed over a decade. So the first movie I watched was A Clockwork Orange. This movie was one that definitely stood apart from the other two. It didn't exactly feel like a neo-noir film, and didn't feel, at least to me, like it was award show material. The movie is about a teenager named Alex who, for about the first half of the movie, commits violent acts against women with a group of his friends. He gets sent to jail and willingly tries a new type of therapy that is supposed to rid the world of criminals. The movie was pretty graphic and disturbing, and for this reason particularly, didn't seem like it fit in with other Oscar best-picture nominees. And although it can be considered a "neo-noir" film,  it doesn't seem like one. It felt out of place also because of the colors and contrast used in the film. There were a lot of bright colors and crazy designs and patterns and high contrast between shots. This movie offers social critiques concerning youth and delinquency, among other things, which makes it a typical 70s film.


Chinatown, the second movie I watched, reminded me more of a neo-noir film. It had an old-fashioned feel to it and had specific elements of noir film, such as a femme fatale. The movie centers around J.J. Gittes (played by Jack Nicholson) and his career as a private investigator. He gets hired to uncover the truth behind a client's suspicious husband (Mr. Mulwray), but ends up exposing more corruption and scandals. Mulwray's wife serves as the femme fatale in this story. She seems honest enough when we first meet her, but she ends up using Gittes and causing problems for him. The smoking and costumes in this movie help make it a neo-noir film as well. Low-key lighting was most often used in this film and made it seem more mysterious and like a neo-noir. 

The last film in this series was Raging Bull, a biographical movie about boxer Jake LaMotta set in 1941. Although this movie was released in 1980, it still contains more than a few elements of 70s films. It tells the story of champion middle-weight boxer Jake LaMotta, who is on the rise after a succession of wins. This film had many neo-noir elements. It was shot in black and white which, along with the old music, gave it an old-fashioned feel. It reminded me of a 70s film because of the hard-edged story it told. It was also pretty violent and gory. Through the course of the movie, Jake's personal life begins to influence his boxing career and the viewer becomes witness to his mounting disarray. The cinematography was interesting because the quality of the film was made to look like an old movie, which contributed to the neo-noir feel of it. 

Overall, the biggest similarity between these three films was the type of story that each told and the style with which they did. Each movie told a relatively hard-edged and mature story that didn't necessarily have a happy ending. This is one elements that makes these movies "70s" movies. The reason I picked movies that spanned from 1971 to 1980 was because I thought the basis for the main stories would change a little bit, but each one of them was gritty and real like a 70s film. Violence and social critiques characterized these movies as 70s films. The styles of the movies had a lot in common. They can all be considered neo-noir films, and therefore have certain elements that fit in this style. Chinatown and Raging Bull at least felt a lot like neo-noir films, with old-fashioned costumes and music, and being shot in black and white, respectively. But not as many neo-noir elements stood out in A Clockwork Orange. But the dystopian setting and violence can still classify this film as neo-noir even if it doesn't contain as many elements as the other two.

These three films were all nominated for an Oscar for best picture in the years in which they were released, although none of them won. It surprised me that A Clockwork Orange was nominated for best picture because, like I said before, it doesn't seem like the type of movie that would be nominated for that award. I also learned, through "The Playlist" website, that "Stanley Kubrick... never won Best Director or Best Picture, and only three of his feature films were nominated in the latter category." (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/15-edgier-best-picture-oscar-nominees-20140219?page=2#blogPostHeaderPanel)I have a hard time believing that a movie that graphic and disturbing would be nominated for Best Picture, but I think it was nominated for the skill with which it made its social critiques. It also did well at the box office and had critical support.  I can see why Chinatown and Raging Bull were nominated though. Chinatown discusses and remarks on politics while having a powerful cast. And Raging Bull tells a dramatic story with an amazing cast and great acting. Overall, I loved each of these three movies and it's hard to see why none of these films actually won Best Picture.