Genre of "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Big Sleep"

NOIR

["Here’s a helpful hint for your crossword clue:\n\n**\"This cinematic style often features shadowy lighting and morally ambiguous detectives.\"**\n\nThis hint guides the solver toward the visual and thematic elements of *noir* without directly naming the genre or repeating the original clue. It’s easier than the original but still requires some deduction."]

The clue **"Genre of 'The Maltese Falcon' and 'The Big Sleep'"** leads to the answer **"NOIR"** through the following reasoning: 1. **Direct Reference**: Both *The Maltese Falcon* (1941) and *The Big Sleep* (1946) are classic examples of **film noir**, a genre characterized by dark themes, cynical characters, and stylized visuals. 2. **Cultural Context**: The term *noir* (French for "black") is widely recognized in cinema to describe these types of crime dramas, often featuring detectives, moral ambiguity, and shadowy cinematography. 3. **Wordplay**: While the clue doesn’t rely on wordplay or puns, it assumes the solver’s familiarity with film genres, making *noir* the most precise and concise answer. Thus, the answer **"NOIR"** is a straightforward reference to the genre shared by the two films mentioned.