What is film noir?

What is film Noir?

Film noir is used to describe a type of film that has a style that has been marked by a mood of pessimism and fatalism. The classical film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low key lighting and a black and white visual style, as the term 'noir' is French for black. They could also involve sub genres and have many conventions and a lot of iconography to them.