Film Noir Film Noir Analysis

The Courtesans of the Noir Era
In film noir and hardboiled literature, the femme fatales are one of the major archetypes of the genre. According to Ron Hanson, “If the women is the victim, it’s not really film noir.” This kind of woman manipulates men by any means necessary to gain power, a sense of independence, or just plain greed. Either way, this style does not display any sort of damsel in distress motif that previous audiences were used to. There is a digression from a loving and doting housewife to a woman that has power, but in this noir universe it eventually leads to the woman’s destruction. Not to mention the men that get tangled up in her web and do not get out quick enough. There seems to be a clash of what it means to be a good

Our first impression was from Neff’s point of view at a low angle, only dressed in a towel. This is definitely a purposeful power play using her sexuality to gain Neff’s attention. When they do converse, her voice goes slightly deeper, almost to be more masculine and tries to be more neutral. This makes Neff flirt and be more persistent of wooing Phyllis, but she refuses to budge. Then in the next meeting, she plays into his wounded pride by appearing more feminine and inclined to have an affair with him, all the while consistently asking questions, steering the conversation towards her husband and the insurance claim. Phyllis plays the victim of an abusive marriage, and this makes Neff think himself of a hero saving the damsel. Meanwhile she is making him do the dirty work of killing her current husband. The audience does see Neff almost question if he should go through with the plan, but then Phyllis seduces him back into the fold. After the murder and the money wraps up, she no longer has use for him. Neff is just collateral damage. Up until the end, Phyllis is a cold, calculative murderer. She goes back and forth from displaying stereotypical masculine dialect and then contrasts those traits using her womanly wiles. Men are a means to an end, and she can sustain herself through their wealth, but does not need the male counterpart as a way to feel whole. Ultimately, the film ends with a misogynistic theme of a woman loosing her crust when she lets her womanly emotions take over. By doing so, she loses her power. She could have killed Neff, but then lets her romantic attachment of him get in the way. Despite of this, Phyllis is still considered one of the stronger femme fatales because she strives for power through men, not by completely submitting to their supposed