Film noir developed in the post war era as a response to the cultural disturbance created by the war. This unsettling time pushed the envelope for the production of dark films portraying the social and cultural conflicts of the time. These films broke the boundaries of classic Hollywood cinema and left the audience unsettled through use of dark lighting and corrupted story lines. Critics claimed that these films had developed “grimmer, bleaker, and blacker” (Belton, 221). One of the main characteristics of these film noir films was the development of the woman as a femme fatale, to reaffirm the traditional gender roles. WWII provided an opportunity for the woman to enter the workforce and threaten male dominance. This gender revolution
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In the opening scene of The Maltese Falcon, Wonderly is presented as a “knock out” and pleads with Spade to help find her strayed sister. This bogus request leads to the death of Archer and Thursby. Wonderly’s mysterious aura and alluring characteristics leads Sam Spade to invest in her case and believe her every manipulative word. Sam is even aware of Brigid’s alluring power as he states to her "You're good. It's chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get in your voice when you say things like “Be generous, Mr. Spade”. Brigid uses her female sexuality to break these gender roles by using it as a weapon. This breaks the traditional idea of abstinence and sex within marriage. She denies the image of woman as a mother and wife and instead is portrayed as a manipulative siren. This newly developed woman illustrates the “violent consequences of these cultural oppositions, mainly enforced according to gender” (Grossman 113). Brigid is the ideal femme fatale for this gender inequality and Grossman describes this behavior as the result of “the male crisis of identity after the destabilization of gender roles” (111). Brigid is a symbol of the fear of female independence and the loss of male dominance, through her portrayal as a dangerous threat to …show more content…
She plays the characteristic loveable and emotional female, when in reality she is manipulating Sam to cover up her murder. Brigid defines femme fatale by posing a threat to Sam, the noir hero. Brigid uses Sam as a pawn in her game to protect herself. This shift in gender roles “posed a threat to traditional values” (Belton 236). This cultural disturbance is portrayed through women like Brigid, aiming to break sexual barriers. By doing so, an anti-feminist front was created and portrayed in film noir to return women to their “rightful” place, in the homes as wives and mothers. Therefore, in film noir they are presented as reckless characters, destroying everything in their path. This is supported by Brigid’s character because she breaks the stereotype of the traditional woman and uses her sexuality to manipulate the male
In the opening scene of The Maltese Falcon, Wonderly is presented as a “knock out” and pleads with Spade to help find her strayed sister. This bogus request leads to the death of Archer and Thursby. Wonderly’s mysterious aura and alluring characteristics leads Sam Spade to invest in her case and believe her every manipulative word. Sam is even aware of Brigid’s alluring power as he states to her "You're good. It's chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get in your voice when you say things like “Be generous, Mr. Spade”. Brigid uses her female sexuality to break these gender roles by using it as a weapon. This breaks the traditional idea of abstinence and sex within marriage. She denies the image of woman as a mother and wife and instead is portrayed as a manipulative siren. This newly developed woman illustrates the “violent consequences of these cultural oppositions, mainly enforced according to gender” (Grossman 113). Brigid is the ideal femme fatale for this gender inequality and Grossman describes this behavior as the result of “the male crisis of identity after the destabilization of gender roles” (111). Brigid is a symbol of the fear of female independence and the loss of male dominance, through her portrayal as a dangerous threat to …show more content…
She plays the characteristic loveable and emotional female, when in reality she is manipulating Sam to cover up her murder. Brigid defines femme fatale by posing a threat to Sam, the noir hero. Brigid uses Sam as a pawn in her game to protect herself. This shift in gender roles “posed a threat to traditional values” (Belton 236). This cultural disturbance is portrayed through women like Brigid, aiming to break sexual barriers. By doing so, an anti-feminist front was created and portrayed in film noir to return women to their “rightful” place, in the homes as wives and mothers. Therefore, in film noir they are presented as reckless characters, destroying everything in their path. This is supported by Brigid’s character because she breaks the stereotype of the traditional woman and uses her sexuality to manipulate the male