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Women portrayed in horror and film noir films
Femme fatale film noir
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The New Villain in Film – Film Noir’s Femme Fatale The purpose of women in film has evolved throughout the years, from a necessary victim to the unsuspecting hero or villain. In the beginning of film women were portrayed as a victim so that their male counterparts could be heroically elevated, most to a level of stardom. A woman playing the weaker, more frail character in movies was not viewed as a demeaning position, but with the evolution of film noir, women playing the aggressor were sometimes viewed as derogatory and evil. E. Ann Kaplan (1996) writes, “The attitudes towards women evidenced in film noir – i.e., fear of loss of stability, identity and security – are reflective of the dominant feelings of the time” (pg. 50). The transition …show more content…
When we fist meet Lily she is an unsuspecting evil in the movie, as she appears weak and abandoned. For instance, Lily portrays a damsel in distress when Mike walks into her hotel room where she feigns hiding in fear of her life. Kaplan (1996) writes, “The insistence of combining the two (aggressiveness and sensuality) in a consequently dangerous woman is the central obsession of film noir, and the visual movement which indicates unacceptable activity in film noir woman represents the man’s own sexuality, which must be represses and controlled if it is not to destroy him” (pg. 57). Lily is both aggressive and seductive throughout her interactions with Mike. Lily intentionally fools Mike into believing she is in danger only to gain the information she needs to find the “whatsit” first. . Spicer (2002) writes, “The main type of male victim is the dupe of the femme fatale” (pg. 84). Spicer eloquently characterizes Lily with his descriptive summary of film noir’s femme fatale. Spicer (2002) writes, “The figure of the deadly female – femme fatale/spider woman/vamp – emerged as a central figure in the nineteenth century and became one of the most persistent incarnations of modern femininity” (pg. 90). Lily is powerful, yet mild mannered, self-sufficient, and very manipulative. Lily is full of confidence and exhibits no true frailty. In film noir the strong woman is often the villain disguised in a beautiful, needy woman who, in reality emerges as a harsh, conniving, and destructive
The reading by Barbara Creed titled “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection”, is an in-depth examination on the role of women in horror films. Creed challenges the commanding patriarchal view, which frequently puts the woman in the position of the helpless victim. She argues that when the feminine is constructed as monstrous, it is frequently done in conjunction with its mothering role and function. Creed’s main thesis supports that the prototype of all cinematic definitions of monstrosity related to the feminine is linked to the woman’s reproductive body. Creed elects to use the term “monstrous feminine” instead of female monster, because for Creed it is the “femininity itself that is monstrous” (41). It has been unfairly
Southern chick flicks on the heels of conservation reactions against gains made in women 's liberation during the 1960s and the 1970s
Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.
In 1996, the Wachowskis wrote and directed the noir crime thriller, Bound. In this film, the directors turned some of the archetypes of film noir on its head. Most notably, the role of women in film. Film theorist, Laura Mulvey, claims that the main role of women in film is to function as a source of pleasure, to be objectified, to be passive and at the command of male fantasy. This relationship of looking and being looked at causes each gender to have a particular presence within film; the male is active and the female is passive (Mulvey, 1975). However, in Bound, the character Violet, who is obviously objectified by the gaze of the male characters, does not hold a passive role within the film itself. Violet is a force that acts upon the narrative, manipulating events and scenes to her favor, along with actively controlling male gaze and using it to her advantage. Film theorist, Tania Modleski argues that there are passive and active roles within films that have connotations with “femininity” and “masculinity”, but these roles do not have to apply to the gender or outward appearance of characters that they align with. Modleski focuses more on the actions, not the outward appearances, of the film
Film Noir was extremely trendy during the 1940’s. People were captivated by the way it expresses a mood of disillusionment and indistinctness between good and evil. Film Noir have key elements; crime, mystery, an anti-hero, femme fatale, and chiaroscuro lighting and camera angles. The Maltese Falcon is an example of film noir because of the usage of camera angles, lighting and ominous settings, as well as sinister characters as Samuel Spade, the anti-hero on a quest for meaning, who encounters the death of his partner but does not show any signs of remorse but instead for his greed for riches.
These movies allowed female characters to embody all the contradictions that could make them a woman. They were portrayed as the “femme fatale” and also “mother,” the “seductress” and at the same time the “saint,” (Newsom, 2011). Female characters were multi-faceted during this time and had much more complexity and interesting qualities than in the movies we watch today. Today, only 16% of protagonists in movies are female, and the portrayal of these women is one of sexualization and dependence rather than complexity (Newsom, 2011).
