Film Noir in the Land of the Midnight Sun (65144)
Session Chair: Nan Wang
Friday, January 6, 2023 (12:10)
Session: Session 2
Room: 318A
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
Indigenous storytelling lives in many genres and mediums, including film, and indigenous films are often connected to more ancient forms of storytelling and oral history. This presentation connects an indigenous film – On the Ice – to not only its older Inuit and Iñupiaq roots but also to a more recently created film genre and style: film noir. This presentation argues for the film’s placement in the film noir genre, comparing it to classic noirs such as Double Indemnity, Chinatown, and others. Through an analysis of the film’s plot, its setting, the relationship of the film’s two male main characters, male-female relationships, the inescapable influence of fate, and the inevitable punishment of immoral behaviors - as well as comparisons of 1920s and 1930s France and Germany (the environments where noir was born) to the present-day North Slope of Alaska - this presentation argues that the film equally lives in the realms of Iñupiaq storytelling and film noir, thus creating a unique work of art.
Authors:
Paul McNeill, Houston Community College, United States
About the Presenter(s)
Professor Paul McNeill is a Professor in the English department at Houston Community College
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