Detailed Proposal No 1

1. Topic Area

Women & Film

2. Proposed title, question, hypothesis

How has the stereotypical character of the 'femme fatale' been represented in Classic Film Noir? (With a focused section on the progression or lack of from classic to contemporary noir).

3. Teacher approval granted, in principal?

Yes

4. Principle texts (if text based study)
Classic Film Noir

Double Indemnity - Billy Wilder (1944)

The Maltese Falcon - John Huston (1941)

Sunset Boulevard - Billy Wilder (1950)

Kiss Me Deadly - Robert Aldrich (1955)

Neo-Noir

La Confidential - Curtis Hanson (1997)

Sin City - Frank Miller (2005)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Shane Black (2005)

Layer Cake - Matthew Vaughn (2004)

5. Reason for choice

I think that the representation of women in Film Noir as such strong characters is an interesting subject to research. The stereotyopical character of the 'femme fatale' has been historically established through centuries of myth and film with little progressiveness, meaning that the question would have some satisfactory closure.

6. Academic context for this study (similar research, relevant theory, named theorists)
'Women in Film Noir' - E. Ann. Kaplan
Cowie, in Copjec, Shades of Noir
John Blaser

7. Institutional context for this study (industry focus, other texts for comparison, named practitioners, relevant theory, issues, questions)
Directors?

8. Identify the audience context for this study (audience profile, access to audience, potential sample)

Females aged 40+ (See if they can relate to the ‘femme fatale’ character)
Younger Females 16-21 (Feminist feelings? Shocked by the power of the ‘femme fatale’ or is the ‘powerful woman’ representation the norm?)
Young Males 16-25 (How do they see the ‘sexy seductress’? Sexy? Intimidating?)

9. How will the 4 key concepts be relevant to your study (audience, institution, forms and conventions, representation)?

Audience - response to the 'sexy seductress' character, how male and females respond differently. Males might be turned on or intimidated by her power & independence. Women may idolise, envy or feel totally unable to relate due to ther submission to male dominance.

Institution - Directors, sex of the directors - are they mostly men who are trying to represent women as they think men would want them to be, following the belief of Kaplan that "Film Noir is a male fantasy."

Forms & Conventios - the progression of stereotypical 'femme fatales' from classic Film Noir to Neo-Noir, how they have stayed the same and followed the consistent conventions used to categorise classic film noir.

Representation - How women are re-presented in film noirs and construct the stereotype of the 'femme fatale'.

10 Potential research sources (secondary): secondary academic books and websites, secondary industry books and websites, secondary popular criticism. Please identify specific examples you have come across.

'Women in Film Noir' - E. Ann. Kaplan
‘No Place for a woman: The Family in Film Noir’ – John Blaser
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A717572
Zizek, 'Two Ways to Avoid the Real of Desire,'
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/index.cfm


11. Potential research sources (primary): audience reception research, your own content/textual analysis etc
· Textual Analysis – develop me own ides/ theories around the ‘femme fatale’.
· Small focus groups of 6-8 females & separate group of males to discuss how they see the ‘femme fatale’ character
à Observe how the participants respond to the character during the screening
· Questionnaire – quantitative results for how audience sees the stereotypical ‘femme fatale’. Negatively/ Positively?

12. Modifications agreed with your lead teacher

13. Potential limits/obstacles/problems?

If I chose to research Neo-noir there perhaps wouldn’t be as much secondary research & theory to work from & use as a framework – The primary research would be too heavily relied on as a source of information.

14. Teacher concerns


15. Teacher approval
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