Femme Fatale

A femme fatale is a woman that is very seductive who can lead men into compromising and dangerous situations. She is ofter alluring and mysterious. Femme fatale is french for "fatal woman." The pictures from http://moderntimes.com/palace/film_noir.html show that these woman are very beautiful and have a mysterious side to them. The way they dress is even seductive. The Belton text supports this description. The text says that the objective of females in film noir is to castrate or destroy the male hero. They were usually viewed as just things to men and sexual fantasies for them. They would take advantage of this and use it against the men to overpower them. Femme fatales use their seductive ways to ensnare men and manipulate them. The men think that they are romantically interested and that is exactly what a femme fatale wants them to think. A good example of a femme fatale would be Joan Bennett in Scarlet Street. A few others include Jean Simmons in Angel Face, Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity, and Jane Greer in Out of the Past.