The Femme Fatale: Cinema’s Scapegoat

Paper by Riley Goodman. Viewed on DVD.

Noir is one of film’s most iconic genres. It has highly stylized elements and enduring popularity. One of the most interesting and influential elements is the femme fatale character. The femme fatale of early film noir is generally considered to be a response to post-war anxiety about changing gender roles (Lewis 204-205). With a sizeable part of the male population physically absent during World War II, women developed more social and economic freedom as they successfully fulfilled many of the jobs previously held by men. Understandably, these social and gender role changes created some anxiety that many believe is expressed in the femme fatale character appearing in noir films (Harris 8). A presentation of the historical events of the late 1940s (the end of WWII and its effects on cinema) and an analysis of Out of the Past (1947) focusing on the scenes “Gonna Die Last” and “Build my Gallows High” supports this thesis. It is also relevant to American film history because it is a critical aspect of an iconic film genre. This thesis is relevant to contemporary film and industry as the noir-style femme fatale is still important in modern film, especially neo-noir films such as Following (1998) and Brick (2005). An understanding of the original noir femme fatale assists contemporary film analysis.

The aftermath of World War II heralded many social changes and competing technologies which had significant effects on the film industry. The postwar era was a time of decline for Hollywood due to several factors. The power of Hollywood was greatly diminished by the Paramount decrees regulation of distribution practices. The actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee also decreased Hollywood’s creative power by blacklisting many producers, writers, and directors. Also greatly weakening Hollywood was the advent of television and the resultant drop in theater attendance. Despite, or perhaps because of these challenges, the postwar period saw the development of a new genre. During the war years, Hollywood was expected to make only patriotic films that portrayed the U.S. and the war effort in a positive light. When the war was over, and the patriotic duty of Hollywood was fulfilled, filmmakers began to experiment with a new style. This style was characterized by dark, urban themes and an expressionistic visual style making heavy use of low-key lighting. Dubbed Film Noir by French film critics, this new genre challenged the social order and spoke “profoundly to postwar frustration, discomfort, and alienation” (Lewis 201). Film noir was at its base “a highly stylized treatment of contemporary social and human conditions” (Schatz 378). While the visual style of this genre is clearly taken from the gangster and crime films of the 1930’s, the narrative form is different. The gangster films presented clear morals, the audience might hope that the main character would escape but in the end he paid for his crimes. In contrast, noir films are characterized by much more ambiguous morals and tend to leave the viewer to decide what is right. In many noir films, both the villains and the heroes suffer for their crimes. The criminals of film noir are much more refined than those of 30’s gangster films. The criminals of gangster films are ethnic, thuggish, and coarse, while the criminals of noir films are much smoother, wealthier, and subtle. One of the more interesting and influential elements of the new film noir genre was the femme fatale character.

The femme fatale is the untrustworthy female that leads the male character to his doom. She uses sex to manipulate and to achieve her goals. While the femme fatale prefers to manipulate through her sexuality, she does “not necessarily enjoy her promiscuity” (Lewis 204). When her manipulations fail, the femme fatale is ready to use violence to maintain her freedom and attain her goals. For example, Kathie Moffat, the femme fatale of Out of the Past, shoots her boyfriend, Whit, when she realizes her charms will not get her out from under his control. Some form of the femme fatale character is seen in nearly every noir film and is almost synonymous with the genre. The femme fatale developed as a “nightmare version of the sexually and economically emancipated woman of the post-war period” (Lewis 204). It was a fear of many men that women would be reluctant to give up their newfound freedom to settle down and start a family. The femme fatale clearly represents this fear as she refuses to take on the traditional familial role of the woman. “She finds marriage to be confining, loveless, sexless, and dull, and she uses all of her cunning and sexual attractiveness to gain her independence” (No Place for a Woman: The Family in Film Noir 5). The classic femme fatale is perfectly willing to resort to murder if her sexuality fails. The femme fatale serves as film noir’s implicit and explicit attack on the traditional family.

An acknowledged film noir classic, Out of the Past’s (1947) narrative revolves primarily around Jeff Bailey’s (Robert Mitchum) relationship with the femme fatale Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer), and offers many examples of the role of women in film noir. Nearly all of the stylistic and thematic elements of noir are present in the film. There is a heavy use of shadows in darkness in the composition. Restricted point-of-view is used to increase suspense and keep the audience guessing, as the viewer doesn’t know much more than the main character, Jeff. Flashbacks, another element often seen in noir films, are used when Jeff tells the story of his past to his current lover, Ann. These flashbacks are used to explain the conflict and background of the story. Voice-over narration, also a common element of noir films, is employed in the flashback sequence to clearly express Jeff’s feelings and thoughts.

