Film noir refers to stylish crime dramas produced in Hollywood from the 1940s to 1950s. Characteristics include low-key lighting, depth of field camera work, and urban night scenes shot in gloomy tones. These films often featured a morally ambiguous protagonist and a mysterious femme fatale who leads them into danger. Film noir was influenced by German Expressionism and adapted American literary works. It explored themes of melancholy, alienation, and moral corruption through complex characters like detectives, gangsters, and killers. Famous directors of the genre included Orson Welles, John Huston, Billy Wilder, and Fritz Lang. Well-known films include The Big Sleep, In a Lonely Place, and The Lady