Film Noir THE CHARACTERS

Film Noir brings in opposing characters to add conflict, and in doing to politics and drama, with the films.

 First we have the, predominantly male, leading role, the 'hero' or protagonist who always has the trait of moral ambiguity. Although the audience instantly assumes he is righteous at the beginning the line between what is right and what is wrong blurred within his vision becomes apparent as the film continues. It is expected that his character shall also have the career of being a detective. Detective linking in the themes of Film Noir such as enigma and deceit. We also have other predominantly male roles such as the 'gangster' business man. These characters usually dont have as much depth to them as the protagonist, and usually appear to be exactly as we see on screen; the bad guy who's main goal in life is to take money. Again, the gangster life style instantly links up Film Noir themes such as crime and wealth.

The female characters are a bit more contradicting rather than the only opposite that is clear is which 'side' they are on. For starters we have the 'good woman'. Think of a woman who conform the role of what society expects of a stereotypical woman in the 1940's and brought it to an extreme; domestic, loyal and a good house wife (kept woman). Although seen to be the 'perfect' woman within what society expects, she is the conflicting opposite of what we expect to see within the Film Noir style of film; completely out of place within the themes of 'lust' and 'enigma' as there will be nothing entrancing and mystifying about her character. Usually her man, the protagonist, is lured away due to the appealing femme fatale who takes control of a scene, pushing the 'good woman' out of the audiences and protagonists attention and  which ultimately leads him to his downfall.

This could also reflect on what society expectations of women, and how these expectation are changing within society. The 'good woman' reflecting on what used to be the only way to get accepted within the 1940's but was quickly becoming an outdated opinion to how women are allowed to be seen and act. Femme fatale being an extreme example, however she is the complete opposite to the 'good woman'. The change in opinion could be down to the success of Britain wining the WW2. Women had played a massive role in keeping British industryafloat as the the men had gone off to fight. They had proven to themselves and to society  to be just as capable of a male, which was the spark for the shift in their status.

The Killing (1946), The 'good woman' loses her husband (and audience) to the Femme Fatale.





Then we have the Femme Fatale; the woman who ultimately destroys the protagonist (clue is in the name). She is everything you would expect from a seductress: flirtatious, appealing, head strong, dominant, and lustful. She is an unconventional when compared to the expectations on who she should be and how she should act. Rather than taking on the role of the domestic house wife, she chooses a path of sex and wealth. She has a glamorous image which surrounds her, may that be through the location she is in, or the people she is with. Her whole allure created through the use of low key lighting, sleek elegant clothing and inviting body language. Her Independence when it comes towards men give her the power to do as she pleases which is what makes her so dangerous; she has no boundaries.

Do you think the femme fatale is a manifestation of male anxieties about female power post-2nd world war?

Within society post-war, women were applying for careers and there was a lot of debating between the sex's as it was a massive change from the 'role of a woman' pre-war when women were very much seen as house wives.

Femme Fatale is a character where the stereotypical seductress conventions are brought to the extreme, however these ideas must have evolved from somewhere. Christianity was the biggest religion within Britain at this particular point in time, and within the bible it had always labelled the temptation a woman brings to be a 'sin' (Eve convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree; an apple). Femme Fatale are expected to be desirable and alluring to the protagonist, the forbidden fruit. Much like when Adam took a bite out of the apple it was the downfall, when the protagonist gives in to the Femme Fatale his character is ultimately 'doomed'.

Using this analogy, I think that Femme Fatale are probably the manifestations of male anxiety of the thought of women being seen as equal status. Before, the male had always been in control, head of the household, and a womans opinion wasnt seen to be as important. I think the Femme Fatale reflects the worry and anxiety the men had of them potentially loosing their control over situations and their life falling apart with women using the one trait where they predominantly have the upper hand; seducing. Here is where the Femme Fatale's characteristics started. The destrustion the Femme Fatale causes in her path of greed and lust, could reflect on the presumption of women causing destrustion if they were allowed to go out to work and be seen as an equal.