3.5 Existentialism and Male Protagonists
In characterizing the traits of male protagonists in traditional noir, Andrew Spicer provides his own interpretation.
One of the most arresting traits of film noir is its depiction of male protagonists who lack the qualities courage, incorruptibility, tenacity, and dynamism that characterize
the archetypal American hero and who therefore function as antiheroes. Typical noir male protagonists are weak, confused, unstable, and ineffectual, damaged men who
suffer from a range of psychological neuroses and who are unable to resolve the problems they face.
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Therefore, in considering Spicer’s definition, an existential framework best supports an analysis of noir characters as they do not have a sense of morality to fall back on, as a
traditional hero does. This is evident in the character of Walter Neff in Double Indemnity as he is easily infatuated with Mrs. Dietrichson and is willing to do whatever she wants to
possess her. The character Frank Chambers in The Postman Always Rings Twice also does not have a moral belief system, as he is eager to dispose of Cora Smith’s husband just to be
with her, even though Nick Smith is a pleasant and friendly man. Even Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet and The Big Sleep is not driven to do his job based on some sense of moral
calling but rather out of financial considerations.
3.6 Material Items and Existentialism
In classic noir films, venetian blinds are a common sight that expresses various metaphoric meanings. Visually, venetian blinds can show that something secretive is
happening behind them. Many times it is related with a criminal or illicit activity or some kind of scheming. When light flashes through them, it can also signify a character being
trapped as it resembles bars from a jail cell with an alternating dark and light pattern on a character’s face. It can give a rather haunting and claustrophobic look. Venetian blinds are
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Spicer, Andrew, “Problems of Memory and Identity in Neo-Noir’s Existentialist Antihero”, from Conard, Mark. The Philosophy of Neo-Noir. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009, p.47.
especially prevalent in Double Indemnity and The Big Sleep. Another aspect that venetian blinds symbolize is that of upper class society and what most working class people strive to
penetrate. At the time, venetian blinds were more expensive and owned by the wealthy. Upper class society values God, love, money, morality, and the family. From an existential
perspective, criticism and suspicion can be placed on these values as the characters who possess venetian blinds in their homes generally do not hold true to their idealized values;
they have a hollow, superficial, or false value system. Nietzsche’s existentialism is critical of this kind of society and their fake value system. Nietzsche will conclude that God is actually
dead and that people only superficially use morality to acquire power. In a Western and capitalist society, these values are not really valid. This is expressed through inauthenticity,
alienation, and hypocrisy. An existential perspective may claim that venetian blinds actually symbolize hiding the truth or reality of what the world is really like as they only let a crack of
light through them, not exposing the whole reality of the world in which one lives. Cars in noir films can also have symbolic functions. In Double Indemnity there is a
scene that shows Walter Neff speeding in his vehicle with it swerving back and forth along the road. This can signify how his life is spinning out of control every since he met Phyllis
Dietrichson. He is unable to keep his life in order due to his infatuation with this femme fetale. The car can signify Neff’s desire to create a new identity and existence, but he is
unable to do it, as it just weaves around the road. This is parallel with Americans’ vision for a life of betterment and living their own lives the way they want. The occurrence of cars is
reminiscent of the large increase in wartime necessities by automobile makers during the war but not personal cars. Two other modes of transportation that have symbolism are the train
and trolley. As they go in a straight line, it signifies that Walter and Phyllis cannot escape their fates of ultimate death. Even though Neff creates the “perfect” insurance scam by
throwing Phyllis’ husband’s, Mr. Dietrichson’s, corpse off the train to collect a double indemnity insurance claim, as the likelihood of someone dying by falling off a moving train
is extremely rare, he is still caught in the end by his boss, Barton Keyes. Keyes even remarks in the film that “Murderers ride a trolley car all the way to the end of the line and it’s a one-
way trip and the last stop is the cemetery.” The car is also used as the place where Neff murders Mr. Dietrichson, as he strangles him while hiding in the backseat.
Cars can also symbolize characters’ hopes. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, it reveals how the adulterers, Cora Smith and Frank Chambers, are trapped because they do not
have a car. When Frank explains to Cora why they have to hitchhike instead of stealing a car, he says, “Stealing a man’s wife, that’s nothing. But stealing his car, that’s larceny.” This
refers to taking away a man’s identity and hope because men generally identify with the vehicles they drive. If they have no vehicles, then they have no self-identity, which was a
concern during and after WWII, as people faced uncertain futures. In the novel version, Cora elaborates further by stating to Frank about their dashed hopes, “And we just cracked up
under it. It’s a big airplane engine that takes you through the sky, right up to the top of the mountains. But when you put it in a Ford, it just shakes to pieces. That’s what we are, Frank,
a couple of Fords.”
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When Cora says that they are just a couple of Fords, she means that they are just common and nothing special. They will not be able to get into the upper class and
will be forever doomed as the class they were born into, showing their fatalism. In noir films, many times automobiles reflect one’s ability for social mobility. The
more expensive a car one drives, the more one feels able to move into a higher social class. This need for authenticity is seen through the eyes of several characters in Mildred Pierce as
well. Several of the main characters strive to achieve wealth, personal sexual experiences,
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Cain, James M. The Postman Always Rings Twice. New York: Vintage, 1989, p.70.
and new adventures, often at the detriment of others. The characters link authenticity with the pursuit of happiness through materialism. Many of the characters in film noir, like Mildred
Pierce, have a deep-seated obsession with a particular goal or object. Concerns about identity crisis and authenticity can be seen in the nature of femme fetale characters. Mildred’s greed
and obsession to earn her daughter’s Veda love motivate the bad decisions she makes. Mildred’s desire for wealth is a typical American story that shows how she wants to reach her
goal on her own. Mildred tries to buy her daughter’s love by giving her an expensive convertible, but that is not enough to win her love. Her daughter is only temporarily satisfied
before she wants a more expensive luxurious item. The movie Mildred Pierce reveals the difficulty of social mobility during the 1940s
and a critical viewpoint of capitalism. Consumerism can be seen as a means of dealing with the anxiety of the time period as in the case of Veda, who is always in pursuit of wealth.
