1. The Hitch Hiker is the only classic film noir directed by a woman, do you see any difference in style from other film noirs?

There are many differences in this film from other film noirs. Just as the film is directed by a woman instead of a man as was typical of these times, the typical stereotypes of women are represented by males in this film. Another difference is the film's style. It was a very slow paced movie that focused more on the character development rather than the action of finding the captor.

Many film noirs changed the typical representation of women in films from a supporting character or the damsel in distress to the femme fatale or the villain of the story. This was a drastic change at the time, and Lupino aimed to take it one step further. Instead of creating a typical film noir piece, she created a piece in which the men were still the main characters, but this time they were facing the feeling of helplessness, much like the feminine damsel in distress, as was the typical female role.

The film's style was also much different in the way it was styled. Many films focused on action and fast paced stories. However, the main focus in this movie was the agony the men felt being trapped with this murderer for several days. The style was meant to reflect the men's suffering and to portray the changes in their dispositions and psyche over this time.

Overall, Lupino's aim for this film was to reverse the portrayal of the typical roles of men and women in society by showing men who were stuck in a difficult situation and by showing the viewer the changes in their characters as the movie progressed.

The representation of women on Double Indemnity

Phyllis Dietrichson is one of the main women in the movie Double Indemnity. She represents the classic "femme fatale" of the film noir era. Upon meeting Mr. Neff, the protagonist of the movie, she realizes he is smitten with her and she takes advantage of this, inviting him over a second time while her husband and step daughter, Lola, are gone. She then sneaks thoughts of killing her hated husband into conversation with Mr. Neff, who decides to take her idea and help her out with it, convincing himself he is doing it for love and thinking that they would be together as soon as Mr. Dietrichson is out of the picture. However, as soon as her husband is dead, things between Mr. Neff and Phyllis become rocky and towards the end she finally reveals that she never loved Mr. Neff and was going to keep the money for herself and her lover.

Lola Dietrichson is the son of Mr. Dietrichson and his first wife. At first, she is portrayed as a spoiled child, by Phyllis' deceitful description. Later, when Mr. Neff (and the viewers) first meet Lola, she asks Mr. Neff for a ride to meet her boyfriend, after telling her father it was just a girl friend of hers she was meeting. When Mr. Neff drops her off, her boyfriend appears conceited while Lola acts as the doting girlfriend. This is about the time when the viewer starts to question whether Lola actually is as “rotten” as Phyllis says. As more evidence is revealed about the death of Mr. Dietrichson, Mr. Neff begins to realize that perhaps Phyllis isn’t the woman he thought she was.

The women of this movie play a huge role in the outcome. Of course, the plot is all based around Phyllis’ plan to murder her husband. As time goes on, Mr. Neff realizes he made a huge mistake in thinking he loved Phyllis when Lola was able to open his eyes to what a monster she really was; one woman led him into the darkness, the other led him out. Phyllis is the prime example of a femme fatale, while Lola is thought to be one initially until her kind character is gradually revealed. Overall, the women were represented as a sort of “yin and yang” throughout the movie, which was what balanced Mr. Neff’s character.

1. M has been considered a melodrama but also a horror film, pick one and write an argument defending your choice.

After watching the movie “M,” I think that I would refer to it as a melodrama before a horror. While it definitely has qualities of both, I find the melodrama to be the stronger description. The description of “melodrama” applies to movies that play off the viewers’ emotions, particularly by endangering its characters. From the beginning, when the young girl Elsie was murdered, there was a constant fear of the killer that was still on the loose and that had already killed eight children. There was chaos as the search for the murderer stretched out longer and longer. The intensity grew and grew as the movie continued on. It finally leads to a scene at the very end, when they are trying the murderer and they are deciding whether or not he deserves to die. There are women in the audience who cry about their murdered children, which is meant to cause an emotional struggle for the viewer, who also just watched the murderer’s breakdown about how he can’t stop his impulse to kill.

This movie also plays on the viewer’s sensitivity. From the beginning, there are scenes of the murderer and how he fits into the society he lives in. There is a scene in which the police need to see everyone’s birth certificates, and the murderer is among the mass of people that have been herded together for this process. He presents himself to the police as if nothing is wrong and he is just another citizen going on with his day. Later, there is a scene in which he is walking around with his niece, in which he appears to be a caring uncle to the girl. Even at the end, when he is caught and being tried, he rants about how he is helpless and murders the children against his will. The director of this movie clearly played off the viewers’ emotions and created a powerful melodrama.

1. Sherlock Jr. displays a wide variety of visual gags and stuns. Select one and draft a scene analysis of the camera movement involved in performing the scene.

One of the many scenes in this film in which visual gags are incorporated comes at about 15 minutes in, when Sherlock Jr. has been shadowing the villain. The villain, unbeknownst to Jr., is aware that he is being followed, and leads Sherlock into a car on a train and locks him in. He escapes through the top of the train, only to discover the train has started moving. To create the visual gag, the camera remains in one spot, focusing on Sherlock. Sherlock has to run as fast as the train, in the opposing direction, in order to stay in the same place and not be carried away by the train. The train progressively speeds up, which requires Sherlock to do the same, adding to the intensity and humor of the situation.