engleski

Subverting Stereotypes - The Role of Femme Fatale in Film Noir

Drawing on the different typology models of female stars in classical Hollywood, ranging from the virgin and flapper to the independent woman and femme fatale, this paper analyses the specific function performed by the femme fatale in film noir. One of the reasons The Maltese Falcon is often cited as the beginning of the film noir cycle is that it introduced the basic constellation of its most important character types – the hard-boiled urban detective and the femme fatale, played by Mary Astor. The role of the femme fatale has often been linked to the pervasive male anxiety resulting from the new-found freedom of women who had gained financial independence by entering the workforce during the war. However, it can also be seen as a dark mirror of the previous archetypal portrayal of women in American film: that of the homebuilder and obedient, loyal wife and mother. In this way, the femme fatale is a major step forward in breaking the stereotypical portrayal of women in classical Hollywood cinema. Although duplicitous, seductive and dangerous, she is also an intriguing and multi-layered character who strongly influences the narrative development of the film. The focus of this essay are two of the most intriguing femmes fatales in the classical film noir canon – Gene Tierney as the monstrous Ellen Berent in Leave Her to Heaven and Jane Greer as Kathie Moffat in Out of the Past.

film noir, femme fatale, alienation, Hollywood, stereotype

nije evidentirano