Gerald LloydOne of the main conventions of Film Noir is a troubled

male lead., the ‘Hard-Boiled Detective’. He is portrayed as more of an anti-hero rather than a hero and is usually tricked into something that he doesn’t want to do. He is shown as troubled and conflicted and is left to get himself out of trouble, and he always loses. Our character Gerald Lloyd fits into this category as we have portrayed him as the Noir style male detective caught up in something he doesn’t t want to be involved with. He is also dressed in the typical attire of a fedora hat, which immediately represents the Noir era.

This shot represents Gerald as troubled and lost in thought. Film Noir uses elements of German expressionism such as side lighting to enhance the profile from one side. This shows that the character is experiencing moral ambiguity and therefore represents him as someone who has committed a crime, or done something he isn’t proud of. Being in the 21st century, film noir and representation has changed, and by choosing to set our film in 1938, we are focusing on the particular social groups that were present back then, but still apply to the present day. Private detectives at that time were particularly wealthy and we show this with the props such as the leather briefcase, the money, and the crystal glass. The lighting adds to the representation of this particular social group as it is dark and casts shadows, which show he is experiencing moral conflict. He is brooding and troubled and therefore represents the pressure of the job and how being a private detective, especially in a film noir, one is lured into a crime by a woman. He is dressed in a shirt, tie and braces, which also show he is quite wealthy and they also reflect the era.

This still shows moral ambiguity and is part of a pan shot that shows him looking at his own shadowing, again, suggesting moral ambiguity and conflict. Gerald could compare with the character of ‘Phillip Marlow’ in ‘The Big Sleep’ (Hawks 1946). Their attire is the same, fedora hat, shirt and tie but Phillip is only paid $25 a day and is in search of truth, many critics have described him as a ‘modern day knight’, willing to do anything for the greater good. Yet in the end we have to question how successful he is as a knight and as a private detective because in order to discover truth , he has to make sacrifices. Gerald is similar in this sense as his narration is ambiguous and lead us to believe he has murdered someone, “and she knows it was me”, yet this being the opening scene, Gerald is merely telling us his thoughts, not an actual account of previous events he “pretended to know nothing” about.

Phillip Marlow ‘The Big Sleep’ (Hawks, 1946)

This shot compares with the representation of Walter Neff in ‘Double Indemnity’ (Wilder, 1944) and J.J Gittes in ‘Chinatown’ (Polanski, 1974). Gerald Lloyd looks guilty, like the other characters. His expression remains calm, which adds to the social group of the ‘Hard-boiled detective’ as he doesn’t show any feelings, or remorse. The lighting adds to this as only one side of his face is lit, which suggests a hidden identity and that the character has a ‘dark side’. This shot represents the film noir convention of an anti- hero and clearly holds elements of other Noir male leads.

Walter Neff ‘Double Indemnity’ (Wilder, 1944)

J.J Gittes ‘Chinatown’ (Polanski, 1974)

You can see by his facial expression that he is mesmerised by the woman who has just walked in, Lola Odell. This shows that she has the ability to capture his attention and distract him from what he is doing. Male characters in Film Noir are seduced by a femme fatale, who is shown as a dominant figure. This reaction is showing that she has power over him and when around her he is weaker, another flaw in his character. This representation again, compares with Walter Neff and his relationship with the femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson. Lola

OdellLola Odell is similar to Phyllis Dietrichson in ‘Double Indemnity’. She tries to seduce Walter in order to get her own way and there is one particular scene where she points a gun at him. This scene in our film is similar to the former, expect the femme fatale is represented with more power and dominance with the gun than Phyllis. Film Noir gives a very central role to the femme fatale and shows her as dominant and in charge. We wanted to show the gun as a symbol for ‘unnatural’ phallic power, a cigarette box being another example. Women are empowered by their sexuality and we wanted to show this particular view of women as a social group through this doorway shot. We also show Lola as a dominant female character as we are lead to believe that she shoots Gerald, therefore breaking convention as usually women in film noir pay for their privileges with death or by giving in to the patriarchal system. We also wanted to show her as attractive and flirtatious, and we did this by panning up her body. This represents her as a provocative woman and we are using the convention of objectification of woman.

Phyllis Dietrichson ‘Double Indemnity’ (Wilder, 1944)

The act of killing the lead male protagonist is becoming a recurrent resolution/exposition in modern thrillers as well as film noir. ‘The Maltese Falcon’ (Huston, 1941) opens with the femme fatale shooting Miles Archer, the lead protagonists partner. This surprise point-blanc killing was something we wanted to replicate in our film noir, with particular emphasis on the killer being a woman. Lola Odell fits into the social group of women in the 1920’s as well as the 1930’s, and women today. She is independent, not afraid to speak her mind, and by using her sexuality, she gets what she wants, this is a similar trait to the femme fatale Gilda in the 1946 Charles Vidor Noir, ‘Gilda’. She manages to make the act of taking off a glove sexy and we wanted to replicate this idea of making simple things flirtatious, such as walking into a room.

By only showing her lips we are placing the character of Lola with the group of women who flaunt their sexuality and figure in order to manipulate men. Lola is the classic femme fatale, she rejects the role of the devoted housewife and mother, the roles that society have placed upon women. She stands for the independent women in the 1920’s who progressed into the 1930’s. F.S.Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ also portrays strong female characters that have dominance over men.

Kathie Moffatt in ‘Out of the Past’ (Tourneur 1947). The character of Kathie is similar to Lola as she shoots a man who has betrayed her. Lola Odell is involved with Gerald, and the activities he becomes a part of make her feel like he has betrayed her “and she knows it was me” she therefore shoots him, a lot like the situation Kathie is in with Jeff.

Cora Smith in ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ (Garnett 1946). Lola also fits into the same social group as Cora Smith, but Lola is a stronger character than Cora. Cora murders a man she does not love in order to be with someone else, a crime of passion. She is a woman trapped in a male dominant , and meet s her fate in a car accident. The man she wanted to be with instead of her husband was driving the car, which shows how women are controlled by men and no matter how hard they try, they are overpowered by the patriarchal system.

Our final shot shows Lola’s shadow holding a gun. This stance connotes dominance and power, leaving the viewer with the sense that Lola is the antagonist here as she has shot Gerald. This shot places her in the social group of independent, strong women who are the masters of manipulation, a classic convention of a femme fatale in a film noir.by keeping her identity hidden by only showing silhouettes we are enhancing the mystery surrounding her as a character and as a woman.