tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post6621646679211361400..comments2024-03-24T21:42:48.278-04:00Comments on Another Old Movie Blog: Ladies of the Noir - Pt 1 - The Blue Gardenia (1953)Jacqueline T. Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-70065318394506788352009-04-13T15:24:00.000-04:002009-04-13T15:24:00.000-04:00Semi-regular feature? I don't know. Stuff a doll...Semi-regular feature? I don't know. Stuff a dollar bill into the empty brandy snifter on my piano, and I guess I'd take requests. I'm not proud.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-85080928739845651292009-04-13T15:06:00.000-04:002009-04-13T15:06:00.000-04:00The pleasure was all mine, Jacqueline. Thank you ...The pleasure was all mine, Jacqueline. Thank you for posting such interesting content. I've just begun to delve deeper into noir lately and I really value your perspective on female characters in crime pictures, especially how they often operate under different rules from the male characters. Maybe this will become a semi-regular feature on your blog (crosses fingers)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-56560392212477069492009-04-13T07:48:00.000-04:002009-04-13T07:48:00.000-04:00First of all, Thom, I must commend you for your do...First of all, Thom, I must commend you for your dogged following of these film noir posts. It must have taken a lot of patience, and a whole pot of coffee.<BR/><BR/>I don't really know what Anne Baxter's screen image as promoted by the studio was supposed to be. Her image in "All About Eve" as a clever two-faced opportunitst was so strong, and perhaps since that's a movie I've seen so many times, that when I see her as a heroine or victim I'm less convinced. Feisty is the right word for her, though.<BR/><BR/>I agree that the grim world-weariness was not limited to females, or that the consequences suffered by females in film noir were different from other style films of that era, only that in film noir these elements came to a kind of crossroads, and I don't think the studio execs were quite comfortable as to how to show a female protagonist under the same rules as the men.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-20496240878959781182009-04-12T21:20:00.000-04:002009-04-12T21:20:00.000-04:00Very thought-provoking post on The Blue Gardenia a...Very thought-provoking post on <EM>The Blue Gardenia</EM> and female characters in 1950s crime dramas, Jacqueline. Nicely done. I made a couple of notes as I read along:<BR/><BR/>Your description of Anne Baxter's character reminded of the similarly feisty and fighting gal in the western <STRONG>Yellow Sky</STRONG> (1948). I wonder if this part was written with her in mind or was scripted to fit her established screen image as created and promoted by the studio?<BR/><BR/>That's so true about <EM>The Big Sleep</EM>. I've read the book and seen the picture and I still can't describe the plot. I thought it was just me!<BR/><BR/>I like the way you point out some of the characteristics we should look for in female characters of these crime dramas. I also like how you pin down the world-weariness and moral ambiguity of the characters. However, I don't find that to be limited to female characters. It pretty much defines the protagonist in any of those pessimistic post-war crime pictures (<STRONG>Double Indemnity</STRONG> springs to mind).<BR/><BR/>Your point about a female character meeting final punishment only if she's truly bad (again <EM>Double Indemnity</EM> rings a bell) is truly food for thought. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for that as I explore more Hollywood crime pictures from the decade.<BR/><BR/>I also see your point about the difference between the endings of <EM>Detour</EM> and <EM>Gardenia</EM> but good girls getting rewarded with good men (and vice versa) is standard stuff for a classic Hollywood screenplay. It's part of the contract with the audience found in genre pictures and I'm not so sure we can rightly say it's only characteristic of the films of the 1950s or those with female protagonists. Overall I think the studio executives were/are most interested in what sells.<BR/><BR/>A great post. I really want to see this picture now (queuing it in Netflix asap). Moving on to part 2...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-52125290307023610672009-03-20T08:00:00.000-04:002009-03-20T08:00:00.000-04:00Thank you, Laura. I'm always a bit anxious about ...Thank you, Laura. I'm always a bit anxious about letting the spoilers fly fast and loose the way I tend to do, but sometimes there just is no way to analyze a film without them. I hope those that hate spoilers will understand.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-30662930653101881512009-03-20T02:02:00.000-04:002009-03-20T02:02:00.000-04:00I enjoyed this film a few months ago and enjoyed y...I enjoyed this film a few months ago and enjoyed your writeup as well. :)<BR/><BR/>I taped SHADOW ON THE WALL recently but have not yet watched it, so I'm looking forward to what you have to say about it (since I'm one of those people who doesn't care about spoilers...)<BR/><BR/>Best wishes,<BR/>LauraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-25351998685442111512009-03-19T10:55:00.000-04:002009-03-19T10:55:00.000-04:00Thank you, Lolita. You're probably right about An...Thank you, Lolita. You're probably right about Anne Baxter being suitable for these kinds of roles. There was an ambiguity about her. I don't know if anyone could have done her role in "All About Eve" as well as she did.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7092350404895325373.post-11447299808539132862009-03-19T09:47:00.000-04:002009-03-19T09:47:00.000-04:00Great, all-including post! It's great how you can ...Great, all-including post! It's great how you can make one interested in a film you reveal is not one of your favourites. I will put The Blue Gardenia on my to-watch-list!<BR/>And Anne Baxter is, in my opinion, very suitable for these roles, where you don't really know where you have her. Like All About Eve.Lolita of the Classicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03596876234508882958noreply@blogger.com