During the 1940′s and 1950′s, which is the film noir classic era, sexuality was not really permitted in film. According to the Hays Code (Production Code), all movies were subject to intense censorship. However, not only were film noir movies censored, all movies were prohibited to show any kind of sexuality. It is because of that that many movies, especially film noir ones, had to find a different way of showing any kind of sexuality. Rather than blatantly showing a sex scene, many film noir classics resorted to adding sexual connotations, which many say are even more effective and arousing.

A few of the movies that I plan to be concentrating on are the great classics such as “The Maltese Falcon”, “Gilda”, and “A Lonely Place”. Not only are these movies filled with sexual innuendos, but there are also many hidden homosexual connotations in them.  Nowadays, movies contain so much sex that people have become so used to it all. Now when we watch film noir movies, we think that the supposed sexual things of the film are really nothing at all. However, one has to remember that at the time, the Hays Code laws applied and all sexuality was prohibited. Therefore, some of the scenes in film noir movies are in fact quite sexual. However I only found that out with much research and hopefully I can expose this “secret” to many others as well.

Rather than write a paper, I wanted to do something more visual. Considering that I am in Cinema and Communications, it is only fitting that I do my final project on something a little more visual and pleasing to the eye.

Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy!

Humphrey Bogart as Detective Sam Spade

Use of heavy shadows in "Citizen Kane"

Like Silver said, film noir movies follow a “consistent set of visual and thematic codes.” Most film noir movies are shot in black and white, with the exception of neo-noir movies. What sets film noir movies apart from others is mostly the fact that in every film noir movie, there is always a sad, depressing and somber story line. Even the settings themselves scream depression. Every thing is always dark and obscure, not to mention the fact that often it is raining. Also, there is never much light on set. Lighting is specifically set to highlight certain character’s faces and hide others. By using very little lighting, this produced many dark/light contrasts. Often, actors’ faces were either fully obscured or partially hidden, as in the case of  the cliched film noir signature: There would always be a shadow of a pole or Venetian blinds cast on the faces of the actors. On many occasions, directors would even seek to use different disorienting devices which further add mystery and confusion to the setting of the story. Another way, directors would create disorientation is through the use of awkward camera angles, which was a first in cinema. Film noirdirectors used a lot of low-angled camera shots and wide angled lenses.  The way film noir movies look are very deeply rooted in German Expressionism, “a cinematic movement from the 1910′s an 1920′s.” It is because of this movement that many of the scenes in film noir movies are made to look gloomy and morbid. To recap, film noir settings are not exactly pleasant.

German Expressionism in "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"

Then, we get to the ever popular characters that distinguish film noir movies from others. Of course, there is always the femme fatale who first appears as a desperate woman in need of rescue, but that is all a disguise. We later find out that she is a conniving woman out to destroy anyone that gets in her way. Then, there is the strong yet suave lead man. In many cases, the man seems as though he is in control, but then we find out that he is weak and inferior to the femme fatale. Every time, the lead man is with the femme fatale, he becomes weak, pathetic and definitely no longer worthy of the name “lead man”.When the two are together, the femme fatale is in control; she wears the pants in the relationship. She gets him to do whatever she wants, whether it be lying, stealing, or even killing another person. The femme fatale does not care about anyone but herself.

There are many things that set film noir movies apart from other genres, but in any case, regardless of what they are, the main difference that sets film noir from other genres in the fact that film noir inspired so many other genres that followed it. It set a new tone, atmosphere and way of life. Film noir pioneered and paved the way for othe movies to become great. So many films today have been inspired by film noir. Many of them take from the elements of film noirsuch as the low-key lighting, the high contrast shots and the use of wide angled lenses. There are even many foreign films that are considered as film noir such as Fritz Lang’s “M” (Germany, which also featured Peter Lorre and Jean-Luc Godard’s “A bout de souffle” (France). To say that film noir is only a movie “genre: would be a crucial mistake because the truth is that film noir has completely shaken the film industry.

During the 1920′s, the city of Hollywood became a controversial conversational point because it allowed the press to sensationalize three major scandals, involving Hollywood celebrities. These stories included the manslaughter trials of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, who was charged with murdering actress Virginia Rappe, the murder of director William Desmond Taylor, who was exposed as being bisexual and the drug -related death of Wallace Reid. Everyone wanted to know about these scandalous stories, so the press made sure to cover them all. This, in turn confirmed the perception that Hollywood was an immoral city, later causing many to coin the scandalous as “Sin City”.

