To What Extent is Se7en an Exa
The film Se7en, directed by David Fincher in 1995, was at the time both a shocking and deeply disturbing text that left audiences with a profound psychological trauma, that some film critics have said is reminiscent of the classic genre of Film Noir, calling the film an example of Modern Noir. This is what I will be investigating in this essay.In terms of plot, Se7en is a narrative with a bleak and sinister undertone, built up to a landmark ending which director David Fincher was forced to fight for in order to give the film that gloomy and menacing feeling that it holds so well. Film Noir has a number of plot motifs that must be followed for it to be truly called Noir. Firstly, most Noir films begin with usually one protagonist being given a task, a mission to follow through with by a client. This is true in the classic Noir film 'Out of the Past' (1947) where Jeff Bailey, the main protagonist is offered a job by Whit Sterling, a criminal gambler, involving the retrieval of documents from a tax lawyer. The film in question, Se7en, also uses this beginning to the plot, as the two characters are asked to investigate the case of the serial killer. Although there are two characters instead of the conventional one, the nature of t
If we look again at how this applies to Double Indemnity, this theme is evident in that Walter Neff is used by Phyllis Dietrichson, the femme fatale in order for her to reap the rewards of the insurance scam coined together primarily by Neff himself. Se7en is a film rife with the feeling of corruption and sleaze, evident in the fact that the detectives themselves have to use dishonest and corrupt methods to catch their killer, when they bribe an FBI officer into giving them a list of people who have been reading into the seven deadly sins, and may be responsible for the murders. They are forced to cover up their fraudulent deed by bribing another, completely different member of society in the homeless woman, who tells a false story to an investigating officer. Se7en though, has a tendency to use such features as torches to such effect, to slice through the mise-en-scene, not just to identify with the theme of a serial killer cutting and slicing his way through his victims, but also to cut and threaten the atmosphere surrounding the detectives. In Se7en, a law officer states to the sloth corpse "you got what you deserved". This is a technique that many Noir films have used in the past to give the city a more polluted feel. Some critics believe that Tracy is in some respects the femme fatale of the movie. They are not used in such a technical way though, rather just for a recognisable Noir icon to identify the film's homage to the 30s-born genre. In Se7en, John Doe is described by the chief of police as "independently wealthy", an indication of this plot link with Noir. My belief though, is that because Tracy hasn't any of the attitudes, values or intents of a femme fatale she can never truly be called one, she merely qualifies a checklist of a femme fatale's plot influences. Throughout the film, we see hints of extreme nihilism, classic of Noir. In terms of a film, Se7en's cinematography is masterful. In Se7en, these events are John Doe's gruesome murders that the detectives follow as they fall deeper into ultimately what is his trap. The effect of such lighting is one of a sordid, seedy feel, an attachment to the city that it corrupts. I feel that Se7en is simply Fincher's homage to the 40's genre, implied right through to the when Fincher uses the classic Noir voiceover from Somerset which quotes Ernest Hemingway, a writer renowned for his work in Film Noir.
Common topics in this essay:
Double Indemnity,
John Doe,
Mystery Street,
Commonly Noir,
Noir Whenever,
Film Noir,
Fincher Se7en,
Fincher's Se7en,
Walter Neff,
John Doe's,
classic noir,
john doe,
film noir,
double indemnity,
femme fatale,
serial killer,
main protagonist,
modern noir,
typical noir,
noir technique,
noir classic double,
plot motif noir,
classic double indemnity,
classic noir technique,
film noir plot,
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Acceptance Essays
