Film Noir Quotes:

That was certainly true the first time, when I did Body Heat, the first movie that I directed. I was looking for a vessel to tell a certain kind of story, and I was a huge fan of Film Noir, and what I liked about it was that it was so extreme in style.

- Lawrence Kasdan

source: Interview with Stax, www.ign.com. March 21, 2003.

topic: Style, Fans, Stories, Film Noir, Body Heat

There were some things that I found I really enjoyed singing about; like, on the title track, there's this film-noir character of a woman who's sort of losing it in a room.

- Diana Krall

topic: Character, Track, Singing, Film Noir

One difference between film noir and more straightforward crime pictures is that noir is more open to human flaws and likes to embed them in twisty plot lines.

- Roger Ebert

source: Roger Ebert's review of "The Samaritan", www.rogerebert.com. May 16, 2012.

topic: Plot Lines, Differences, Noir, Film Noir

Film noir is not a genre. It is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood. It is a film 'noir', as opposed to the possible variants of film gray or film off-white.

- Paul Schrader

topic: White, Quality, Tone, Film Noir

I don t mind a reasonable amount of trouble.

- Dashiell Hammett

source: Dashiell Hammett (2010). “The Maltese Falcon”, p.61, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

topic: Mind, Trouble, Falcon, Film Noir, Sam Spade

Film noir has a mood that everyone can feel. It’s people in trouble, at night, with a little bit of wind and the right kind of music. It’s a beautiful thing.

- David Lynch

topic: Beautiful, Night, Wind, Film Noir

There is something missing in a lot of digital filmmaking, something I call "poetic reality." That's something you see played out in film noir, where the technique establishes the mood.

- Vilmos Zsigmond

source: Source: www.pbs.org

topic: Reality, Missing, Technique, Film Noir

I always find myself gravitating to the analogy of a maze. Think of film noir and if you picture the story as a maze, you don't want to be hanging above the maze watching the characters make the wrong choices because it's frustrating. You actually want to be in the maze with them, making the turns at their side, that keeps it more exciting...I quite like to be in that maze.

- Christopher Nolan

topic: Character, Thinking, Choices, Wrong Choices, Film Noir

There are specific times where film noir is a natural concomitant of the mood. When there's insecurity, collapse of financial systems - that's where film noir always hits fertile ground.

- Werner Herzog

topic: Insecurity, Noir, Financial, Fertile Ground, Film Noir

I don't care if it's a mystery story, a Western, or the story of Julius Caesar. To me it's the emotion, the lies, the double-cross, whether it's Brutus doing it to Caesar or Bob Stack doing it to Robert Ryan that defines what kind of drama it is.

- Samuel Fuller

topic: Drama, Lying, Stories, Brutus, Film Noir

Experience has taught me never to trust a policeman. Just when you think one's all right, he turns legit.

- Ben Maddow

source: "Fictional character: Doc Riedenschneider". "The Asphalt Jungle", 1950.

topic: Trust, Thinking, Noir, Asphalt, Legit

The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.

- Dashiell Hammett

source: Dashiell Hammett (2007). “Vintage Hammett”, p.151, Vintage

topic: Crooks, Cheaper, Falcon, Film Noir, Sam Spade

Robert Pattinson has the face of a film-noir dupe. It's a face that is searching and open and kind. It's a face that a certain type of woman might want to fool because, in its intensely old-fashioned kindness, the face says, I love you. Fool me.

- Wesley Morris

topic: I Love You, Kindness, Noir, Film Noir, Fool Me

I am grateful for what I call well-spent moments: Making a tuna fish sandwich with the works. Taking at least a half hour to eat it outside. Ironing my vintage tea towels while watching old black-and-white film noir movies and sipping one martini with extra olives - a quirky combination, but it works.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

topic: Grateful, Black And White, Tuna Fish, Film Noir, Sipping

I admire hard-bitten, wisecracking realism of Ida Lupino and the film noir heroines. I'm sick of simpering white girls with their princess fantasies.

- Camille Paglia

topic: Girl, Princess, White, Film Noir, White Girl

(In) most cop shows, every cop in the squad speaks exactly the same and the same kind of short clipped film noir-ish talk.

- Rainn Wilson

source: Source: mynorthwest.com

topic: Squad, Noir, Kind, Film Noir

I'm really a sucker for old, old movies. Like old film noir. I don't know. I also really enjoy independent movies.

- Boti Bliss

topic: Independent, Noir, Film, Film Noir, Old Movie

I think the original Matrix was really incredible. It was so original and it did so many innovative things with film. It was a much bigger film. Bound was just a smaller film. It was kind of like an old noir film

- Gina Gershon

topic: Thinking, Noir, Kind, Film Noir

Is there something in druggy subjects that encourages directors to make imitation film noir? Film noir itself becomes an addiction.

- Pauline Kael

topic: Addiction, Directors, Noir, Film Noir

When I was making these damned pictures, I never knew about film noir. If you had asked me about it then, I probably would have pointed to something like Bill Wellman's The Ox Bow Incident, the best Western I ever saw and very much in the style of film noir  I don't care if it's a mystery story, a Western, or the story of Julius Caesar. To me it's the emotion, the lies, the double-cross that defines what kind of drama it is.

- Samuel Fuller

topic: Drama, Lying, Style, Film Noir

Yes, to me that's one of the most compelling fears in film noir and the psychological thriller genre - that fear of conspiracy. It's definitely something that I have a fear of - not being in control of your own life. I think that's something people can relate to, and those genres are most successful when they derive the material from genuine fears that people have.

- Christopher Nolan

topic: Successful, Thinking, People, Film Noir, Psychological Thrillers

As the tall dark and handsome male star, Carey Grant always stands for male beauty and desirability, whether in a 30s screwball, a 40s film noir, or a 50s romantic comedy. He consequently turns around the orthodox gender between the one who looks and so desires, and the one who is looked at, and so is being desired.

- Steven A. Cohen

topic: Beauty, Stars, Dark, Male Beauty, Desirability