The mystery. The femme fatale. The events spinning out of our hero’s control. All essential ingredients in a Film Noir, and all are present in the Coen Brothers’ seminal stoner comedy, the Big Lebowski. Does that make Lebowski a Film Noir? What is Noir, anyway? Subscribe: http://goo.gl/9AGRm

Classically, Film Noir is a category of films produced in the 1940s and 50s, in response to the inner darkness that ran through America post-Great Depression. But a lot of films produced after that era seem to fit the “noir” classification, which calls the classification itself into question.

Perhaps the least likely member of the post-Noir Noirs is 1998’s The Big Lebowski, about an man who gets swept up in circumstances beyond his control after he goes to solve the mystery… of his ruined rug.

We’ll take a look at The Big Lebowski and it’s Film Noir predecessors, explore a genre, question whether Film Noir really is a genre… Hey, it’s all in a day’s study here at Film School’D.

What did you think – did you learn something new? Did you get SCHOOL’D? What’s your favorite Film Noir? Can you think of other movies that meet these noir criteria, but aren’t part of the classical classification? What else do you want to learn about on your next visit to Film School’D?

Let us know in the comments!

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Welcome to Film School… ‘D: where we cover everything film. From what it all means, to who what when where and why things get made… we do it all with some animation and a laissez faire attitude. Because history already happened, so what’s the rush?

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