What Is Film Noir?

I created a short introduction to Film Noir on Windows Movie Maker. I did some online research and found these general facts about Film Noir in which I feel has helped me to grasp the basic content surrounding what Film Noir is all about and where it originated from.

I also found this quotation by Vanity Fair in which I feel is a definition in which truly helps to defy Film Noir for what it really is.

“Between the Great Depression and the start of the Cold War, Hollywood went noir, reflecting the worldly, weary, wised-up under current of midcentury America. In classics such as Laura, Sweet Smell of Success, and Double Indemnity, where the shadows of L.A. and New York pulse with killers, corpses, and perilous romance, failure is not only a logical option but a smart-talking seduction.” – Vanity Fair March 2007

I feel that the comment above by Vanity Fair shows a short and snappy insight into the world of Film Noir. It explains exactly how it lifted up people after a long "great depression" and the "start of the Cold War". When reading it, the final line stood out to me as it provokes the idea that alongside all of the enigma codes and secrets involved in stereotypical film noir's, perhaps the femme fatale is the cause of all corruption and how perhaps the majority of the time the obvious answer to all the crimes (femme fatale) is staring at us point blank in the face.