Sexual Disturbance: Gilda 1946

1
Sexual Disturbance Gilda (1946)
This Rita Hayworth photo, which appeared in Life
Magazine, 1941, became one of the most popular
pinup photos of WWII, with over 5 million sold.
2
Quiz 5

• Dyer, in "Resistance Through Charisma," points
  out that in Gilda, Hayworth is not a typical noir
  ____________ character.
• Besides Gilda, who else in the film is described
  as "beautiful" or "pretty"?
• Glenn Ford was aware that Gilda included
  suggestions of ___________ between his character
  and Ballin.
• Martin points out that the producer of Gilda was,
  somewhat unusually, ____________.
• Martin also points out that many stories and a
  number of scripts for certain films noirs were
  written by ______________.

3
The Question(ing) of the Femme Fatale

• Gilda unusual portrayal of gender and sexual
  relations.
• Relatively open suggestions of male
  homosexuality.
• On the one hand portrayal of female sexuality
  and desire that disturbs male order, control.
  Typical of "femme fatale" portrayals of sexual
  women as dangerous, as threat to men.
• On the other hand Gilda in a number of ways
  resists this typical representation of women's
  sexuality desire as disturbing, etc.

4
The Question(ing) of the Femme Fatale

• Gilda brings a number of contradictions about
  "women's representation" within film noir to the
  surface.
• In particular, although film noir has always
  been--and probably still is--a male-dominated
  phenomenon
• One can find a resistance within stereotyped
  portrayals of women as "bad," dangerous, or
  sexualized--for in such portrayals, the women
  usually have their own desires (and sexuality)
  and do not simply defer to men.

5
Visual Pleasure, Again

• Worth thinking about Gilda (and film noir) in
  terms of Mulvey's famous argument
• Women's sexuality must be controlled either
  through
• (1) (sadistic) punishment by male protagonist or
  (2) through making her the object of voyeuristic
  male look (usually shared by both the male
  protagonist and audience).
• Certainly, can argue that both occur in Gilda.
• But in certain ways, Gilda also defies these
  attempts at control.

6
You Can't Put the Blame on Mame?

• Film is narrated by Johnny supposedly "his"
  story and point-of-view, as in many films noirs.
  
• Sadism Johnny certainly does attempt to
  "punish" and control Gilda in rather sadistic
  ways.
• But how do we as audience perceive Johnny's view
  of Gilda, his efforts to "punish" and control
  her?
• His efforts to to punish Gilda often seem overly
  "sadistic" and perhaps "insane"--and make her
  more sympathetic.

7
You Can't Put the Blame on Mame?

• Woman as To Be Looked At Audience is often
  positioned to view Gilda through Johnny's gaze.
• His look at her is linked to that of the largely
  male audience who watches her in the "Put the
  Blame on Mame" sequence--and to the audience
  watching the movie.
• Indeed, her exhibitionism (the fact that she is
  seen by others) is what seems to disturb him the
  most.

8
You Can't Put the Blame on Mame?
9
You Can't Put the Blame on Mame?

• No question that she (her sexuality) excites and
  disturbs male audience/Johnny in this scene.
• But here, female sexuality seems to exceed
  attempts to "blame" and control it.
• As the song's lyrics ironically imply putting
  the blame on Mame (women) is problematic in
  Gilda.
• Woman is looked at, but is she simply
  objectified?
• Not just an object, as Dyer argues, because of
  Hayworth's charisma, or because the film elicits
  audience sympathy and identification with woman's
  situation, as Martin suggests.

10
Why is Johnny so pretty?

• Curious that strong and strongly sexual female
  characters often seem to occur in combination
  with overtones of male homosexuality.
• Gilda, Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, Laura,
  Mildred Pierce?
• In Gilda, Johnny is also given glamour shots,
  called "very beautiful," is seen from Gilda's
  perspective.
• Johnny's relationship with Ballin parallels
  Gilda's.
• And then, the strange romantic triangles toast
  to Johnny, Ballin, Ballin's other little friend
  becomes toast to Johnny, Ballin, Gilda.

11
The Lady from Shanghai (1948)

• From one Rita Hayworth film noir to one made with
  husband (at the time) Orson Welles.
• Strange film, with almost incomprehensible plot.
  Re-cut by studio.
• Hayworth as true femme fatale.
• But, importantly, as title suggests, film
  highlights a fascination with and simultaneous
  fear of--that which is seen as other.
• Sexual women as dangerous other but also other
  cultures, races, the "exotic," etc.