The United States of America emerged from world war two drastically different from when they entered. The American society had changed in every aspect, even the American ideology differed from earlier ages. These changes had cultural impact, and in the middle of these confused times there occurred something previously unseen in the magical world of celluloid. The forties gave birth to the American phenomenon of film noir, a film "style" that had a continued existence during the two first decades of the postwar era. In this essay I will look at the American culture of this period at time and try to find the connection between film noir and the contemporary American culture. In this connection I find it relevant to take a look at the film medium in a historical context; as a source to cultural history.