Male Gaze Theory

Laura Mulreys Male Gaze Theory

Laura is a top name on feminist theory lists. She identified that the role of women in films is merely passive. Her role is to be the treasure, sought after by both men and women, to halt the action (the camera will linger on the female form.) Hence women will feature on the front cover of both men and women’s magazines.

Vladimir Propp's Character Theory

Vladimir Propp was born in 1895, in St. Petersburg. He studied German and Russian philology. He then went on to observe Russian folk tales and identified their narrative elements. One of his findings was that most tales tended to have 7 basic characters, and this theory can be compared with almost every film or story.

Propp’s 7 Characters are also used in Film Noir. These are the 7 generic characters that most films use to tell the story:

-Hero

-Villain

-Princess

-Helper

-Donor

-Dispatcher

-Father

Narrative Theory in Film Noir

Narrative Theory suggests that most films follow a simple rule. Each film is spilt into 5 parts:

-        Equilibrium

-        Disruption

-        Period of disequilibrium

-        Resolution

-        Restoration of equilibrium

However you may find that film noir rarely restores the equilibrium and merely finds a new one. The state of resolution is rarely one that is wanted by the characters.

Binary Opposites in Film Noir

Film Noir uses binary opposites to achieve its dark, twisting and contrasting plot lines. Some of the most common opposites seen in Film Noir are listed below:

Binary Opposites in Film Noir

·       Innocence Vs Corruption

·       Male Vs Female

·       Good Female Vs Bad Female

·       Light Vs Dark

·       Gullibility Vs Deceit and Betrayal

·       Law abiding Vs law breaking

History of Film Noir

·       After WW2 films developed frequently dark and ominous themes. These early film noirs were rarely happy or optimistic and had a tendency to let the ‘bad guy’ get away with his crimes. Film Noir was influenced by French new wave and German expressionism.

-        Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like, convoluted and typically told with foreboding background music and flashbacks, witty, razor sharp dialogue and first person voice-over narration.

·        Film Noir has several distinctive characters that appear in every film and help to define it as a film noir:

-        A cynical, disillusioned male who gets caught up with…

-        …a seductive, double-dealing femme fatale, who manipulates him to become the fall guy.

-        The women were often portrayed as such because their new found independence following the war was a threat to male power.

-        Males were often shown to be anti-heroes as they had murky pasts and were not clean cut innocents and good guys.

Truth Seeking Protagonist

The truth seeking Protagonist plays the part of the lead actor and primarily, the main character who the plot revolves around. They are usually male and become involved with a femme fatale

Femme Fatale

A femme fatale is defined as an attractive and seductive woman, who will ultimately bring destruction to a man who becomes involved with her, often displaying the dangers of female sexuality. 

The phrase 'femme fatale' is dervied from the french for 'deadly woman.' Typically, a femme fatale will use her feminine qualitys such as charm and beauty and sexual allure in order to acheive her goals in a plot.

In the 1940's and 1950's, Film Noir captured and made use of femme fatales, an example being Phyllis Dietrichson, played by Barbara Stanwyck, who befriends and then seduces a insurance salesman and persuades him to kill her husband in the 1944 Film Noir classic Double Indemnity.

Common themes of Film Noir

There are several key themes of Film Noir, all of which must be included in my film in order to portray an authentic Film Noir.

• Voice Overs - These are used to inform the audience of the protaganist's mindthoughts and to identify with the narrator. 
• Truth seeking Protagnosists attempting to escape from a troubled past or shattered background. This is usually a crime such as a murder, which is always on the consciense of the protaganist.
• Femme Fatale, often intertwined with the protaganist through passion. They are usually ruthless and is at ease when immersed in male surroundings.  
• Flashbacks- These are used to show the audience the troubled past's of characters.Normally told by the character themselves, with footage of them contemplating the past.  
• Low key lighting- This creates a sense of suspense and mystery, both themes associated with Film Noir.  
• Cigarrette smoke- Cigarrete smoke is used to create atmostphere and tension.