Twentieth century films have challenged the view that men are the archetypes of society who define acceptable social limits, while women have to conform to the norms that men have established. This challenge has been demonstrated through...
moreTwentieth century films have challenged the view that men are the archetypes of society who define acceptable social limits, while women have to conform to the norms that men have established. This challenge has been demonstrated through the depiction of the femme fatale in the genre of film noir. The femme fatale is usually portrayed as attractive and seductive, allowing her to possess a sense of danger that is both alluring and threatening to men. Unlike traditionally portrayed females (mother-wife), they are ready to act on their impulses through lies and manipulations, following an “ends justify the means” approach. The nature of the femme fatale in film reveals the stress and anxiety among men regarding her potential disruption of the patriarchal order post-World War II (Schatz 113-14), regardless of her age.
Whether she is the young, seductive temptress or the aging, unattractive woman, the characterization of the femme fatale in American cinema has redefined the perception of traditional women in society. Anderson argues that the femme fatale is an obvious threat to a male-dominated system (7). The young femme fatale in film is designed to thwart men’s power through her usual female charms, while the aging femme fatale is manifested differently. Powerful positions obtained by women outside the context of motherhood make these women dangerous (Fol 9). If the aging femme fatale does not conform to the role of wife or mother before she is too old, she becomes an obstacle to the male-oriented power structure. Therefore, the male’s design of an aging femme fatale is punished as significantly less desirable, because she is equipped with the experience and knowledge to realize that she can choose to not be defined by her relationships in order to thrive.
In the early movies of the genre of film noir, female characters have notably been created as side characters to the male protagonists. As a means to preserve the patriarchal order, it must be proven that women cannot be independent (Schatz 113-14). In addition to serving a male agenda, there is an implied physical and emotional loss within the aging woman that makes her less desirable (Buchanan-King 409; Jermyn 4). On the other hand, the younger femme fatale is purposely designed to be an archetype of beauty, created specifically for the viewing pleasure of male audiences (Kaplan 175). When analyzing them separately, this disparity is clear. However, when the young and old femmes fatales interact, it is the natural rivalry between them that projects the sadism used to disrupt their dynamic.
As the aging femme fatale eventually loses her youthful beauty, she still remains a source of visual pleasure to some extent. The aging femmes fatales in Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Stage Fright (1950) will be analyzed as a reflection of male anxieties. The purpose of the aging femme fatale is either to project the destiny of independent women or compare her to her younger counterpart. It becomes clear that the hostile dynamic between equally dangerous femmes fatales is created in order to fulfill male pleasures. The tensions between the young femmes fatales and their older counterparts will also be analyzed in Mildred Pierce (1945) and All I Desire (1953).
