That was the “ birth of femme fatale ” . The strength was lying on her sexuality. On her power to achieve by actions whatever she desired. Almost a new “ vamp ” deadly woman from the 20 ' s movies but on a human body. The femme fatale stereotype was a necessity for that era exactly because the world needed a powerful “ substitute ” to replace the soldiers. So this specific figure won the need of the world to keep on moving. And in the same way that this figure appeared in the everyday life, in the same way it invaded in cinema. The time was better than the appropriate one, since a new “ genre ” in cinema was starting its own journey. The birth of film noir “ collided ” with the birth of the femme fatale stereotype.
The character of a dangerous, powerful, dark woman ruled in many film noir movies, in the sense that film noir ' s main feature was the underworld of shadows and mystery, and the femme fatale could more than anything fit in a world of double-crossing and seduction.
An Introduction to the Femme Fatale Figure
A femme fatale is mostly defined as “an irresistibly attractive woman, whose purpose is to allure and seduce a man in order to make him commit a murder or some other kind of crime”. Always mysterious, manipulative, and simultaneously, gorgeous and unbearably desirable, the figure of femme fatale in film noirs, have a sinful past, a self destructive present and an unknown future. This ambiguous, but still marvellous, figure of cinema has rejected the usual and commonly accepted norms of society on the grounds of family life and housewife. Being almost the definition of corruption and danger, though always leading an independent way of living, a femme fatale sets herself on the edge. There is the spot where she always finds her victims. In the shadows, in the dark, almost always in rainy black and white nights at the notorious areas of some cities, the femme fatale needs no more than a look to make her next unsuspected victim struggle for the rest of his life between the good and the evil.
This anti-heroin, with the mysterious, usually totally unknown or vague past, is supposed to be one of the bad guys. For me, is one of the necessary figures in cinema. An ambiguous character of film noir, not only following her fatale mistakes, but even drugging her co-protagonists with her, into a predestined, destructive ending. The only difference is that a femme fatale usually seeks for this ending as a remedy and a way out of her self-destructive life. In fact, as a “ catharsis ” like in the ancient Greek tragedies, trying desperately to find her personal freedom. Though on the other hand, her victim is unaware of the consequences of following her in the dark paths, she always leads him.
Constantly using her sexuality to gain power, a femme fatale is a dark, almost sadistic figure which takes advantage of her protagonist ' s weakness to save herself. Pecan past, no repentance and ruthless cunning are some of the main characteristics of the stereotype of femme fatale in film noir.
The evolutionary femme fatale through film noir:
The Classic Period: “Out of the Past”
The classic period of film noir began in 1941 and reached its pick in 1957. A period totally effected by the results of War World II. As shown above women had to be in charge for the period that men were serving the military. That was their first win in the battle between the sexes. Now they could ask for more.
“Out of the past ” is a perfect example for the femme fatale ' s character of the early 40 ' s. Kathy Moffat (Jane Greer), a woman that steals 40.000 “ grants ” from her gangster boyfriend (Kirk Douglas) is been missing. The detective Jeff Bailey
( Robert MitchUm) is hired to locate her and bring her back. But the story changes when he falls in love with her. After a series of adventures and unanswered questions, he realizes that he is the victim of a well organised frame up. And that ' s a mystery he has to solve on his own, no matter how it will cost him. The only person that knowS all the secrets is the “femme fatale ” that he loves.
The first appearance of the femme fatale figure in this movie is when she comes in the “ La mar azul ” bar in Acapulco Mexico. Seductive looks, dynamic way of walking and a cigarette as soon as she sits are the primal characteristics. “ I don ' t want a guy ” is her “ clincher”line to the detective. A line that shows more than anything her independent and powerful character. She acts like a man but looks like a gorgeous creature, almost having fallen from heaven. She does not care about social norms but instead she is the one that all the other “ leftovers ” of the housewife figure envy, if not hate. She takes initiatives and refuses to settle. Seducing the main character is not difficult though he is a sensible, strong man. The mystery that this woman carries makes him almost blind, able to double- cross, not only the man that hired him but his partner, too. He has already crossed the line between the good and the bad but he no longer cares as long as she is with him.
