To conclude for the time being, I hope I have given a brief over view of the gender conventions of film noir along with the background history and conventions of film noir as a genre. I feel I have backed up some of my opinions on the gender conventions present in film noir but would liked to have taken the research further and looked in more depth into the feminist theories behind certain opinions on femme fatales as well as film noir in general. However, due to word counts and time restraints it was not possible yet. I hope to continue my research anyway and perhaps continue to post here after the marking process is complete.
Film noir is certainly an interesting subject which can be explored from various angles, I would have liked to explore genre definitions in relation to film noir being classed as a genre rather than a style and to look at the future of noir be it in the form of neo noir films or the current onslaught of video games inspired by film noir. The current resurgence of film noir, noir related writing and work is also intriguing and the reasons behind the resurgence would also be worthy of exploration.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
The Noir Man
Most often in film noir the main character is that of the hard-boiled detective. A tough, cynical, straight talking man with a troubled past and an overtly pessimistic view of the world and its occupants. A man who doesn't trust easily and is especially distrusting of people of power in the government and the police and yet is so often led astray by the femme fatale character of the piece. These men are a smorgasbord of flaws they are hard drinking, chain smoking, poorly dressed womanisers and yet they are still depicted as the hero (or antihero) of the piece.
The character of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon is described as the archetypal hard-boiled detective by Blaser(2008) and as "being nearly as amoral, ruthless, and greedy as the criminals he defeats". These hard-boiled detectives usually live by a code of behaviour or honour, again not unlike criminals, dictated by their profession a simple code of professional responsibility, loyalty and integrity which is never above the world of sex and violence they inhabit.
"...these are people who live on both sides of the law and at the expense of both criminals and innocents" (Jeffries, 2010).
Disillusionment, martyrdom, fatalism and guilt all abound in the hard-boiled characters of film noir. So often it is the case that the protagonist must lay down his own life in the end, sometimes for the good of others but often just because the world is too much and this was always going to be the end result. To quote Spike from Cowboy Bebop which is heavily influenced by film noir, "I've got to, I'm tired of running. I've got to clean this up."
References
Printed References
Krutnik, F. (1991) In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity. London. Routledge
Faison, S. (2008) Existentialism, Film Noir, and Hard-Boiled Fiction. New York. Cambria Press
Filmography
Out of the Past (1947). Directed by Jacques Tourneur. USA. RKO Radio Productions
The Maltese Falcon (1941). Directed by John Huston. USA. Warner Bros.
Cowboy Bebop (1998). Directed by Shinichiro- Watanabe. Japan. Bandai Visual
The Rules Of Film Noir (2009). Written by Matthew Sweet. London, BBC4, 24 May.
The character of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon is described as the archetypal hard-boiled detective by Blaser(2008) and as "being nearly as amoral, ruthless, and greedy as the criminals he defeats". These hard-boiled detectives usually live by a code of behaviour or honour, again not unlike criminals, dictated by their profession a simple code of professional responsibility, loyalty and integrity which is never above the world of sex and violence they inhabit.
"...these are people who live on both sides of the law and at the expense of both criminals and innocents" (Jeffries, 2010).
Disillusionment, martyrdom, fatalism and guilt all abound in the hard-boiled characters of film noir. So often it is the case that the protagonist must lay down his own life in the end, sometimes for the good of others but often just because the world is too much and this was always going to be the end result. To quote Spike from Cowboy Bebop which is heavily influenced by film noir, "I've got to, I'm tired of running. I've got to clean this up."
References
Printed References
Krutnik, F. (1991) In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity. London. Routledge
Faison, S. (2008) Existentialism, Film Noir, and Hard-Boiled Fiction. New York. Cambria Press
Filmography
Out of the Past (1947). Directed by Jacques Tourneur. USA. RKO Radio Productions
The Maltese Falcon (1941). Directed by John Huston. USA. Warner Bros.
Cowboy Bebop (1998). Directed by Shinichiro- Watanabe. Japan. Bandai Visual
The Rules Of Film Noir (2009). Written by Matthew Sweet. London, BBC4, 24 May.
The Noir Woman
Women in film noir are most often depicted as one of two stereotypes that of the Femme Fatale or that of the Good Woman.
The dark lady, the spider woman, the evil seductress who tempts man and brings about his destruction... She and her sister (or alter ego), the virgin, the mother, the innocent, the redeemer, form the two poles of female archetypes. (Place, 1989.)
The view of women in film noir can be attributed to the men who created these films the directors, writers and producers. As Janey Place(1989) states "Film Noir is a male fantasy" and as with many fantasies it comes from a place of both fear and desire, a view interestingly summed up by Mckenzie(2005) "If they are good, they are undesirable; if they are unattainable, they are better; and if they will surely kill you, then they are the best".
So often femme fatales are defined by the misogynist fears of men; those of manipulative, self serving women who are mysterious, predatory and duplicitous. The male fears of women who have power via their sexuality are very old fears, the one thing man has no power over and yet desires the most. These character can be viewed as an attempt to gain power over these fears by punishing the women in the films who act in this way.
The quintessential femme fatale of film noir uses her sexual attractiveness and ruthless cunning to manipulate men in order to gain power, independence, money, or all three at once. She rejects the conventional roles of devoted wife and loving mother that mainstream society prescribes for women, and in the end her transgression of social norms leads to her own destruction and the destruction of the men who are attracted to her. (Blaser 2008)
There is of course the other side to all of this that looks at these women as strong independent women who do what they must to survive in the gritty, paranoid mans world of film noir using whatever means necessary and they resort to this after being confined to the traditional roles of mother and wife for so long by society and the media.
