A Neo-Noir Morality Play by Bridget Gregory: Delegitimizing patriarchy’s historical narratives of the postwar American woman in noir cinema

Abstract

My article focuses on how John Dahl’s Neo-Noir movie The Last Seduction (1994) thoroughly deconstructs the film noir femme fatale archetype. The femme fatale is arguably the most memorable characteristic of the film noir genre. With her enigmatic smile, seductive glare and coiffed bangs, she epitomized the essence of the new postwar temptress in American cinema. At first glance, we are meant to believe she has absolute control over the male protagonist. She is presented on a pedestal, haughtily porcelain and possessing unrivaled beauty. As the narrative unfolds, however, she is yanked from her pedestal and raked through the coals in a retributive attempt to demonstrate and emphasize the need to control femininity. Bridget Gregory, The Last Seduction’s femme fatale and protagonist, is a spitting image of a young Lauren Bacall. With her sleek and wavy hair, tailored clothes and seductive sway, her appearance harkens back to the great actresses of the film noir era. John Dahl and his writer, Steve Barancik, use this traditional femme fatale image to subvert patriarchal expectations attached to the film noir narrative. Bridget claims and controls all the noir signifiers of power (such as macho masculinity, morality and voice-over) and emerges unscathed at the end of the narrative. Despite her victory, patriarchal narratives are still informing female representation in the movie; Bridget can only “win” if she absorbs traditional male attributes and successfully morphs into a new kind of man. Woman, in her own right, is illegitimate; thus, she must literally transform into man in order to gain power.