Women of Film Noir - The Femme Fatale

The women of noir cinema are powerful. Noir women are either good or bad and seldom in between. Whether good or bad, a man's fate is often held in the hands of these women. The 'good woman' (wife, sister, mother, daughter, etc.) can do no wrong. She is all-suffering, always believes that she can turn things around to a positive, and willing to go to the ends of the earth for the man she loves. She accepts his philandering, his gambling, his drinking and what ever else she must endure, to be with him. Though she is seldom rewarded, she puts her life on the line and on hold for her man, and if she is lucky (or unlucky), he returns to her. However, does not regret, nor forget the woman who brought him to the breaking point, the femme fatale.

In noir, we are most familiar with the femme fatale. The fatal woman is usually beautiful or alluring; she is also resourceful and cunning. Men bend to her will and fall under the power of her fatal charm. She is not one who surprises a man with her treachery. He knows the minute he sees her that she is bad business. Still, he becomes involved with her.

The femme fatale is often pitted against the good woman, who is usually adept at recognizing that this woman trouble early on. In early code Hollywood, talk of sexually and libido may have been veiled, sometimes in humor but it was there, just under the surface. Witness a scene and conversation between Carlotta Vance (Marie Dressler) a society matron and Kitty Packard (Jean Harlow) a gentleman's "girlfriend", in the film Dinner at Eight by George Cukor - Kitty, I was reading a book the other day. Carlotta, (startled and surprised) Reading a book? ; Kitty responds, Yes. It's all about civilization or something. A nutty kind of a book. Do you know that the guy says that machinery is going to take the place of every profession? . Carlotta's snappy retort, Oh, my dear. That's something you need never worry about.

However bad, the femme fatale is always a fascinating and interesting study. We don't always understand why the long-suffering good noir woman does not just leave her philandering man and let him find his own way. The femme fatale has us wondering how a perfectly decent and honest man can be made to go wrong, so quickly for one woman whom he knows will most certainly lead to him to destruction. There is no age boundary for the femme fatale; she can be 17 or 87. Moreover, there is no age boundary for the men who end up succumbing to her charms. Occasionally, it is a woman who finds herself drawn in by the charms and wiles of the femme fatale. A good example of this is Mildred Pierce (1945) starring Joan Crawford. Joan's character (the good woman) has two daughters, but her marriage fails because of her obsessive love for one, Veda, exquisitely played by young and lovely Ann Blyth. Veda is quite possibly the worst offspring in noir or any genre. A bad-to-the-bone woman, not yet 20 years old. Veda ridicules her mother shamelessly about being a waitress, so mom feeling the shame and guilt takes a chance, opens a small restaurant, and becomes successful. However, mom's success is not enough for Veda; she fakes a pregnancy in order to blackmail a wealthy young man and his family. His family gives her money to go away. Upon discovering this, mom rips up the check. In return, darling Veda viciously slaps mom who finally orders her out of the house. Later, mom later finds Veda working in a dive of a nightclub and begs her to come home. Mom has a little money now, but Veda will return only if her mother promises to marry slick, old money prospect, Monte Baragon (Zachary Scott) who has his eye on mom (and Veda as well). Mom marries Monte to please her daughter and to give her the luxury she somehow believes her daughter deserves. She also gives Monte one-third of her growing restaurant business to consummate this marriage. Finally, Veda has an affair with Monte (now her stepfather). Actually, they are just continuing their affair. Can it get any worse for mommy Mildred? It does. Veda is epitome of the fatale woman. Mildred Pierce is told and shown effectively through voice-over and complex flashbacks. The cast includes, Jack Carson, Eve Arson, Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Veda Ann Borg, Jo Ann Marlowe, George Tobias and Moroni Olsen as Inspector Peterson.

In the 1981 movie Body Heat it was actress Kathleen Turner's character, Mattie Walker who brought arrogant, small town attorney, Ned Racine (William Hurt) down. Racine, a devout womanizer, recognizes Mattie for what she is immediately, but will not step back. He refuses to accept the truth when his best friends try to advise him. He never sees a double cross coming because he is sure that he can handle any woman. Later when he finally admits to himself that Mattie is indeed bad, he stays with her until prison bars close behind him. That's when he finds out just how bad she was; and that he was never in control. The casting in this movie is perfect; Richard Crenna is believable as Turner's wealthy and dangerous husband. Ted Danson and J. A. Preston are the best friends who know trouble when they see it, however pretty the package. Mickey Rouke has a small part in this movie. Rated R.

If you are a film collector and categorize your movies--a "Noir Women" category is definitely necessary.

-Vanette Ryanes

Vanette Ryanes is a true movie maven. She has been an avid movie fan for more than 35 years and has a video library of 200 plus movies. She has a vast knowledge of classic black and white, noir and vintage color movies. If you have questions about movies contact Vanette, (Vannie to her friends) for answers, advice and recommendations.