References
Printed References
Place, J. (1989) Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan, London: BFI.
Harvey, S. (1978) Woman's place: The Absent Family in Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan.
Filmography
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Directed by Tay Garnett. USA. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947). Directed by Orson Welles. USA. Columbia Pictures.
Mildred Pierce (1945). Directed by Michael Curtiz. USA. Warner Bros.
Online References
J & S Blaser (2008) Film Noirs Progressive Portrayal of Women. Available at www.filmnoirstudies.com/essays/progressive.asp Accessed April 2010
Jason McKenzie (2005). It's Not Just Black and White: Gender Roles in Film Noir. Available at www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Summer05/McKenzie1.html Accessed April 2010
The dark lady, the spider woman, the evil seductress who tempts man and brings about his destruction... She and her sister (or alter ego), the virgin, the mother, the innocent, the redeemer, form the two poles of female archetypes. (Place, 1989.)
The view of women in film noir can be attributed to the men who created these films the directors, writers and producers. As Janey Place(1989) states "Film Noir is a male fantasy" and as with many fantasies it comes from a place of both fear and desire, a view interestingly summed up by Mckenzie(2005) "If they are good, they are undesirable; if they are unattainable, they are better; and if they will surely kill you, then they are the best".
So often femme fatales are defined by the misogynist fears of men; those of manipulative, self serving women who are mysterious, predatory and duplicitous. The male fears of women who have power via their sexuality are very old fears, the one thing man has no power over and yet desires the most. These character can be viewed as an attempt to gain power over these fears by punishing the women in the films who act in this way.
The quintessential femme fatale of film noir uses her sexual attractiveness and ruthless cunning to manipulate men in order to gain power, independence, money, or all three at once. She rejects the conventional roles of devoted wife and loving mother that mainstream society prescribes for women, and in the end her transgression of social norms leads to her own destruction and the destruction of the men who are attracted to her. (Blaser 2008)
There is of course the other side to all of this that looks at these women as strong independent women who do what they must to survive in the gritty, paranoid mans world of film noir using whatever means necessary and they resort to this after being confined to the traditional roles of mother and wife for so long by society and the media.
References
Printed References
Place, J. (1989) Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan, London: BFI.
Harvey, S. (1978) Woman's place: The Absent Family in Women in Film Noir. (ed) E. Ann Kaplan.
Filmography
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Directed by Tay Garnett. USA. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947). Directed by Orson Welles. USA. Columbia Pictures.
Mildred Pierce (1945). Directed by Michael Curtiz. USA. Warner Bros.
Online References
J & S Blaser (2008) Film Noirs Progressive Portrayal of Women. Available at www.filmnoirstudies.com/essays/progressive.asp Accessed April 2010
Jason McKenzie (2005). It's Not Just Black and White: Gender Roles in Film Noir. Available at www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Summer05/McKenzie1.html Accessed April 2010
Film Noir History and Conventions Part 2
As well as German expressionism film noir as we now know it has it origins in the pulp crime fiction novels of various authors including Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett and Cornell Woolrich all of whom began by contributing to the crime pulp magazine Black Mask that consisted of urban crime fiction in a hard-boiled style inspired by the state of corruption and rampant urban expansion in America at the time. These writers would go on to write many of the pulp novels that would spawn many film adaptations.
These novels would influence the stories and style of film noir in many ways the heroes/antiheroes, villains and corrupt officials along with the private eyes, gangsters and killers were all the source of entertainment in the novels and would go on to be the same in the films. The dark decaying underworld they occupied and the disillusionment and cynicism of the characters therein can also be traced back to the pulp fiction of the time and the mood in general in America at the time.
Film noir story are frequently complex and often non-linear and made use of flashbacks. The films stood out for their use of language especially the hard-boiled slang of the novels. Much of this language was used to be more sexual and offensive than the critics at the time would allow, so innuendo and euphemism was used to get the films past the tight broadcasting standards of the time. An apparent obsession with legs and feet also comes across from several film noir films perhaps again due to the strict broadcasting standards which would not allow anything racier.
Voice-over narration is used often in film noir and the voice over is not necessarily always to be trusted. A good example of narration in film noir is that of Sunset Boulevard where in the film is narrated by the main character who is shown dead at the beginning of the film.
References
Printed References
Black Mask Magazine (1920). USA. Popular Publications.
Filmography
Sunset Boulevard (1950). Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount
Double Indemnity (1944) Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount Pictures.
These novels would influence the stories and style of film noir in many ways the heroes/antiheroes, villains and corrupt officials along with the private eyes, gangsters and killers were all the source of entertainment in the novels and would go on to be the same in the films. The dark decaying underworld they occupied and the disillusionment and cynicism of the characters therein can also be traced back to the pulp fiction of the time and the mood in general in America at the time.
Film noir story are frequently complex and often non-linear and made use of flashbacks. The films stood out for their use of language especially the hard-boiled slang of the novels. Much of this language was used to be more sexual and offensive than the critics at the time would allow, so innuendo and euphemism was used to get the films past the tight broadcasting standards of the time. An apparent obsession with legs and feet also comes across from several film noir films perhaps again due to the strict broadcasting standards which would not allow anything racier.
Voice-over narration is used often in film noir and the voice over is not necessarily always to be trusted. A good example of narration in film noir is that of Sunset Boulevard where in the film is narrated by the main character who is shown dead at the beginning of the film.
References
Printed References
Black Mask Magazine (1920). USA. Popular Publications.
Filmography
Sunset Boulevard (1950). Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount
Double Indemnity (1944) Directed by Billy Wilder. USA. Paramount Pictures.
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