115px|Two silhouetted figures in The Big Combo. The film's cinematographer was John Alton, the creator of many of film noir's iconic images.

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression. Film noir encompasses a range of plots. Though the noir mode was originally identified with American productions, films now customarily described as noir have been made around the world. Many pictures released from the 1960s onward share attributes with film noirs of the classic period, often treating noir conventions in a self-referential manner. Such latter-day works in a noir mode are often referred to as neo-noirs. The tropes of film noir have inspired parody since the mid-1940s. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1535:

French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed along the St. Lawrence River and reached the Iroquois fortified village Hochelaga on the island now known as Montreal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cartier

1835:

Mexican dragoons dispatched to disarm settlers at Gonzales, Texas, encountered stiff resistance from a Texian militia in the Battle of Gonzales, the first armed engagement of the Texas Revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gonzales

1950:

Peanuts, the syndicated comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, featuring Charlie Brown and his pet Snoopy, was first published in major newspapers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts

1968:

A peaceful student demonstration in the Tlatelolco area of Mexico City ended when army and police forces began firing into the crowd. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlatelolco_massacre

2009:

During the 121st Session of the International Olympic Committee, Rio de Janeiro was elected to be the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro_bid_for_the_2016_Summer_Olympic_and_Paralympic_Games

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

splurge (v): 1. To gush, to flow or move in a rush. 2. To spend (usually money) lavishly or extravagantly http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/splurge

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The ideally non-violent state will be an ordered anarchy. That State is the best governed which is governed the least. --Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi