Film Noir,
Gender roles
and the
Femme Fatale
By Leitu, Ester and Amelia
Gender Roles and types of women in
Noir
•
Commonly in Film Noir women fit into one of three roles: the Femme Fatale,
The "marrying" type and the traditional housewife.
•
The "American Dream" at the time consisted of a loyal housewife who
listened to her husband and took care of their kids, a successful
breadwinning husband who provided for the family and multiple children.
•
In Film Noir, the traditional housewife was often portrayed as "dull" and
"boring", possibly implying that the ideal life at the time was not what it was
cut out to be.
•
The "marrying" type of woman would pressure the man into marriage,
possibly representing the societal pressure to commit to the "American
Dream"
The Femme Fatale
•
The Femme Fatale is an archetype commonly
presented in Film Noir
•
She is often portrayed as sly and promiscuous, using
her sexual charm to manipulate men into doing her
bidding
•
Her motives tend to consist of one or all of three
things: independence, power or money.
•
At the end of the film this character is often
destroyed.
Traditional Gender roles
and the Femme Fatale
•
The Femme Fatale is put in a position
of power over the men by manipulating
them into doing what she wants,
contrasting the traditional power
dynamic of women following what men
desired
•
Goes against the previous societal role
of being innocent and loyal – uses sex to
get her way and often double-crosses
the men she is manipulating
•
These women were often trapped in
traditional marriages which they
wanted to escape, often taking extreme
measures to do so
Does the Femme Fatale go
against traditional gender
roles or enforce them?
Femme Fatale:
Enforcing Gender
Roles
•
Although these women are often shown as
powerful and independent, they are often
"punished" at the end of the film through
different methods such as imprisonment or
death. This punishment can be seen as a
result of her deviating from the societal norm.
•
If the woman is not destroyed at the end of the
film, she my instead come to regret her actions
and return to the social status quo – marrying
a man and settling down.
•
The Femme Fatale is often also portrayed as
the evil within the film - manipulating her
male victims and hurting anyone to get what
she wants
Femme Fatale:
Breaking Traditional
Gender Roles
•
The aforementioned punishment of these women can
be seen as a realistic commentary on what women
experience when they do attempt to break free from
the control of a man. Instead of gaining her freedom,
she is hurt further by those she tried to escape
•
Although they are presented as manipulative
and cunning this is just because they are a product of
their dire circumstances – they are driven to a point
of desperation and are willing to do anything to gain
their freedom rather than return to the confining
environment they came from.
•
If the Femme Fatale ends up rejecting her previous
ways and marrying a man this could be interpreted
as her accepting the fact that she cannot escape
the control of the men in her life and instead of trying
to fight it she gives in to what is expected of her by
society at the cost of her freedom.
Thank you for
listening! 