FILM ESSAY: THE TRADITIONAL CHARACTER ARCHETYPES IN FILM-NOIR

When film scholars think about the Film-Noir genre, many would think of the classic black-and-white mystery crime dramas from the early 40s to late 50’s. These films would rely heavily on shadows to create an uncomfortable mood and atmosphere unlike other films at the time. Two of the best examples of films that represent the genre are “White Heat” and “The Big Heat”. Aside from having the traditional look and feel that’s expected in a Film-Noir, they both contain similarities when it comes to the character archetypes that are usually seen in the genre, despite their plots being completely different from each other.       

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

 

The protagonists in Film-Noirs were usually cynical loners who were despised by authority for their attempts to achieve justice in a matter that the law system couldn’t allow. In many cases, the protagonists that would be shunned by the law were seen usually working for the force themselves, as either cops or detectives.  Both protagonists in these films are no exception. Sergeant Dave Bannion in “The Big Heat”, played outstandingly by Glenn Ford, is a prime example of the typical Film-Noir protagonist. He’s a detective who doesn’t listen to his superiors when trying to solve a suicide case after discovering that he didn’t kill himself because of ill health as his wife had suggested. He believes that there’s a whole conspiracy behind the suicide involving the crime boss who practically runs the city, Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby). But his snooping gets him into bigger trouble when a failed assassination attempt gets his wife killed by bomb planted in his car (a tragic death that would be duplicated in “The Godfather”). After losing someone so dear to him, this drastic turn of events makes his mission to solve the case personal knowing that the person responsible for the car bomb is the one trying to prevent him from getting to the bottom of the suicide. Because of his personal vendetta, he snaps at his superiors for suspecting them to be taking bribes from Lagana, which consequently costing him his badge. But even without it, and receiving little to no help from the authorities, Bannion still pushes forward to prove that Lagana is connected to the suicide and the loss of his beloved wife.  

 

The hero in “White Heat”, Hank Fallon (Edmond O’Brien), though not the focus of the film or having personal vendetta against the antagonist, still carries similar traits. He’s an undercover agent who is sent to a prison as an inmate (under the alias of Vic Pardo) to get a criminal to confess his real crimes in order to put him away. This means that no person of authority in the prison knows who he is, and therefore will treat him like the hardened criminal they believe he is. The only person that can help him is the criminal he’s conning to get information out of Cody Jarret. And in order for him to gain Cody’s trust, he must do whatever he tells him to do, which means taking part in unlawful actions such as breaking-out of jail or assisting him in a robbery, that may result with people getting hurt in the process. Participating with Cody in his schemes isn’t good enough for Hank to keep Jarret oblivious to who he really is. He still has to find a way to contact his superiors to catch Cody before he commits his crimes without raising any suspicion, and if he’s caught trying to sneak-away from Cody he must use his wits to fool him into thinking that he’s leaving for sentimental reasons, and has to use whatever resources he can to get the attention of the police. Hank must also be careful not to encounter any of the previous criminals that he’s locked away. If he is spotted, the whole plan falls apart where he is just as good as dead when dealing with the likes of a psycho like Jarret.

                            

The antagonists in Film-Noirs were criminals that were dangerously ruthless and unfeeling towards their fellow men and lovers. They were the kind of villains who pushed past the limits of what Hollywood could get away with at the time due to film censorship. It had been 18 years since film actor James Cagney has shocked people with his tough guy approach in "The Public Enemy". He's done classic gangster films after that such as "Angels with Dirty Faces" and "The Roaring Twenties", only this time he would take his tough guy role to a more lighthearted level by having him befriend kids and a priest, or use the power he has from his criminal empire to please a girl he deeply loves. This was because that the gangster films following after “The Public Enemy” were made when the infamous Hays Code went into effect, censoring films to not be as violent or vulgar as they were in the early 30s. Film-Noir gave Cagney the chance to stun audiences again when given the role of Cody Jarrett, only ten times more bloodthirsty and mad than he ever was as Tom Powers. He was the kind of antagonist who showed no remorse or hesitation towards the people he killed for how mentally unstable he is. If anybody gets a good look at his face, or hears his name when holding them-up, he'll simply shoot them to avoid being identified. From the moment someone steps-out of line when speaking to him, no matter who the person is, he'll hit them. If a person gets badly injured to no longer do him any service, he'll hire one of his guys to finish him off so that he won't be carrying any dead-weight on his shoulder. The only person he shows genuine love for is his Mother, as everyone else in his eyes are just pawns for his crimes or personal pleasures.   

