Week 3, Laura!

In class this week, we learned and read about the Femme Fatale type-- the dangerous woman. When thinking about this type in comparison to the character Laura, I think that she is almost the complete opposite in many ways. Really, the only danger to her is that she arouses a dangerous, unhealthy obsession in men. Other than that, I found her really pathetic. We discussed in class how Laura is like Kane in many ways, and whether or not we can or should even view her as a true person. Although they are similar, I say Laura is not completely like Kane-- yes, in both movies the main characters are dead and we can only see them through the biased eyes of others who know them. But there is a big difference here-- Laura gets to, in a way, come back from the dead; she has a chance to redeem her self as a true character with personality, and she doesn't. To me, Laura is either a naive and idiotic woman who does not realize that she is only viewed as an object by all of the men in her life, or else she is another kind if idiotic woman who realizes she is just a pretty jewel being passed around between three men and she's content with that.

When looking back on it, I realized it was pretty clear that Lydecker could easily be the killer. In the very first scene of the movie we see what a pompous and materialistic man he is-- his entire apartment is over-the-top and full of valuable little pretty possessions-- he yells at McPherson for even laying a hand on his belongings. After talking about it in class, it's clear that Lydecker's relationship with Laura is unorthodox and kinda creepy. There is no reason for the audience to believe that there is a true sexual relationship between the two, yet a level of infatuation and pure obsession within Lydecker is clear to everyone except Laura, who just goes along with being his lap dog. Later on, we experience Lydecker demanding that the gifts he had given to Laura are returned to him, emphasizing his possessiveness. All of these things are clues into Lydecker's mindset-- if he can't have Laura, then no one can.

Re-watching and discussing the scene of McPherson going through Laura's unmentionables, sniffing her perfume, and gazing passionately at her portrait in class really helped to highlight my feelings that Laura is viewed only as an object and when being looked at as a true person is quite pathetic and ignorant. Honestly, the picture of her on the wall has more presence and dominance than the woman herself. It is the portrait that constantly demands attention in so many scenes and that eventually causes McPherson's craze for Laura sexually. Laura herself simply goes along with whoever she is with at the time, and honestly does not make a hint of difference in the sequence of events herself.

Other than my vehemence toward Laura's character, and really toward the other characters in a way too, I thought this was an interesting movie. Not being familiar with old movies, film noir, or femme fatale, it was peculiar to be exposed to these things in a film that is not conventionally noir and does not have the typical femme fatale character. Our reading on the femme fatale type stirred my interest because to me this type just objectified women in another way, saying we can only be one of two things-- submissive, married, and family oriented or independent and powerful because of beauty and sexuality. I also think this type just turns around and makes men objects for women-- something that makes them feel good, powerful, and fulfill sexual fantasy, but also very disposable.