Film gris (, French for "grey film"), a term coined by experimental filmmaker

Thom Andersen Thom Andersen (born 1943 in Chicago) is an American filmmaker, film critic, and teacher best known for his works of experimental film, including his 1975 film '' Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer'' and the 2003 essay film '' Los Angeles Plays It ...

, is a type of film noir which categorizes a unique series of films that were released between 1947 and 1951. They came in the context of the first wave of the communist investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Thematic elements

Films gris offer a leftist criticism of society in general, and of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

in particular. They typically examine such themes as the psychological damages of class, the false promises of middle class happiness, and the pitfalls of materialism.

Distinction from film noir

Film gris differs from film noir in some of the following ways: * Film gris is a little more pessimistic and cynical than film noir. The dividing line between crime and law enforcement is often blurred. * Films gris tend to blame society rather than the individual. For example, films gris will tend to focus less on what a criminal is doing, and more on how society has produced the criminal class. * The audience identification is often with the collective in a way atypical of Hollywood films. * The alluring and treacherous femme fatale’s motives are more obvious and easier to identify than in film noir.

List of films gris

Andersen identifies the followingMUBI
/ref> as ''films gris:'' *1947 **'' Body and Soul'' *1948 **''

Force of Evil ''Force of Evil'' is a 1948 American crime film noir starring John Garfield and directed by Abraham Polonsky. It was adapted by Polonsky and Ira Wolfert from Wolfert's novel ''Tucker's People''. Polonsky had been a screenwriter for the boxing f ...

'' **'' They Live by Night'' *1949 **''

Thieves' Highway ''Thieves' Highway'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides, based on his novel ''Thieves' Market''. The film was released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection in 2005. Plot A war-ve ...

'' **''

Knock on Any Door ''Knock on Any Door'' is a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The picture gave actor John Derek his breakthrough role, and was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Willard Motley ...

'' **''

We Were Strangers ''We Were Strangers'' is a 1949 American adventure drama film directed by John Huston and starring Jennifer Jones and John Garfield. Set in 1933, the film concerns a group of revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the Cuban government of Gerardo ...

'' *1950 **''

The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and L ...

'' **'' The Breaking Point'' **''

The Lawless ''The Lawless'' is a 1950 American film noir directed by Joseph Losey and features Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell and Johnny Sands. A newspaper editor in California becomes concerned about the plight of the state's fruit pickers, mostly immigrant ...

'' **''

Night and the City ''Night and the City'' is a 1950 film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. Shot on location in London and at Shepperton Studio ...

'' **'' Try and Get Me!'' (''The Sound of Fury'') *1951 **'' The Prowler'' **'' He Ran All the Way''

List of film gris directors

Jules Dassin Julius "Jules" Dassin (December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, whe ...

Abraham Polonsky Abraham Lincoln Polonsky (December 5, 1910 – October 26, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, essayist and novelist. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for '' Body and Soul'' but in the early 1950s ...

Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor best known for the 1955 film '' Rebel Without a Cause.'' He is appreciated for many narrative features p ...

* John Huston * Joseph Losey

Sources

* Andersen, Thom. "Red Hollywood." ''Literature and the Visual Arts in Contemporary Society''. Eds. Suzanne Ferguson and Barbara S. Groseclose. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. (1985). * Hirsch, Joshua. "Film Gris Reconsidered." ''The Journal of Popular Film and Television'' 34.2. (2006). * Maland, Charles. "Film Gris: Crime, Critique, and Cold War Culture in 1951." ''Film Criticism'' 26.3. (2002).

References

{{Film genres Film genres Anti-capitalism Film noir Criticism of capitalism Hollywood blacklist 1940s in film 1950s in film Film genres particular to the United States

Thematic elements

Distinction from film noir

List of films gris

List of film gris directors

See also

Sources

References