The characterisations of femme fatale’s such as Phyllis Dietrichson (Double Indemnity) and Matty Walker (Body Heat), are as enigmatic as they are entertaining, while part of the fun for the viewer is to analyse their behaviour on repeat viewings, looking for the earliest signs of endangerment in hindsight. Through the femme fatale, audiences are often taken on a ride of contrivance and deception, yet they come back for more, because unlike your conventional antagonist, the femme fatale requires a certain mystique. Modern incarnations of the architype, such as Denise Richards’ seductive portrayal of Kelly Van Ryan in Wild Things, or Famke Jansen’s turn as the perilous Bond villainess, Xenia Onatopp in Golden Eye, have reminded audiences of the femme fatale’s cinematic potential. Regardless, the notion of the beautiful, empowered, and deadly woman, remains a profound one when executed well. The presence of the femme fatale (or fatal woman in English) in contemporary American cinema is not as prominent now as it once was in the Golden Age.
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