Representations of gender in Film noir.
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. During the 1950s 60s the “classic” film noir was considered. But have we ever taken a chance to look into the clear gender representations that appear in the film noir movies?
There are two main characters in this type of film, the female, the “Noir women” also called “Femme Fatale” and the male character also called “The noir hero”.
Firstly, we can see that the female characters all have the same proptip. They all are young, really pretty, usually white and produce a big impact on men. They tend to wear dresses and look beautiful all the time hiding what their real intentions are. Generally what they would wear would be a dark, sexy dress ... Clothes that are flattering like a black cocktail dress with high heels.
But, in the movies these women are given not only sexual powers, but also ambitions. They are longing or looking for independence, often economic, and freedom, often from relationships with men. They are defined by their sexuality which makes them irresistible and lethal to the male protagonist.
Nevertheless, if we translate the term “Femme fatale” from french it means "disastrous or deadly woman," means a woman who uses her sexuality as a means of co-opting power from men, often resulting in their doom. They try to achieve their hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, or sexual allure.
On the other hand, we have the male character that generally shares certain qualities, such as moral ambiguity, a fatalistic outlook, and alienation from society. They also exhibit an existential acceptance of random, arbitrary occurrences as being the determining factors in life. They are described as “hard boiled” men, who are strong, tough, have all the power and are wealthy, however they are antisocial loners.
Due to the patriarchal society they are all living in, men can not show much emotion in order to not disorder their masculinity because to be emotional is regarded as a “female virtue”. It is also expected of them to work alone and be successful in what they do . They have to seek meaning in activity, not in contemplation which also is regarded as a female virtue. Their position within the patriarchal system provides them with purpose in life that is to work, provide, protect, serve and protect the patriarchy.
However, when the female character comes into scene the men turns a bit weak , the weakest of such characters exhibit an abundance of tragic flaws, often including an uncontrollable lust for the “femme fatale” character.
It is typical that the male character is often a detective or an otherwise socially alienated individual.
In conclusion, in the film noir movies we can see how men and women are clearly divided. We can appreciate the stereotypes of men and women. We can see how each gender has a different role in society and what is expected from both of them.
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