Out of the Past also displays several thematic elements typical of film noir. Most apparent is the theme of the sinful life of the city versus the idyllic life in the country. After Jeff is double-crossed by Kathie, he abandons his life as a detective in the city and attempts to settle down in the rural town of Bridgeport. He is eventually caught up in the machinations of Kathie’s vengeful husband, Whit, and must return to the moral ambiguity and sinful life of the city. Calm and happy Bridgeport is in direct contrast to the dark urban environments in which much of the film’s action takes place. Out of the Past also showcases the noir theme of entrapment. Throughout the film, Jeff attempts to escape from his troubles; first with Kathie from Whit, and later from Kathie’s scheming and Whit’s vengeance. No matter what Jeff tries, he can’t escape his fate. In the film’s climatic scene, Jeff accepts that he is trapped and sacrifices himself to end Kathie’s control over him and foil her escape. It is common in noir films that “the male hero must sacrifice his life in order to stop the evil woman” (Lewis 207).

Gender relations in this film are strained to say the least. A typical man as seen in this film is tough, dangerous, and cynical. Both Jeff and Whit display these qualities. Women, as portrayed in this film, are either untrustworthy and manipulative like Kathie or sweet but simple like Ann. The men and women of this film interact either with affection and love (Ann and Jeff or Jeff’s early relationship with Kathie) or with animosity, fear, and distrust (Jeff and Kathie later in their relationship or Whit and Kathie’s loathing for each other). Kathie and Ann represent two of the three types of women seen in film noir. Kathie is a classic femme fatale, manipulative and sexually attractive. Ann is a good woman: the woman who, unlike the femme fatale remains true to the traditional woman’s place in the family. Typically, the good woman is entirely out of place in the noir world and loses her man, and the audience’s attention, to the femme fatale. (No Place for a Woman: The Family in Film Noir 6). The third type, which does not appear in this film, is the marrying type. “Unlike the femme fatale or the good woman, the marrying woman seriously threatens to domesticate the hero” (No Place for a Woman: The Family in Film Noir 7). In film noir, the traditional family is doomed, as are most heterosexual relationships. Two particular scenes from Out of the Past, “Gonna Die Last” and “Build My Gallows High”, showcase the femme fatale and her attempts to manipulate and retain her independence. These scenes present the independent woman as dangerous and evil.

“Gonna Die Last” is a pivotal scene of Out of the Past. In this scene, Jeff sneaks into Kathie’s San Francisco apartment and overhears her on the phone, attempting to blame a murder on him. Jeff confronts Kathie about her treachery. However Kathie turns on her charm, saying she is on Jeff’s side and is still in love with him. Jeff succumbs to her charms and they make plans to foil Whit together. This scene is crucial in examining the characters’ relationship and the manipulative powers of the femme fatale.

The scene opens with a night-for-night shot of Jeff climbing over a low wall and dropping into a small garden. We briefly see Kathie outlined in a window talking to several men. It would seem there is a party at Kathie’s apartment. Jeff walks across the lawn and quietly enters the apartment through a side door. He begins to search the room when a nearby phone rings. Jeff continues his search for a short while before retreating into a shadowy anteroom to hide. Kathie enters the room just as the phone stops ringing. She moves to the telephone, calls Mr. Eels apartment building, and asks the landlord to check in on Mr. Eels. Kathie’s knows that Eels has been murdered and expects the landlord to find Eels’ body. Kathie and Jeff both know that Jeff will be implicated in the murder since he was the last person to visit Mr. Eels. Little does she know that Jeff, expecting the frame, has moved Eels’ body. While she waits for the landlord to call her back, she gets a drink. A shot of Jeff peering around a doorway, watching her, and the confined, tight camera-work makes this routine action tense and anxious. This seems to reflect the feelings of the characters. A few moments later the landlord calls to inform Kathie that Eels’ apartment is empty. Kathie is shocked and hangs up. She tries to call Joe, Whit’s enforcer, but he is away. As Kathie hangs up the phone, Jeff steps out of the shadows to confront her. Kathie is visibly afraid of Jeff as he aggressively asks her if she is trying to frame him for Eel’s murder. Kathie denies it but Jeff clearly doesn’t believe her. Jeff lies and tells Kathie that Eels is still alive because he tipped Eels’ off that he was about to be murdered. Kathie attempts to feign relief, but Jeff will have none of it. “Oh you’re wonderful Kathie. You’re magnificent. You can change sides so smoothly” he says, indirectly commenting on the deceiving and selfish independence nature of femme fatales. Jeff then paces back and forth while reasoning through the way that Whit and Kathie are trying to frame him. Through questioning Kathie, Jeff finds out that he is also being framed for his old partner Fischer’s murder. Kathie admits that she told Whit that Jeff had killed Fischer and not herself. She then protests that it wasn’t her fault. “I couldn’t help myself. I was caught too.” She says pleadingly. She suggests that they work together to free themselves of Whit’s grip and says passionately that she has never stopped loving Jeff. Kathie wants Jeff to run away with her after they clear their names. The camera remains focused on Kathie’s face while she talks, not showing us Jeff’s reaction, although he agrees. This suggests that perhaps Jeff is not as won over as he appears. Jeff’s willingness to engage with Kathie is questionable considering he knows she is untrustworthy. This could simply express the power of femme fatale. It could also demonstrate an unacknowledged attraction to the new gender roles. The Jeff and Kathie embrace, but are interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Jeff hurries away out a side door, signaling the end of the scene as Kathie moves to greet her guest.