Seeing that so many Americans viewed Hollywood as being an unethical and immoral city, they believed it logical to create the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association in 1922 (later known as the MPAA in 1945). Will H. Hays became the leader of this new organization and his first order was to ban actor Fatty Arbuckle from all the movie theaters. In 1927, Hays made a list, in which he outlined all that was acceptable and unacceptable viewing material in movies. This list later popularly became known as the “don’t's and be careful’s list”.

In 1930, the Studio Relations Committee (SRC) was founded, by Hays, as a means to implement his new code, however it was not that successful, as it could not not enforce anything legally. Following the creation of the original code, Martin Quigley, publisher of motion picture trade newspaper based in Chicago, believed that the code should be more extensive and cover more immoral issues. That was why Quigley recruited the services of Father Daniel Lord, a Jesuit priest and Catholic St. Louis University instructor, to write a longer code which aboded to the Catholic Church’s morals and sets of values. On March 31, 1930, this code became official and was formerly dubbed as the Hays Code.

In order to put more pressure on movie studios and enforce their new Hays Code, the MPAA sought help from the Catholic Church.

On June 13, 1934, all film studios and films were subject to a new amendment to the Hays Code. It required that all films now receive a certificate of approval, from the MPAA, stating that it was given permission to be viewed in theaters. For thirty years following the implementation of this change, all motion pictures in the United States adhered to the law.

In 1934, Joseph Breen was appointed the new head of the PCA (Production Code Administration). Under his rule, the Hays Code became more rigid, making many  film studios unhappy. Breen became many film studios’ most hated person because he had the power to drastically change scripts and scenes.

In 1934, Breen enforced his code on “Tarzan and His Mate”, by making it the first film that was really subjected to censorship. In this movie, actress Maureen O’ Sullivan was said to have too many brief nude scenes, making Breen quite angry. Many films after that were harshly subject to Breen’s Code. Even Betty Boop was forced to change from the free-spirited flapper to dressing like the calm and reserved housewife.

In the late 1950′s, the Hays Code came under major threat with the introduction of foreign films. Foreign films were not subject to Hays Code laws, making them nearly impossible to ban.

In 1951, people thought that the Hays Code would become more flexible, but it did not. Instead the laws became more rigid, now involving censorship on words and more subjects. With the production of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot”, who released their films without any certificate of approval, the Hays Code became less and less relevant. These films  did not seek approval from the MPAA, yet they still became box office hits. Consequently, these films aided in weakening the power and authority that the Hays Code had over the cinema industry.

In the 1960′s, the Hays Code faced one of the biggest issues in America. With the emergence of new gay civil rights movements, homosexuality became a subject more commonly seen in movies. This led to more censorship and restrictions established by the Hays Code.

Eventually, the Hays Code became less and less  effective, until it was completely abandoned. On November 1, 1968, the MPAA implemented new film ratings: G, M, R and X. In 1970, the M rating was replaced by GP and then in 1972, it was replace by the current PG. In response to the films Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which received many complaints that they were to horrific, the rating PG-13 was created. In 1990, the X rating was replaced by NC-17, because X was already being used by the pornography industry in their XXX.

Over the years, the film industry has faced so many changes, some for the bad, but most for the good. If you want to see all the original laws that the Hays Code contained, here is a link to view them:

http://www.artsreformation.com/a001/hays-code.html

Spade is in his office, smoking his cigarette and looking ever so suave, when Ruth Wonderly bursts in. Enter the distraught woman desperately looking for a strong, suave -looking man to come to her rescue. Wonderly bursts into Detective Spade’ s office, claiming that she needs help because she is seeking to find out where her lost sister is. Later on we find out that Wonderly is actually named Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Up until then, O’Shaughnessy has been playing the poor detective Spade. Even before the rest of the action occurs, we can tell that there is something going on between O’Shaughnessy and Spade. Perhaps it is sexual chemistry? Throughout the film, we watch as O’Shaughnessy uses her sex appeal to make Spade do as she pleases. She brings him on a roller coaster of a journey just so she can get to where she needs to be. Spade is dragged around like a puppy, thinking that he has got an actual shot with her. However, he just does not know that she is luring him into her trap. O’Shaughnessy throws herself on him and begs him to help her. She gives him that innocent puppy dog look and conveniently falls on him whenever she feels “weak”. Knowing that Spade will help her at all costs, O’Shaughnessy uses her deceiving beauty and sex appeal to control Spade. Throughout the film, we can see just how integral sexuality is in the plot of this film.

