In Proto-noir there is a hegemonic assumption of what a woman should be. Writers particularly modelled the characters on a stereotypical 1940’s-50’s house wife. Mildred Pierce, a famous proto-noir character was a devoted wife and mother, before her husband left her. She was a home-maker and in the scenes before she where she has lack of control over herself and actions, the audience see she is cooking and doting on her two daughters. Conversely, the character of Wendy Kroy mocks this typical ideology and hegemony by baking some cookies, which she has seemingly poisoned. As she offers them to a gentleman, she places nails under the tyres of his car. These sorts of tricks defy those of a typical femme fatale. Feminist ‘Simone de Beauvoir’ once said that ‘There are no ‘real’ women because the idea of a woman is repeated so many times in so many forms of literature that the true woman is non existent’.
One opposition that would never usually be seen in proto-noir were same sex relationships. However a neo-noir film called Bound, challenges gender alignment and the capability of women. The film is driven by sexual fantasy or desire which is reflected in the relationship of ‘Corky’ and ‘Violet’. Gender is inversed by both members of this relationship and this is what is known as homoeroticism. There is an erotic exchange between the two characters as they engage in arousing one another in quite graphic scenes which unlike in proto-noir, sexual behaviour was insinuated not performed. In proto-noir, sex is substituted with violence.
‘Violet’ is no shrinking violet. Her hyper- femininity is pushed to the maximum with the way she speaks in her overly high pitched voiced right down to the way she dresses. All of her clothing over-emphasizes her femininity, almost to the point where it becomes apparent to the audience that she is desperately trying and portraying an image of a ‘butch femme’. Her dresses are short and her heels are very high. She almost has the look of a 50’s pin-up.
On the other hand ‘Corky’ is very masculine in her clothing and surroundings which are quite bachelor styled. However in a certain scene where ‘Corky’ is carrying out some plumbing work, the wall behind her juxtapositions her masculinity because it is a floral print, which puts a huge emphasis on her mannish appearance. When Corky first meets violet, she is offered a drink and asks for a beer, Violet drinks Gin and Tonic. However when the two get alone together, Violet switches her drink to a more masculine scotch. This shows the audience that the two women are now on the same level.
There is also a bit of role reversal, ‘Cesar’ ‘Violets’ husband comes across as being quite effeminate with the way he acts. Although he is part of the gangster culture, he and his associates show signs of typical feminine behaviour, for example when they look at themselves in the mirror, or take pride in their appearance as they dress smartly. ‘Cesar’ is a parody of masculinity, for instance in the scene where he comes home with the money covered in blood. Instead of quickly washing and drying it, he launders it with precision to the extent that he starches it. ‘Violet’ just stands and watches which shows the role reversal as he obviously believes that the woman is not capable of doing the job just as well as him. He is standing ironing in his underwear which is poignant to the fact that the viewer can see his vulnerability.
I would compare Wendy Kroy to Corky as being quite similar in that they both give off such a masculine image but both have undertones of femininity. Both are quite slim with petite facial features. They both have wants and sexual desires, and ‘orgasmic femme’ is a staple of neo-noir. Perhaps economic power is a major influence on the women, and although Corky seemed to be struggling in the beginning, she and Violet seem to get their hands on Cesar’s cash. Wendy on the other hand has succeeded in pushing all the men out of her life just to get a hold of some money.
Violet, like Wendy has an inadequate husband but unlike in Mildred Pierces case, the women flee the marriage which indicates the independence a woman has gained with the help of the feminist movement. Over the years the force and persistence of women became the destroyers of male domination which can be traced back to the war time reassignment of roles both at home and at work, women substituted the role of men which challenged the patriarchal and hegemonic values of society. The changes can clearly be seen in noir films and in the rise of femme-fetale characters over the years.
