Week 25.46 - Socials Roundup - NOIRVEMBER Pt 2
10 Nov - 16 Nov 2025: Pitfall, See How They Run, Notorious, Michael Clayton, White Heat
Week 25.46 posts include shots from Pitfall (1948); See How They Run (2022); Notorious (1946); Michael Clayton (2007), and White Heat (1950).
White Heat
This gorgeous establishing shot in prison uses light and shadows, bars and depth, to make the prison look like a spiderweb, trapping its inhabitants as fodder.
Michael Clayton
This scene does three nifty things — one quick and so blatant you may miss it entirely, one slower and more subtle, one ‘built in’ — to stage this phone conversation between Michael (George Clooney) and Anna’s sister (Heidi Armbruster).
First, there’s a focus pull exactly as the sister turns on the light (0:13), as importance shifts from ‘the fact the phone is ringing’ to the sister and her reactions. Because the pull is quick and coordinated with the light, you may not even notice.
Second, Michael begins the call walking, but ends up in a position framing him in opposition to the sister; they remain ‘facing’ each other from opposite sides of frame for the remainder of the conversation.
Third, the cool blue colour and lighting versus warmer red colour and phone in their respective locations.
Michael Clayton is not a subtle film (as Stu, along with Chas and screenwriter Tom Vaughn (Winchester) talk about in great detail here), but it is a very effective one, and these three choices make the scene add up to be more powerful than its individual parts.
Pitfall
Many noir films make use of window slats to cast fore-shadows on characters, but Pitfall (1948) takes it further, using curtains, pajamas, stair railings, bedposts, a model plane, and more, to form visual 'cages' around Johnny and Mona.
See How They Run
This Agatha Christie-esque mystery movie centring around Christie’s play The Mousetrap makes plenty of meta references to classic films, including framing Petula (Ruth Wilson) between thin-slatted window blinds and a poster of iconic noir Laura.
Notorious
The intercutting of the crane shot, lowering to show us roughly Alex's POV as Alex walks down the stairs, is marvelous - depicting what Alex sees and giving us his sinking feeling as he descends into his own personal hell.