ROBERT RODRIGUEZ AND FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY IS A HYBRID OF BOTH NOIR AND COMIC BOOK FILM. IT CREATES FORMS OF DILUTED CHARACTERS AND VISUAL CODES TO CREATE AN EXPERIMENTAL, POST MODERNISM FILM.
IN A SCENE AT THE BEGINING OF THE TEXT WE ARE INTRODUCED TO THE FIRST PROTAGONIST JOHN HARTIGON. IN THE SCENE WHERE HE IS GETTING OUT THE CAR WE SEE HIS TRENT COAT FLAPPING IN THE WIND. THOUGH IT MAY BE FAR FEATCHED, THE FACT THE TRENT COAT IS FLAPPING COULD SYMBLOIZE A HERO IN A COMIC BOOK. HOWEVER THE FACT HE IS WEARING A TRENCH COAT FIRLMY SUITS THE NOIR ELEMENTS AS THEY USUALLY INCLUDE DARK, DREARY AND RAINY SCENERY WHERE PEOPLE WEAR LONG TRENCH COATS. PEOPLE IN NOIR FILMS ARE ALSO USUALLY DETECTIVES OF SOME SORT.
THE USE OVER EDITING ALSO CONFORMS TO COMIC BOOK CONVENTIONS IN SIN CITY AS THE CHARACTERS AND THE SCENES ALMOST LOOK ANIMATED. A SCENE THAT INTRODUCES THE USE OF THIS OVER EDITIING IS THE FIRST SCENE OF A PROTAGONIST AND FEMME FATALE ON THE BALCONY. THE SCENE SUDDENLY CHANGES FROM FILM TO ANIMATION WHEN THE CAMERA SHOWS A LONG SHOT OF THEM. THE BLACK AND WHITE COLOUR IS ANIMATED AND THE RAIN IS EMPHASISED BY TURING INTO THE COLOUR WHITE. THE RAIN MAY ALSO BE USED TO EXAGERATE HOW THE CHARACTERS ARE FEELING.
AS I SAID BEFORE, THE TEXT IS A POST MODERNISM TEXT THAT MIXES ELEMENTS TOGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING ORGINAL. THIS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH THE USE OF 1950'S CARS AND MODERN DAY CARS SUCH AS SPORTS CAR FERREI THIS IS SHOWN WHEN NANCY FIRSTLY DRIVES A 1950'S CAR, BUT LEAVES THE FARM SCENE IN A FERREI. THIS ESTABLISHES THE TEXT AS EXPERIMENTAL AS WELL AS POST MODERN, MIXING CONVENTIONS ROGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW AND EDGY. THE TEXT ALSO IS VERY EXPERIMENTAL WITH ITS STRUCTURE, SCENES JUMP TO DIFFERENT STORIES AND CHARACTERS ARE INTRODUCED WHEN THEY ARE YOUNGER AND OLDER, ALLOWING THE AUDIENCE TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING EACH STORY THEMSELVES. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE USE OF SCENES JUMPING BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS TO THE TEENAGE AND CHILD OF NANCY.
THOUGH THERE IS OBVIOUS FORMS OF FEMME FATALES SUCH AS GALE: A PROSTITUTE WHO ALSO KILLS MEN IN A GANG, THERE IS ALSO DILLUTED FORMS OF A FEMME FATALES TO CREATE A NEW TYPE OF REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN FILM. SIN CITY CONFORMS TO THE FILM NOIR CONVENTION BY INCLUDING FEMME FATALES HOWEVER ALSO RESISTS IT BY INTODUCING DILUTED FEMME FATALES. A CHARACTER WHO CONFORMS TO THIS IS NANCY THOUGH SHE RELIES ON HER PROTAGONIST HEARTIGON SHE DOES NOT INTENTIONALLY HURT HIM OR USE HER BODY TO MANIPULAE HIM, ALTHOUGH SHE STILL HOLDS CONVENTIONS OF A FEMME FATALE.
CONVENTIONS OF FILM NOIR INCLUDE CHARACTERS WHO ARE UNTRUSTWORTHY AND ARE PARANOID. THOUGH WE DO NOT WITNESS THIS WHEN SHE IS FIRST INTRODUCED, BECKY CONFORMS TO THIS TYPE OF CHARACTER BY GOING AGAINST THE PEOPLE WHO PROTECT HER (GALE AND THE PROSTITUTES). HOWEVER WE DO NOT EXPECT THIS AS THE USE OF HER BLUE EYES WHICH STAND OUT GIVES HER A SENSE OF PURITY, INNOCENE AND NIAVITY. AGAIN THIS CONSIDERED AS DILUTED AS THE CORRUPT/UNTRUSTWORTHY CHARACTER IS NOT OBVIOUS.
THE USE OF THE CONSIST PLACE IN THE FILM "KADIES BAR" ALSO FITS THE FILM NOIR CONVENTIONS, IT SHOWS PEOPLE LETTING GO OF THEIR MORALS DRINKING AND SMOKING. THIS LINKS TO THE COLD WAR AS PEOPLE WERE WORRIED ABOUT ANOTHER WAR ARISING, THEY LET GO OF THEIR MORALS AND SAW NO POINT IN LIVING LIFE SAFELY ANYMORE. THE CORRUPT COP CONFORMS TO THIS AS WELL AS POLICE ARE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW RULES, HOWEVER THE TEXT INTRODUCES "JACKIE BOY" WHO IS SEEN MORE OF A GANGASTER BEFORE WE DISCOVER IS A COP. THIS COULD REFLECT WHY THIS CHRACTER DID NOT ABIDE BY RULES BECAUSE OF THE ERA IT IS SET AND TO FIT TO THE NOIR GENRE.
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