Veda’s spoiled behavior is apparent early on as Bert says to Mildred about buying Veda a dress, “No wonder those kids are so fresh and stuck up. That Veda. I’m so fed up with her
high-hatting me. One of these days I’ll slap her face.” She is always critical of her mom and considers her mom of a lower social class, because she works as a waitress, sells baked goods
from her home, and ultimately owns her own chain of restaurants. Veda does not consider her mother as being worthy of achieving upward mobility into the upper class, because she is not
from “old” money, passed down from generation to generation. Mildred works harder and harder to gain the respect and appreciation of her daughter to appease her through material
goods, but to no avail. Veda only obtains a temporary happiness through these material possessions her mother buys her until she wants something more. Veda can only be appeased
through money temporarily before she desires something more. Veda uses the material items as a way to temporarily escape from her drab life.
Next, from the first few minutes of the movie Mildred Pierce, it is clear that Wally is a wheeling and dealing type of character who is always trying to get the upper hand on
another person. He is not really sincere in apologizing for taking Mildred’s business away from her by saying, “I’m glad you’re not sore about me taking you over the hurdles. I didn’t
mean to cut up your business. I just got started and couldn’t stop. I see an angle, I start cutting myself a piece of throat. It’s an instinct. With me, being smart’s a disease. Know what I
mean?” He maintains this persona throughout the movie. He is primarily nice to Mildred because he wants to have a sexual relationship with her and wants to take advantage of her
financially. The characters in the film can mostly be seen as lacking humanity because to make
advances in their lives, they have to sell themselves. Veda sells herself to get money from her boyfriend. Mildred becomes so immersed in her restaurant business that she loses much of
her femininity and humanity. Wally betrays Mildred and Bert for financial gain. Mildred buys Beragon, so he will be with her until he seems to just be prostituting himself. Mildred
also pays him to take Veda out and entertain her. Beragon also uses Mildred for money and Veda for sex. So, therefore, the characters essentially become commodity items involved in
buying and selling themselves, which makes them lose their humanity. Mildred cannot reach the American Dream because she goes about it all in the wrong way and faces numerous
societal constraints. By making herself into a commodity item and becoming obsessed with money, she sells out her humanity and ultimately fails in her quest. Therefore, the obsession
with wealth and materialism is a common occurrence in noir films. In general, when one owns a convertible or another kind of luxurious item, it signifies
positive attributes and the American belief of the pursuit of happiness. If you have a convertible, a yacht, a mansion, or another prestigious item, you will be living the American
Dream as rich and feel free and happy. However, in noir films a luxurious item’s positive attributes are one-upped by negative traits of being defeated and disillusioned. In noir films,
characters that have convertibles or another expression of wealth do not really go anywhere or achieve anything. They have empty worthless lives.
The hollowness, disorientation, and existentialism beliefs are evident in the traits of film noir characters. As the characters do not have a sense of values or a particular belief in
who or what they are as humans, there is no basis in the meaning and value of things, like ethical values related to good and evil. This is seen when the characters act according to their
own selfish interests except for certain characters to a particular extent that live according to societal norms, because they do not think of an afterlife or the consequences of their actions
in this life. They are only interested in the here and now and what immediate or earthly benefits they can acquire from their actions. As the characters do not have a guiding
philosophical belief or a set of values like those which a religion can offer, they are seen as being adrift or lost. The protagonist characters are disoriented and alienated from the world.
The world is seen to be chaotic and without meaning or value to their existence. Therefore, Nietzsche’s “death of God” with no value or meaning leads to disorientation, pessimism, and
nihilism, which leads to existentialism in the worldview of noir characters. In conclusion, movies are often a reflection of the society into which they were
created. Varying film styles and periods depict the societal metamorphoses that occurred within the society at different times. Political and economic changes can especially affect
people’s psychology, which are frequently expressed in a film work. As movies are often based on literary works, storylines are more certainly affected by such societal
transformations. Therefore, movies have an important place in societies all over the world. Through movies, viewers can see how the ways they were created reflect trends, changes, and
calls for alterations in society. To be considered great, movies can be radical, moving, and extreme to initiate particular societal changes. However, movies can also simply draw a mass
following to reflect the spirit of the time without encouraging any great shifts in societal beliefs. Through an existential perspective from the likes of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and
Camus, the noir literary film adaptations under review depict the fears and psychological effects of 1940s American society in the wake of a changing post-war society. The
hollowness, disorientation, and existentialism beliefs are evident in the noir character traits. As the characters do not have a sense of values or a particular belief in who or what they are
as humans, there is no basis in the meaning and value of things, like ethical values related to good and evil. The characters do not think of an afterlife or the consequences of their actions
in this life. They are only interested in the here and now and what immediate or earthly benefits they can acquire from their actions. As the characters do not have a guiding
philosophical belief or a set of values like those which a religion can offer, they are seen as being adrift or lost. The protagonist characters are disoriented and alienated from the world.
The world is seen to be chaotic and without meaning or value to their existence.
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CHAPTER IV THE SPIRIT OF NOIR AS EXPRESSED IN MODERN AMERICAN SOCIETY
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