While heterosexuality is clearly present in this movie, one thing that may not be as obvious is the presence of homosexuality. On many occasions, director John Huston makes sure that his sexual innuendos are subtle, yet very powerful. Often times, Huston will drop sexual connotations in the conversations. He will even make sure that the gestures that some of his characters act out, hint at homosexuality. For example, in the Maltese Falcon, Joel Cairo, played by Peter Lorre, plays a very effeminate man who has a lot of characteristics, normally attributed to gay men, especially in that era. Cairo has crimped hair, he always carries a handkerchief that smells like gardenia flowers and he is a very meticulous and dainty dresser. Furthermore, he has a rather soft and gentle voice and very delicate features. To top it all off, Cairo constantly carries a phallic cane that resembles a certain intimate part of a man, a penis. Many times in this movie, Cairo plays around with the cane, often rubbing it on his face and close to his mouth. Although this may not be an obvious homosexual connotation in a film noir movie, it is definitely one of the biggest and most deliberate.

Although not necessarily acted out in the movie, in the novel “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett, often times  Detective Sam Spade refers to Wilmer Cook as “gunsel”. “In Yiddish slang,  “gunsel” means young gay thug. This confirms the idea that Wilmer Cook is another gay character in the story.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

When first watching the movie, the homosexuality connotations may not seem that obvious, however once you watch the movie a second time, after reading this, you will start to see where Huston dropped some hints.

“The Maltese Falcon” has many secret sexual innuendos that many people do not know about, however so do the next couple of movies, “Gilda” and “In A Lonely Place”.

“Gilda” is a movie overflowing with sexuality, from the character of Gilda herself, to the quasi amorous affair between Johnny Farrell and Ballin Mundson. “Gilda” is a film about a gambler named Johnny who is saved by a casino owner named Ballin. The two eventually become partners, however there is one catch. Mundson eventually marries this overtly sexual woman named Gilda, but at one point, she and Johnny were lovers. The makes for an unusual, but exciting love triangle.

If could tell you about the whole movie, but then I would just be giving you a review and spoilers, however luckily for you that is not what I will be doing. Instead I want to analyze the overtly sexual personality of Gilda and the quasi-amorous relationship between Johnny and Ballin.

First off, Gilda, whom the movie is named after, is a beautiful woman. She is somewhat of a tease, which becomes evident when she performs a semi-striptease, but really she does not take off her clothes. Instead, she moves around in a sexual manner, making sure that she is arousing all the men she performing for, while she sings a catchy song called “Put the Blame on Mame”.

 Nowadays, when watching a scene like this, you would think that it is just a silly woman dancing around, however back then this was the hottest thing out there. Take a look at how Gilda is dressed. She is wearing a long silky dress that cut low on her breasts. Then she is wearing these sexy long gloves that go up to her elbows. Her low cut dress allows for her chest and shoulders to be bare, further putting emphasis on her shining gold necklace. As she swings her hips around, it almost seems as if she was trying to hypnotize the men watching. Then, all of a sudden, she does this move that shocks most people. Normally, this would be nothing, but in this context, this is huge. At one point, she bends over and drops her head, only to come back up, this time with her hair held up by her hands. Not only is this put major emphasis on her already striking chest, neck and shoulders, but this makes her even more enticing.  Then she prepares herself for the icing on the cake, followed by the cherry on top. As she finishes her re-enactment of the Herbal Essences Hair flip, she stands up and slowly begins to roll down her left glove. This, of course, leaves her already exposed skin, even more exposed. As she gradually rolls down the glove, she exposes her arm. Anybody could re-enact this scene, but would it be just as sexy as the way Gilda does it. People call this the striptease scene, but really she does not take anything off. All she is doing is taking off what most people consider to be an accessory, but in this movie and context, this is arguably hotter and sexier than a real strip tease. Some say that less is more and in this case, they might be right. The fact that Gilda is almost fully clothed makes the act of taking off her glove even more arousing. The way in which she does it made a lot of men hoot and howl. Gilda makes taking off her one glove seem as though she was taking off all he clothes. These days, this seems like nothing but a silly scene, to most it is a joke, however, in the 1940′s and 1950′s this was really steamy and hot!

Rita Hayworth as Gilda

Now that I have written about Gilda, let us focus on her male counterparts, Johnny Farrell and Ballin Mundson. Not only are these two men friends and partners in crime, but they might also be secret lovers. Like in the case of  ‘The Maltese Falcon” much can be said about Mundson’s cane. Some say that his cane is a phallic symbol of his own penis,  that he often swings in Johnny’s direction, but obviously their relationship was not clearly outlined. However, one thing that does hint at the idea that these two men could be lovers is the fact that at one point, Johnny says to Ballin, “I was born last night when you met me in that alley.” Now, that could easily be taken in two different ways. You could say that it is just a simple statement of friendship, but I would like to think otherwise. Ballin and Mundson are more than just friends. Not many men will say that to another man because there is a lot of homosexual tones in that sentence. I could see a man say that to a woman, however a man saying that to man, is just not common, unless the two are lovers. Even Glenn Ford, the actor who played Johnny Farell said that he knew the relationship between Ballin and him was homosexual, “Of course, we knew that the relationship was homosexual.”

