The Black Dahlia...film noir?

We watched The Black Dahlia on DVD last night, having missed it when it was in theatres.

The Black Dahlia is set in 1947 Los Angeles. The main story centers around two cops, Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and his partner, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). They are investigating the death of Elizabeth Short, a young woman found brutally murdered, beaten to death then dismembered. Bucky soon realizes that his girlfriend had ties to the deceased, and soon after that, he begins uncovering corruption and conspiracy within the police department. The Black Dahlia was inspired by the most notorious unsolved murder in California history.

Does the above script summary sound familiar? It should. Similar plot lines centering around L.A. police department corruption in the 1940’s have been written into novels then made into movies, mostly in the 40’s and 50’s...but some recently. The style of this film might be called film noir. But as soon when you refer to a movie as being of this genre, you will get an argument from any student of the art form called cinema. No one can agree if this a genre or just a style of cinematography.

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those focused on sex and corruption. The literal translation from French is "black film". Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style, its roots in German Expressionist cinematography.

Back to The Black Dahlia. Brian De Palma directed it. His name alone should tell you that, at the very least, it is going to be stylish, dark, even creepy. The Untouchables, Scarface, Dressed to Kill, Body Double...Carrie!

For us fans of film making, another credit to make note of is the cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. The Two Jakes, Bonfire of the Vanities, The Deer Hunter, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Scarecrow...and Deliverance!

With De Palma and Zsigmond at the helm, you owe it to yourself to see The Black Dahlia...despite the less than stellar box office performance and reviews from when it came out last year. It is a good flick to rent or buy, sit down with a bag of microwave popcorn, unplug the phone, and enjoy an interesting murder mystery with a good ensemble of top actors. Heck, Hillary Swank is in The Black Dahlia in a role quite different from anything she has done before. Lest I forget Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett, and Mia Kirschner (show in flashbacks as the ill-fated starlet wannabe). As I've said many times previously, I would watch Scarlett Johansson in a Kitchenaide instructional video.

The original musical soundtrack by Mark Isham, including his haunting trumpet solos, is just right. Although, you will swear at times they simply duplicated the music from L.A. Confidential, Mulholland Falls, and Chinatown.

One small point of criticism. The obligatory period piece cigarette smoking in every scene...and I mean every scene...appears a bit contrived at times... as most of the actors, save for Aaron Eckhart, seem a little clumsy executing this nasty habit on camera. Their constant unfamiliar fumbling with paper matchbooks and Zippo lighters is a bit distracting.

As far as The Black Dahlia being film noir. Maybe so. The colors are muted, not black and white but more sepia toned. And, there are a lot of backlit smoke and vapor-filled silhouette scenes. Very stylish.

If you are curious as to what may be (arguably) the most well-known movie of so-called film noir...try The Maltese Falcon! They just don’t make ‘em any better than that. And Mr. Bogart new how to comfortably handle a lit cigarette with panache.