In the two film noir films i have watched i think that the two women, Bridget and Phillis, are both very strong women who have a lust for crime and in particular, murder. The men in the two films however i think are different as Walter (Double Indemnity) is quite a strong man himself and was the one who made Phillis realise he could help her kill her husband. Mike (The Last Seduction) however was more of a nice guy who had a bad marriage and past and wanted to get away from that and when he met Bridget/Wendy he thought he had found something good, yet again turned out badly for him.
2) How well do the female characters fit into the role of Femme Fatal? (research this term before responding to ensure you have a good understanding of the what it means.)
2) How well do the female characters fit into the role of Femme Fatal? (research this term before responding to ensure you have a good understanding of the what it means.)
I think that the female characters fit into the role of Femme Fetale as they both use their sexuality to get what they want in life by using men for crime. The two women are both thinking the same way as eachother for example when Bridget wants to kill other womens husbands who are cheaters and treat their wives badly and Phillis is one of those wives however she does the killing and takes his money. Both storylines include the women stealing money, murdering their husbands and one other person which shows the women are dangerous on the inside yet they have a soft charm on the outside. Bridget however hides this more as she never claimed that she loved Mike and that he is simple a sex partner nothing more. This shows that Bridget is quite heartless and could be asked if she has any feelings at all however Phillis plays a much more soft, gentle woman with a wicked side to her and there is more to let on.
3) How do the settings add to the sense of Noir within the films? (read about settings before responding please.)
3) How do the settings add to the sense of Noir within the films? (read about settings before responding please.)
4) How are light and shadows used within the film to create a sense of meaning?
I think that the shadows used in the two films create a darkness of evil and is a good way of creating danger and crime in a scene. An example of this could be in 'Double Indemnity' when Walter and Phillis go into another room which is much more darker and you can barely see their face they start to talk about wives who have previously killed their husbands and claimed money on their life insurance, cooking up a plan and putting ideas into her head.
5) Do you think that "The Last Seduction" is a good example of a Neo Noir? How far does it fit the conventions of Film Noir?
I think 'The Last Seduction' does represent a modern film noir film as it still uses crime and murder along with strong, seductive, dangerous women and even though there aren't the shadows to create effect, crime is still ongoing.
6) "Double Indemnity" is often described as the ultimate film noir, why do you think this is? How well does the film fit into the conventions of Film Noir?
7) What are the key themes explored within the 2 films? Please explore each film seperately first
8)What are the common themes of both films?




We then see an over the shoulder greeting from Bridget’s mum when she answers the door which I think shows closeness of her and her mum when they kiss hello. This shows that they have a good relationship and are happy to see each other even if Bridget doesn’t think that her mum is being nice by making her wear horrible outfits and setting her up every year.
There is a shot looking down the stairs so we see Bridget and her mum at the door and also their hallway. This is as if there is someone sneakily watching without them knowing. I think it is a good view as it shows the characters costumes and the setting and what kind of character they are like.
Mid shot of Bridget, her mum and her mum’s friend talking to each other. This shows what we would see if we where there which makes it feel a lot more friendly.
The next shot we see is a close up of Bridget smoking a cigarette and the side of her mums head shows that Bridget has bad qualities (smoking) and she should change this about herself however as we find out not long later she tells Mark she wants to quit smoking. I think that the side of her mothers head shows what another party guest may see if they were looking at Bridget.
Long shot of Mark to show Bridget making her first judgment of him as her mum and his mum are trying to set them up however Bridget doesn’t make a good first impression. This shot is a voyeuristic view of what Bridget is looking at and helps us to understand what she’s looking at. It also makes us feel like we are there with her and want to find out what the man she's being set up with is like.
