Journal Article

Belleville Noir in twenty-first century cinema: Adaptation and innovation

Carolyn Stott

2019

Overview

The focus of this article is on the representation of the inner Parisian 'quartier' of Belleville in three twenty-first century films neonoirs, through a study of their use of setting and location. After first examining how the depiction of the 'quartier' in twentieth century French cinema contributed to the establishment of a Belleville stereotype, the article explores the extent to which these three recent films adopt and adapt the conventions of the original noir series. Setting in cinema has been closely studied, and Paris has been the subject of wide research in this context. The article's originality lies in its focus on the cinematic representation of a Parisian 'quartier', highlighting the interaction between the conventions of the neonoir genre and the changing identity of Belleville.

• Publisher: University of Western Australia,University of Western Australia, School of Humanities,The University of Western Australia
• Subject: 20th century / 21st century / Actors / Aesthetics / Alcoholism / Ambiguity / arisian quartiers / Authenticity / belleville / Contemporary literature / Crime / Criminal investigations / Demographics / Documentary films / Drugs / Film adaptations / Film noir / french film noir / Globalization / Historical text analysis / Homeless people / Immigration policy / Literary characters / Literary devices / Maiwenn (film director) / Motion picture criticism / Motion pictures / Motion pictures, French / Multiculturalism & pluralism / Murders & murder attempts / Narrative techniques / neo-noir / Plot (Narrative) / Plots, themes, etc / Police / Racism / Stereotypes / Twenty-first century / urban spatial representation / Working class