The Lethal "Femme Fatale" in the Noir Tradition.

Abstract

The sexual seductress of Hollywood cinema has a long and varied international lineage, 1 and alterations in her representation continue to present day. Molly Haskell concluded that while original Italian and French silent film versions of this vamp figure were allied with the dark forces of nature, version that gradually developed in America was from beginning allied with the green forces of capitalism (197). In Hollywood's classic noir films of 1940s and 1950s and in noir tradition that followed, her role as femme fatale has tied her closely to undercurrents of sexual, social and ideological unrest. While she has continued over years to have a destabilizing effect on film narratives, her incarnations are also at times nonviolent and/or supportive of protagonist, such as those in The Big Sleep (1946), Point Blank (1967), and Something Wild (1986). But my focus here is mainly restricted to lethal seductress, whom I will trace through Hollywood's noir history from Double Indemnity ( 1944) to The Last Seduction (1996). This figure largely abjures traditional romance and passive domesticity, choosing instead to apply her sexuality to homicidal plots in service of greed. From classic noir period through neo-noir era of 1960s and 1970s, and finally to contemporary or post-noir films of 1980s and 1990s,2 deadly dame's narrative positioning has continued to serve as a barometer of cultural repression and desire, victimization and reification. The Classic Femme Noir of Immorality and Avarice It has been widely observed that femme fatale in films of 1940s is a timely indicator of wartime misgivings about sex roles, marriage and sexuality. Thomas Schatz points out that Changing views of sexuality and marriage were generated by millions of men overseas and by millions of women pressed into work force. The postwar 'return to normalcy' never really materialized-the GIs' triumphant homecoming only seemed to complicate matters and to bring out issues of urban anonymity and sexual confusion (113-14). It seems no coincidence that rise to prominence of Hollywood's lethal siren occurred simultaneously with wartime and postwar readjustments in society. The massive entry of women into work force encouraged during war was suddenly discouraged at war's end-but momentarily reversed once more by Korean War (1950-54). These mid-century wars reminded Americans of life's fundamental insecurities, including economic vulnerability and occasional need for women to work outside home. On other hand, there was continued resistance to women's gainful employment by those men who wanted to be sole support for their family at a time of economic expansion in 1950s when this was still possible (Van Horn 140-45). Mainstream dramatic films as diverse as The Best Years of Our Lives ( 1945, Virginia Mayo role) and All About Eve (1950) offer negative images of resourceful working women, but it is deadly femme noir who most directly assaults socio-psychic conventions and thereby invokes most telltale narrative dislocations. Historically, returning veteran who had sacrificed for his country in a strict military system assumed that he would again wield economic authority and thus retake command of family home front. This militarization of male circumstances and attitudes further increased defensive stance against women in paid workforce, particularly if they demonstrated economic independence. Ambitious women evoke a certain paranoia that is readily apparent in metaphorical plots of classic films noir, where they are made to appear beautiful but also treacherous, criminally depraved and castrating in their desires. Often serving as catalysts for criminal behavior in men, they encouraged blame heaped on women's sexuality and furthered calls for her sexual repression and restriction to household. …

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