Film Noir functioned well for the Jewish émigré directors, who came to the U.S., such as Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, and even Fred Zinnemann.
It operated conceptually both forward and backward in time
It extended to both Europe and American culture
Noir enabled expressionist German style, derived from Weimar Republic
It bore traces of German high culture
It had been affected by Jews
It allowed critique of German society
Noir and Gay
The emancipatory potential of noir: Noir encouraged a mode of spectatorship that indirectly affirmed gay identity
Passive Homosexuality: Jonathan Baubaun sees “A core generative anxiety about passive homosexuality as a general characteristic of noir tough thriller. He claims that “the anxiety creates the need for the femme fatale, as the protag requires her in order to rehearse an aggressive masculinity, which in turn, helps him to deny any anxieties over weaknesses.”(23).
Neff to Keyes in Double Indemnity.
Women: Femme Fatale Sexuality
Women (femme fatale) are in possession of their sexuality. As a result, they behave as if they are independent of the patriarchal order
In the course of th film, or by the end of it, the women must be punished for their attempt at independence, usually by death
The result: restoring the balance of patriarchal order.
Film Noir: Jewish and Gay
Research in Progress: Feb 19, 2022
Vincent Brook, p. 211
Film Noir functioned well for the Jewish émigré directors, who came to the U.S., such as Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, and even Fred Zinnemann.
It operated conceptually both forward and backward in time
It extended to both Europe and American culture
Noir enabled expressionist German style, derived from Weimar Republic
It bore traces of German high culture
It had been affected by Jews
It allowed critique of German society
Noir and Gay
The emancipatory potential of noir: Noir encouraged a mode of spectatorship that indirectly affirmed gay identity
Passive Homosexuality: Jonathan Baubaun sees “A core generative anxiety about passive homosexuality as a general characteristic of noir tough thriller. He claims that “the anxiety creates the need for the femme fatale, as the protag requires her in order to rehearse an aggressive masculinity, which in turn, helps him to deny any anxieties over weaknesses.”(23).
Neff to Keyes in Double Indemnity.
Women: Femme Fatale Sexuality
Women (femme fatale) are in possession of their sexuality. As a result, they behave as if they are independent of the patriarchal order
In the course of th film, or by the end of it, the women must be punished for their attempt at independence, usually by death
The result: restoring the balance of patriarchal order.