Have a Very Noir Christmas
A Look Into the Relationship Between the Christmas and Film Noir Genres
“Christmas is only for kids, it’s not for us.” — CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
The Hollywood film industry was going through several radical changes during the 1930s. The world was changing, and studios were trying to keep up with its audiences. Silent films were out, sound films were in, color pictures were becoming a spectacle, and by the end of the decade, the world was at war…again.
Once America became involved in World War II, major movie stars and film directors inserted themselves into the war effort in many ways. Some became soldiers, some became involved in the USO tours, and some made propaganda films to inspire the American population. But Hollywood had to continue. While the United States was neutral on the matter of war before Pearl Harbor, Hollywood was beginning to comment, either directly or indirectly, on the conflict.
During this time and the post-World War II era, two film genres reflected the sentiment and feeling that Americans were having toward the world. One represented their cynicism, while the other represented their optimism. The Film Noir genre dealt with stories of a dark, corrupt world full of bad people with bad intentions. The Christmas genre dealt with stories of misguided…
