When was film noir invented?

Answer 1

Like a lot of things in life and art it wasn"t invented, it evolved, Cause of evolution in part was economics. Most films noir, to use the French Plural were made in Black and White, had mostly indoor and small-cast plots, and plenty of action and suspense, often violent, sometimes merely threatened violence. This brought them into conflict with the production code, so plots had to be curved a bit so ( Good guys come out on top) etc. No all were Black and white, most were situated at night, and almost all involved some sort of sordid or frightening off-post crime- often victimizing women. Lady In a Cage dealt with a handicapped woman ( who had had a hip fracture) being assaulted in an elevator, this starring high-level actress Olivia DeHaviland. Generally more than a touch of the morbid and macabre. Film Noir came into prominence in the late thirties ( depression affecting its evolution, cheaper than, say Science Fiction) and in a sense is related to crime short stories such as those of O. Henry and similar writers.

Answer 2

Noir - novel - was created in 1998.