1. Films always reflect the times and places in which they were made
Films always reflect the times and places in which they were made. How far is this true of the American films you have studied for this topic?

2. What will the examiner will be looking for, whatever the question?

3. Representation: gender, sexuality, ethnicity
Context: post depression era, wartime, Hays code, etc vs. the post-feminist era
Narrative features: cynical atmosphere, crime story, sex as a motive, character archetypes, male perspective vs. objective narrative, the inevitability of fate, flashback structure, narrative tropes what equilibrium is reached, etc.
Genre and style: Chiaroscuro lighting, hard-boiled dialogue, iconography, etc.
Representation: gender, sexuality, ethnicity

4. Messages and Values Gender representation in classic noir
The female who destroys the family unit is unnatural to be punished
Masculinity is challenged and seeks a way to reassert itself
Male relationships are stronger than sexual lust
Male authority restored at the end
The male viewpoint is presented as natural, if burdened with doubt
The rule of ‘natural law’ in classic noir
The good are rewarded
Order is restored
The guilty are punished
Confession cleans the soul
Fate is inevitable
Consider how The Last Seduction defies all of these and why

5. “In Double Indemnity, Phyllis is introduced using a male gaze shot”
Wilder follows genre convention by introducing his femme fatale with the typical ‘male gaze’ shot. She is seen from below, only partly covered. As she descends the stairs, we linger over her ankles. We are asked to look at her in the same way Neff does – as a sex object. This underlines the masculine viewpoint of these films.
The shot is typical of film noir. It is also used in Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, for example. The shot shows that classic noir ideology is male dominated and assumes a male perspective.

6. “In The Last Seduction, there are no male gaze shots.”
Dahl’s camera often lingers over Bridget’s body, particularly her legs. The tops of her stockings are often on display from a low angle, such as when she exits the taxi after her visit to Trish. This clearly sexualises her for the spectator and emphasises her attraction, despite the unfeminine ferocity of her performance. However, none of these sexualising shots are from Mike’s point of view and the male gaze is notably no used in their initial meeting in the bar when Mike first sees her. This has the effect of distancing Mike from our perspective and is a subtle shift from classic to neo-noir.

7. Read the Band 4 example: How far have your wider contextual studies helped you gain greater understanding of the similarities and differences in the American films you have studied for this topic?
Identify what went well
Use this to reflect on how you can improve your own work
Select your weakest paragraph and redraft it to a better standard