Femme Fatale Film Analysis

Independent Study

“No Place For Women: Femme Fatale in Noir”

IB FILM HIGHER LEVEL

SESSION MAY YEAR

Elita, Gendler

WESTERN ACADEMY OF BEIJING

Mrs. EJ Callahan, Instructor

Documentary Rational: pg. 2

Documentary Script: pg. 3 - ?

Sources: pg. ?

Documentary RATIONALE:

I made this documentary to investigate how a femme fatale is characterized within classical film noir. A femme fatale is a woman who is dangerous and mysterious, thus shaping the narrative of many film noir films. I have also investigated how film noir has been an attribute in modern day films, but in a less in-your-face demeanor.

VIDEO

AUDIO

BLACK SCREEN

Music:

[0:00-0:08]

Symphony

Narrator VO:

“A classic femme fatale resorts to murder to free herself from an unbearable relationship with a man. Take Les Diaboliques as an example. A brilliant film that some say is the ‘greatest film Alfred Hitchcock never made’. Femme fatale Christina Delassalle and Nicole Horner plot to kill the man who shamed them both.

Les Diaboliques

[1:00:53-1:00:55]

Christina and Nicole are side-by-side watching a kids swim in the pool where the dumped Christina’s husband’s body in.

CUT TO

Les Diaboliques

[26:03-26:20]

Nicole offers a drink to Christina before they spike it with sedatives.

Narrator VO:

“The casting enhances the ambiguities of the narrative. Nicole Horner is here masculine, decisive and physically strong. Beautiful and immoral, she recalls the blonde temptress of classic film noir, but her relationship to Christina, she occupies the traditional position of a man, leading the action and making decisions.”

Les Diaboliques

[1:20:11-1:20:23]

Christina is sitting in a car with a detective who questions her

Narrator VO:

“John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon is another great film which follows the classic femme fatale resorting to murder”

The Maltese Falcon

[02:24-02:36]

Brigid O’Shaughnessy is explaining her conundrum to Detective Spade.

Narrator VO:

“In the beginning of this moody and early film noir, deceitful femme fatale Brigid O’Shaughnessy shot and killed private investigator Sam Spade’s partner Miles Archer. Right from the start, Spade distrusted her sincerity, but he was obviously attracted and allured to her anyway.”

The Maltese Falcon

[1:38:32-1:38:45]

Spade is turning in Brigid

Narrator VO:

“Though Sam Spade does not become diminished by the power of women, he is constantly challenged by a number of them in effort to constantly defend his masculinity.”

Les Diaboliques

[54:55-55:04]

Nicole and Christina are dumping the dead body into the musky pool.

Narrator VO:

“A murder that occurs at the beginning of film noir does not only kick off the narrative but introduces the femme fatale, which film noirs revolve around.”

I Wake Up Screaming

[23:56-24:06]

Jill Lynn is looking over Vicky Lynn’s portrait and begins to cry.

CUT TO

I Wake Up Screaming