The Silver Screen Oasis

There are some great ladies who played femme fatales/ bad girls in noir films. Joan Bennett in Scarlett Street, and many others. Linda Darnell as Stella in Fallen Angel, Jane Greer in Out of the Past, in which Rhonda Fleming was also excellent, Marie Windsor in The Killing ( many others Narrow Margin - Force of Evil ) Jan Sterling in Ace in the Hole, Yvonne DeCarlo in Criss Cross, Claire Trevor in too many noir - gangster to list, Ava Gardner The Killers. I have to say that I find Rita Hayworth ( Gilda ) to be overrated.

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I feel the same way about Rita Hayworth as you feel about Joan Bennett.

For my favorite bad girl, I'll go with the beautiful cold liar Jane Greer in "Out of the Past" and Ann Savage in "Detour."

I think Rita was much better in The Lady From Shanghai.

My favorite, Peggy Cummins in Gun Crazy.

I can't get passed what Orson did to poor Rita's hair in Shanghai.

The first femme fatale I remember seeing is Marilyn in Niagara. Not a bad place to start...

Now I thought it was a nice change, I struggle with Orson's accent.

charliechaplinfan wrote:I struggle with Orson's accent.

And here I thought--according to the other thread--the "Irish Brogue" was what was making the ladies swoon these days. I've been practicing and everything.

Irish brogue isn't my favorite done correctly it's quite pleasant. It doesn't suite Orson Welles, it took me two viewings of the film to realise it though.

The mirror scene always reminds me of The Circus, lending it a bit of a comic air, which of course, it shouldn't have.

For most cunning villainesses, I'd give votes to Ava in THE KILLERS and maybe Agnes in DARK PASSAGE. That's such a terrific role for her, half the time cowering, half the time bullying - I can't think of anyone who could switch gears so completely and so convincingly. While I am loathe to mention films after 1970, I'd still vote for Kathleen Turner in BODY HEAT as the picture every young man should watch as part of their "Women Can Be Too Beautiful" lessons. I've always been a miserable failure in that department - that's why I teach, since I can't 'do'.

While Lana Turner's character in JOHNNY EAGER doesn't qualify as "femme fatale", her INTENTIONS were there. She was a spoiled little rich girl with an important father who wanted to visit The Dark Side, and "see what it got ya?!!" She is perfect for that role - limited as it is.

And I'm still too smitten with Janis Carter in FRAMED (1947 with Glenn Ford) to give any kind of objective qualifications, but she's got all the cut-throat willingness that Kathleen and Ava showed in their films. I keep thinking these women should have written "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night"...

Why Ollie, I see you're up to your neck in lethal ladies.

You lucky boy you!

MichiganJ wrote:I can't get passed what Orson did to poor Rita's hair in Shanghai.

I'm with you there, MJ. If the character had taken Rita Hayworth in a different direction I could have understood her mutilation of that lovely waterfall of hair--but heck, she seemed to be playing another heavy breathing version of Lana Turner, not herself in Lady From Shanghai. No wonder their marriage was nearly kaput when this one was made.


I guess my favorite fatale anytime, anywhere might just be Helen Walker, who did far too few movies of note, but what there was, from Nightmare Alley to Impact to The Big Combo, was "cherce." Intelligent, beautiful, pitiless and very dangerous, her aptly named Lilith character in Nightmare Alley knew no bounds and her insight into human psychology made her the ultimate con woman. Another reason memory of her lingers: we know so little about her character's motives for her actions. Did she love the Tyrone Power character a little? Was it money or power or sex that gave her that excited glint in her eye? What happened to her after she snagged all of Stan's money, shredded his sanity, and threw him out? Ah, Lilith...the unknowable.

Helen Walker as Lilith in Nightmare Alley

Of course, the sad path of Walker's own life seemed a mirror image of all her glamour on screen, which makes her story more affecting still, especially since she had talent, beauty and brains. The bare bones of her brief rise, and longer fall are outlined here, but for a fuller picture of the person as well as the actress, Karen Burroughs Hannsberry's book, Femme Noir does a fine job of making the woman seem more real and haunting. I wish I knew more.

Btw, one other reason I like Helen Walker so much was her skilled comic acting in Cluny Brown, Murder, He Says and Brewster's Millions. She made me laugh too.

Ms Walker's performance in Nightmare Alley alone makes her a leader in the great woman of noir.

Does anyone know where I can find this movie:

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/104868/ ... n/overview

Check for a PM, CineMaven.