I've never heard of a colour film being considered a film noir but Niagara certainly has some of the other elements: murder, deception, infidelity, atmospheric photography in the tower, and a gorgeous femme fatale. The next time I watch this film I'll set my TV to black and white to see how it plays.
shareAlthough the film is well shot in glorious Technicolor (and the Falls, Marilyn, and Jean Peters look great) I think it might well have played better if shot in noirish B&W.
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Of course it is: noir as the blackest black hole.
There are many film noirs in color, then we have the neo noir generation. Film noir also is found in many genres, including Westerns and science fiction. There's no doubt about it: "Niagara" is a remarkable example of film noir. It's my favorite MM drama, by the way.
My sister and I were born in the early Fifties. I remember hearing about Marilyn's death via the radio, and I recall that my sister and I cried about this pretty lady dying. Marilyn Monroe is considered a sex symbol, yet she's more than that. Men, women and children all were drawn to her. I think it's that childlike quality she had, as well as that air about her that was expressed in several films in which her character is totally unaware of her effect on men. Women should have hated Marilyn, but they didn't. Children shouldn't have paid much attention to her, yet we did. I can't even think of another sex symbol-type actress who was that beloved, though Sophia Loren was quite popular. Gosh! It was the suppressed Fifties, and no one ever condemned Marilyn that I can recall.
I know that is far from the topic, but I felt compelled to add that. It's not surprising that she remains so popular. Would "Niagara" have the same draw if someone else had played Rose?
~~MystMoonstruck~~
Everything's called a "noir" these days. This shares some characteristics with that genre, but also with Hitchcock....melodrama...thriller, etc. I think it's a real stretch.
shareThere are several color film that are considered film Noirs. The 3 most known other than Niagara are Leave Her to Heaven, Party Girl and Slightly Scarlet. Vertigo is often considered a Film Noir (and I agree) but many also disagree.
Somebody here has been drinking and I'm sad to say it ain't me - Allan Francis Doyleshare
It's funny that you should bring this up. My first few veiwings of this film were in the mid to late 60's on the Late Late Show when we still had a black & white TV set.....we didn't have a color set until around 1973. Imagine my surprise when I saw it again IN COLOR, in the early 80's!!!!! At first, I thought it was colorized by the Turner people..... I hate that! I guess I'm not one to pay attention to credits.
I may turn down the color when I watch it again. I recorded it the other night. Can't wait!!!!
Fasten your seatbelts.... It's going to be a bumpy night!
I did that just the other day, and Niagara is more powerful in b&w. If it were filmed in black and white, I believe no one would question its classification as a noir but, alas, it's in Technicolor. For the mood, setting, storyline, characters, and especially the time it was made, it would have been even better without color. Has anyone else watched it in black and white? Thoughts?
shareI think there's a very good reason why this film was photographed in technicolor. It is not only a "film noir" (which seems to be a debatable issue), but it is also a travelogue shot on location at Niagara Falls; also, the Falls themselves serve as a major part of the storyline. There was no way they were going to spend all that money to go out on location and not capture the scenery of the area in technicolor film. One of the major aspects of the film is the Falls, the fact that it's a traditional "honeymoon" spot, and is supposed to be about "romance and "love". What we get in start contrast to that is the "film noir" storyline. Filming this in black and white would have greatly diminished the impact of the irony between the beautiful technicolor photography representative of what the Falls "stand for", and the gritty, murderous story.
shareI agree totally...the falls just would not be the same in B/W. There's a scene early in another great noir classic, Out of the Past, that's filmed at one of the most breathtakingly beautiful spots in the Sierras: Twin Lakes, with a view of what's called the little or Seirra Matterhorn. Everytime I see that beauty washed out in B/W I want to weep in frustration.
shareI had not seen this film in quite awhile. the scenes near the end in the tower are definitely noir in atmosphere and shadows. In fact, I found myself just watching in awe as scene after scene looked like it needed to be used as a still photograph. To me the red elevator door added so much to the plot. It was there with the black and white background of very stripped down style mid century architecture and furnishings. And then there were those red doors. Instead of danger, they were safety....and not available! But the black and white and sharp shadows. I loved that whole sequence!
shareI, too, believe the debate over whether this is "film noir" or not would probably be nonexistent had this been shot in black & white. And sure, as crucial as b&w is to film noir, this film was simply meant to be filmed in delightful technicolor.
At any rate, great as Cotten and Peters are, Marilyn and the beautiful scenery make this one standout.
You want something corny? You got it!
Noir films are usually set in gritty urban areas where black and white is absolutely essential to carry the mood, and color would ruin everything. As noted, Niagara Falls is practically a character here and is mist effective in color. No studio would have gone there on location and shot in black and white. Note also that Leave Her To Heaven also makes extensive use of outdoor scenes and that incredible house qualifies as a kind of outdoor place, and so color was used there. And didn't Gene Tierney lpok perfect in Technicolor?
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