I’m writing my first serious paper of the year for my film noir class. i’m writing on Charles Vidor’s Gilda. When I first saw it 2 years ago i thought it was a film noir; now, after a month or so of class i’m not so sure anymore. noir is such a nebulous category, it might not be a category at all and although Gilda has some very distinctive aspects associated with noir it also has some very un-noir characteristics. i’d better start writing again.