While the sexuality of Gilda is unquestionable, the homosexual relationship between Johnny Farrell and Ballin Mundson is. Although the hints suggest that their relationship is more than just a friendly one, it is not clearly outlined or directly pointed out. You can thank the Hays Code for that.

IN A LONELY PLACE

While “Gilda” featured two men in a homosexual relationship, “In A Lonely Place” is said to have featured a lesbian interaction. At one point, the dainty feminine character, Laurel Gray is receiving a massage from a rather butch-looking woman named Martha. While this would normally be considered a regular day at the massage parlor, the fact that there seems to be a sexual vibe, messes all of that up. Her body language suggests that she has some sort of sexual attraction towards Laurel. The masseuse, Martha, is roughly manhandling Laurel in every which way. Martha, a big-boned aggressive woman, is shown as having slicked back hair and a very rough and hard voice. Some say that the director, Nicholas Ray, who is said to be bisexual himself, slipped in a homosexual character, in the likes of Martha the masseuse.

Gloria Grahame as Laurel Gray

In every film noir movie, there is always a woman considered to be the femme fatale. A femme fatale is said to have certain characteristics. She is undoubtedly beautiful, but she uses her beauty for evil. She seduces men to do bad things by abusing her sex appeal. The femme fatale is a clever woman, she encompasses everything that a man wants. She is a beautiful woman begging for help as she waits for her knight in shining armor to come and rescue her. She lures men into her trap and when she gets what shes wants, she dumps the man or worse she kills them. Often, the femme fatale is considered the superior individual in the relationship. She demands respect and is not afraid to take control of people and the situation. The femme fatale will do anything and everything she possibly can do in order to reach her goal. She will stop at nothing to achieve her mission.

On the other hand, the male, starring opposite to the femme fatale character, is always the same. He wants people to believe that he is cool, mysterious, strong and in control, but as soon as he meets the femme fatale, he is helpless. He becomes a sad puppy that is stuck under her spell. All of a sudden, the tough and rough man becomes whipped and dos whatever the femme fatale asks of him, even if that includes killing others. In many cases, the man does not even know what the femme fatale has planned, until the end when he is screwed. Often times, the man is portrayed as weak and inferior to the woman and her authority because he becomes like her slave. He is blind to what evil plans she has in store because he think that he is in love with the femme fatale. However, what he does not know is that she is just using and abusing him.

Popular femme fatales include:

Mary Astor as Brigid O’ Shaughnessy (The Maltese Falcon)

Rita Hayworth as Gilda (Gilda)

Phyllis Dietrichson as Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity)

Gene Tierney as Laura Hunt (Laura)

Ann Blyth as Veda Pierce Forrester (Mildred Pierce)

Peggy Cummins as Ann Laurie Starr (Gun Crazy)

Linda Fiorentino as  Bridget Gregory (The Last Seduction)

Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell (Basic Instinct)

Over the years, there have been many movies that have ties to the film noir “genre”, but are not necessarily considered as a film noir movie. Many films have even attempted to parody the classic genre. One of the funniest films inspired by the film noir “genre”, while not really being considered as one is none other than Robert Zemeckis’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” In this film, many of the characters are animated, but they play alongside actual human characters.The storyline is based on the film noir concept, with a comical twist.

As you can see film noir has changed quite a bit. In the golden film noir era, there were many film noir movies created, however it was easy to distinguish whether a film was one or not. Film noir movies all had the exact same characteristics and sometimes, even the same actors, as is the case with Humphrey Bogart. However, nowadays, it is hard to distinguish whether a movie is considered to be film noir or not. The next question is if the movie is part of the film noir genre, what makes it so? Or even what kind of film noir movie is it? Is it a sci fi film noir movie or maybe even a comedic film noir movie? Sometimes, you do not even realize that you are watching something that could be considered film noir, until after it is pointed out to you. Then, and only then can you see the special characteristics that make it film noir.

Whatever the case may be, film noir has impacted the cinema industry drastically. It has brought forth so many new ideas and opened up so many new doors. When you think about it nearly every police or detective type story has taken its roots from the film noir genre. Every movie that has a female character in a role of super authority refers to the film noir “femme fatale”. The film noir genre has paved the way for so many films, some of which have become masterpieces. Next time you watch a movie, observe whether it has any ties to the film noir genre. Does you movie refer to any film noir characteristic? If so, you might be watching a film inspired by the late great film noir classics, and you might not even know it.