Her Absence Is Healthy

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The Independent's Sheila Johnson observes that the femme fatale has all but disappeared from screens. The last time there was a crop of such roles was in '80s and '90s films like Body Heat, Blood Simple, Basic Instinct, The Last Seduction, etc. I think the lack of femme fatales is a result of men's maturing attitudes about women, since the original femme fatales of 1940s film noir were misogynist fantasies rooted in male loathing of women due to envy of their tremendous power.

"Personality Disorder and the Femme Fatale," an essay by Scott Snyder, states in its summary that "the type of character pathology personified in the femme fatale may be viewed as representative of certain misogynistic conceptualizations of the women of [the late '40s and '50s]. Concurrently, these screen women may have helped to create a certain cultural image for some real-life women of the 1940s and 1950s as reflected in the areas of fashion and style, personality, and social status."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 28, 2009 at 1:48 PM

comment #1

raygo says ...

Femme fatales have been replaced my emasculated super dad types, in touch with their feelings. Femme fatales, cinematically, are more fun.

Posted by raygo at February 28, 2009 2:23 PM

comment #2

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

I think it's fair to say that cinema is a poorer place for losing certain archetypes: the hard-boiled cop, the femme fatale, the lecherous and slimy (but well-dressed) gangster.

Perhaps these elements live on in different guises or forms and I'm just oblivious to it.

Where's this generation's Double Indemnity?

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at February 28, 2009 3:20 PM

comment #3

animatedude says ...

or maybe guys these days are just so gay.

Posted by animatedude at February 28, 2009 4:14 PM

comment #4

Sabina E says ...

isn't Angelina Jolie still considered a femme fatale sort of actress??????????????????? and maybe Megan Fox, too.

Posted by Sabina E at February 28, 2009 4:15 PM

comment #5

actionman says ...

Ummm...Rebecca Romajin in Femme Fatale. Duh. One of the best -- ever.

Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction.

Those are two of the best, recent femme fatales.

But yes, cinema has definitely been lacking in this area.

Posted by actionman at February 28, 2009 4:16 PM

comment #6

Greg says ...

With all due respect, Jeff... you need to come up with another hypothesis. America's attitudes towards the protection and safety of our women is, on a whole, declining.

Are we stoning them in the streets? No. But what we're doing (and allowing) behind closed doors is on the rise.

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/12/18/us-soaring-rates-rape-and-violence-against-women

Posted by Greg at February 28, 2009 4:27 PM

comment #7

Chicago48 says ...

Ditto Greg. I miss her.

Posted by Chicago48 at February 28, 2009 4:47 PM

comment #8

K. Bowen says ...

Saffron Burrows in The Bank Job.

Posted by K. Bowen at February 28, 2009 5:59 PM

comment #9

Carl LaFong says ...

Thandie Newton in RocknRolla.

Posted by Carl LaFong at February 28, 2009 7:48 PM

comment #10

lipranzer says ...

"I think the lack of femme fatales is a result of men's maturing attitudes about women, since the original femme fatales of 1940s film noir were misogynist fantasies rooted in male loathing of women due to envy of their tremendous power."

Certainly it's true misogyny fed into the portrayal of many of the femme fatale roles. It's also true, however, no one - certainly not actresses - should be precluded from playing villains, and Jane Greer (OUT OF THE PAST), Barbara Stanwyck (DOUBLE INDEMNITY), Ann Savage (DETOUR) and Gene Tierney (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN), among others, got to play some of the most memorable villains in movies.

Posted by lipranzer at February 28, 2009 7:51 PM

comment #11

Alexander says ...

Good call on Saffron Burrows from The Bank Job, KB.

I'll probably be laughed out of town for saying this, but I still believe Nora Zehetner in Brick gave one of the best femme fatale performances in many a year.

Cate Blanchett was solid in The Good German, a film I didn't otherwise care for.

Carrie-Anne Moss is a twist on the archetype in Memento.

On the flipside from Zehetner in Brick, Lois Smith was quite memorable in Minority Report.

And of course one could make something of a case for Kim Basinger in LA Confidential; whether her character was truly a femme fatale or not, she played the part.

Posted by Alexander at March 1, 2009 2:38 AM

comment #12

Rich S. says ...

Of course, it could be argued the opposite is true. Political correctness has progressed to the point where Hollywood no longer feels comfortable writing a strong, intelligent female character with character flaws such as using her sexual power to get what she wants. Remember, the femme fatale is almost always paired with an emasculated male she can manipulate, so the cliche has two sides.

People are always complaining about the lack of strong roles for women, especially those that aren't in their twenties. Femme fatales, for better or worse, have traditionally provided some of those roles, as Kathleen Turner, Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, etc. well know.

Posted by Rich S. at March 1, 2009 6:40 AM

comment #13