This scene shows the continued power of the femme fatale’s seductiveness, but also portrays that she is starting to get caught within her own web of lies. While Kathie succeeds in pacifying Jeff and getting him to work with her, Jeff is clearly much more wary and distrustful of Kathie. Her control is slipping and she is desperately trying to ensure her survival and freedom by playing Whit and Jeff against each other. Knowing that Kathie committed murder before when she lost control, her slipping composure in this scene heralds more violence. Kathie’s actions within this scene signify the danger and anxiety connected to women living and acting traditional gender roles. In noir films, independent and powerful women wreak havoc and destruction. This scene importantly showcases the noir theme of entrapment.

The “Build My Gallows High” scene shows the final confrontation between Kathie and Jeff. Kathie makes a last ditch effort to retain her independence while gaining control over Jeff. The scene begins with Jeff’s return to Whit’s estate on Lake Tahoe. Previously Jeff had made a deal with Whit. Whit would take the frame off Jeff, and in return Jeff would return some incriminating tax records to Whit. The only problem with this deal is that it involved placing the blame of Eels and Fischer’s murders on Kathie. The scene begins with Jeff entering Whit’s mansion. The camera focuses on Jeff’s shocked face before panning over to Whit’s lifeless body. Kathie’s voice is heard from off-screen. “You can’t make deals with a dead man Jeff” she says. She asks Jeff to leave with her to which Jeff is nonplussed. “I never told you I was anything but what I am” Kathie says, at last admitting her deceitfulness in a bid to gain Jeff’s confidence. She explains that with Whit dead, Jeff is still a wanted man and only has her to make deals with. Jeff, accepting death as his only recourse, retorts “Build my gallows high, Baby”. Kathie explains that she doesn’t want Jeff to be arrested or killed but wants to run away with him and start their relationship anew. “You’re no good and neither am I” she says “That’s why we deserve each other”. Jeff, seemingly resigned to his fate, agrees. As Kathie goes upstairs the pack her things, Jeff is seen to make a mysterious phone call that neither Kathie, nor the audience, hears. Jeff calls the police, who gun down Jeff and Kathie’s car when they try to make their escape. Kathie, realizing what Jeff has done in her final moments, shoots Jeff between the legs. Through this violent action, Kathie dramatically acts out her “role as the castrating female” (Lewis 205).

This scene shows that Kathie, realizing she can no longer manipulate or deceive Whit, resorts to violence to regain her freedom in typical femme fatale style. However, when it comes to Jeff, she traps him and then attempts to use her charms one final time to ensnare him. As the scene develops, it becomes clear that Jeff has chosen death over a lifetime on the run with a woman he has come to hate. He, like many other male heroes of film noir, sacrifices himself to stop the machinations of the evil femme fatale. It is clear that Jeff has become tainted by Kathie and even his act of self-sacrifice is morally ambiguous

The end of World War II caused a shift in the film industry. Decreased Hollywood power, social change, and the advent of television led to filmmakers to explore new themes. Film noir developed as a response to the postwar feelings of anxiety, frustration, and alienation. The femme fatale character embodied the anxiety about changing gender roles while making for a great villain. The femme fatale is a complex character. Freedom and independence are of paramount importance to her. Because of this emphasis on independence, the femme fatale cannot fit into a traditional family or marriage. When she tries to, as in Double Indemnity, the results are disastrous. The development of film noir seems to include a movement from the femme fatale as an integral but supporting character to a main character.

Works Cited:

Lewis, Jon. American Film. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2008.

Shatz, Thomas History of the American Cinema Vol. 6. Ed. Charles Harpole. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997

“No Place for a Woman: The Family in Film Noir.” Film Noir Studies Ed. John J. Blaser. 10 Nov. 2010 < http://www.filmnoirstudies.com/essays/no_place.asp >.

Harris, Oliver. “Film Noir Fascination: Outside History, but Historically So” Cinema Journal 43.1 (2003): 3-24


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