        

Lee Marvin as Vince Stone in "The Big Heat" doesn't nearly have the same amount of screen-time as Cagney did, but is just as savage, if not as mentally insane. He's an under-boss for Lagana, who without mercy will do whatever he can to make sure that Bannion won't find the papers that could expose their crimes, not caring if civilians get hurt in the process. His cold-hearted nature is effectively demonstrated when he's around women, given that those are usually the moments when we see him perform his dirty deeds on-screen. During a dice-game at a bar, when Vince sees that a bar-fly woman is picking up the dice too soon, he harshly burns her hand with a cigarette without any warning. But as bad as her hand may be, it's a pinch compared to Vince burning his girlfriend's face with a boiling pot of coffee, resulting with the left-side of her face being as permanently disfigured as Two-Face. And the worst part is he enjoys it.     

                 

And speaking of women, the women seen in both films stand-out as a great example for Femme Fatales. Women in Film-Noirs were usually gorgeous and seductive in their nature, who fell in love with the wrong kind of men and would become victims. The character of Debbie Marsh (Gloria Grahame) in "The Big Heat" perfectly suits that character trope seen in these kind of films. She dates Vince for his money with the belief that “rich is better” after once being poor, but is always in constant danger due to his violent nature. Things take a more drastic turn when she starts taking a liking to Bannion, and when her boyfriend finds out and suspects her of giving him information, she receives one of the worst of kind of abuse in Film-Noir history. This results with her fleeing to Bannion for protection and getting close with him. Fearing that Bannion may kill the woman who has hidden information about the gangsters, she kills her to protect him from going to jail, and later tries to kill Vince after giving him a hot taste of his own coffee.                                     

 

Sharing a similar attraction for hooking up with dangerous men is Verna Jarrett (Virginia Mayo) in "White Heat". Verna is married to Cody Jarrett, who she admires for his tough-guy charm and successfully scoring big bucks from his heists, but is neglected by Jarrett and half of the time falls victim to his physically abusive nature. Much like Debbie, she too eventually attempts to betray her lover, not once but twice in the film. She first hooks-up with Cody's right-hand man Big Ed (Steve Cochran) who's in charge of the gang while he's locked away in prison, with complete faith in Ed's attempts to have Cody killed as he's serving time. She herself gets her hands dirty by killing the only true person that Cody ever loved, his own Mother. Once Cody breaks-out of prison, kills Big Ed, and forcefully reclaims her as his own, Verna in the last scene of the film tries to persuade the authorities surrounding Cody that she can help them make him surrender, promising to do anything they ask her for in order to save her own skin from her former lover and being locked away after being apprehended for fleeing from the crime in the getaway car. Her attempts fail.

Film-Noirs may not be the same after the late 50s, but the genre will always be remembered by film historians and filmmakers for how they changed film by providing a stylized and realistic grim-reality of the time, as they would challenge their audience through their dark and mysterious plots, tough characters who weren’t sanitized by Hollywood, and shocking use of violence and sex appeal. While “White Heat” is more of a gangster picture, “The Big Heat” follows under murder-mystery; the lone protagonists working above the law, the sadistic criminals, and the flirty women who would become victim to the people they choose to be with, are all greatly shown in both films at the genre’s finest!