American commercial cinema currently fuels many aspects of society. In the twenty-first century it has become available, active force in the perception of gender relations in the United States. In the earlier part of this century filmmakers, as well as the public, did not necessarily view the female“media image” as an infrastructure of sex inequality. Today, contemporary audiences and critics have become preoccupied with the role the cinema plays in shaping social values, institutions, and attitudes. American cinema has become narrowly focused on images of violent women, female sexuality, the portrayal of the “weaker sex” and subversively portraying women negatively in film. “Double Indemnity can be read in two ways. It is either a misogynist film about a terrifying, destroying woman, or it is a film that liberates the female character from the restrictive and oppressed melodramatic situation that render her helpless” (Kolker 124). There are arguably two extreme portrayals of the character of Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity; neither one is an accurate or fare portrayal.
In the film Double Indemnity (1944) film noir also portrayed the gender roles (femininity) introducing a charming woman who got her ways into men’s life leaving him devastated, confused etc. women with these qualities are often called femme fatale. Women in general have a larger corpus callusum, that helps them transfer data through the left and right hemispheres faster then men that made it easy for her to achieve her aim, also women in the other head have a more limbic brain
It’s a dark and rainy night. Our hero is hiding behind a wall with a revolver in hand. A crack of light, illuminates half of his face. He’s shaking nervously because he only has one bullet left. He turns the corner, and a sudden gunshot hits our hero. Who shot him? None other than his partner, who’s secretly in love with the very same dame that our hero fell for. You can consider this an example of a classic film noir ending. Film noir is a term used in cinema to describe a visually styled crime drama. Where did it come from? What are the key elements in a film noir? Why did this kind of cinema emerge when it did? What affect did it have in the film world? And finally, where is film noir now?
Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. As a result of the changing societal norms, women have experienced more transition in their roles than any other class. During the period of classical Hollywood cinema, both society and the film industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in home in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. Women did not have predominated roles in movies such as being the heroin. The 1940’s film Gilda wasn’t an exception. In Gilda, the female character mainly had two different stereotypes. The female character was first stereotyped as a sex object and the second stereotyped as a scorned woman who has to be punished.
The issue of female persecution throughout many of Hitchcock’s films has been fiercely contested, none more so than the controversial issue of assault and the attempted rape of a woman. Views that Hitchcock represents the archetypal misogynist are supported, Modelski suggesting that his films invite “his audience to indulge their most sadistic fantasies against the female” (18). Through both the manipulation of sound and the use of language, none more so than in Blackmail and Frenzy, the idea of rape and violence does effectively silence and subdue not only the women in the films, but the also the women watching them (18).
Throughout the extensive history of cinema, particularly in its inception, women had been relegated to the roles of the damsel in distress, a character which usually was kidnapped and hoped to be rescue by the male hero. Other female archetypes in cinema are the seductress, also known as the femme fatale, a character who was aware of her beauty and mystery and would use those traits to manipulate her suitors into serving her agenda, seen throughout many noir films. Lastly, as the object of desire; in simplest terms, the female serves the role of merely a prize to appeal to the male protagonist, and by extension, the audience. For years, these three archetypes would reappear across genres, and continue appearances within modern cinema. However,
Femme Fatale And Her True Color Noir means black in French. Noir is a genre of typical crime dramas. Protagonists of noir fiction are either victims, suspects, or perpetrators. They either victimized other people or have been victimized by others. Unlike traditional women who playing virtuous wives and mother, the type of women in noir fiction acts the role of what a good woman shouldn’t be, selfish, psycho, crazy.
If it is a female heroine then she will be really attractive, big breasted, and quite feminine. The evil villain is normally ugly, and greedy. The hero and villain have gunfights and chases (featuring a variety of vehicles). One of the females is a seductress, who works for the villain, she has to be attractive. The other female plays the heroes love interest; she also needs to be attractive.
Women have made progress in the film industry in terms of the type of role they play in action films, although they are still portrayed as sex objects. The beginning of “a new type of female character” (Hirschman, 1993, pg. 1). 41-47) in the world of action films began in 1976 with Sigourney Weaver, who played the leading role in the blockbuster film ‘Aliens’ as Lt. Ellen Ripley. She was the captain of her own spaceship, plus she was the one who gave out all the orders. Until then, men had always been the ones giving the orders; to see a woman in that type of role was outlandish.