Character Type: Femme Fatale
“There is a strong element of sexuality at work with the Femme Fatale and that cuts both ways as an narrative element: empowerment for the woman, weakness for the man.”
Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class know how fascinated I am with character archetypes, specifically how there are five — Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster — which recur in movies over and over and over.
Some might see archetypes as a sort of reductionist approach to writing when in my experience, it is precisely the opposite.
By working with these five Primary Character Archetypes, we can identify the core narrative function of every key character, then use that knowledge as a guide as we build them out in a limitless number of ways.
One approach is to use an extensive array of Character Types available to us. So this month, I am running a series in which we will explore 20 Character Types, and consider how writers can use them to create unique, compelling figures in our stories.
Today: Femme Fatale.
Although we may associate the Femme Fatale most closely with film noir, this character type has been in existence since ancient times, the “fatal woman” often portrayed as a seductress, even to the point of having some sort of mystical power as an enchantress. Indeed we find an example in the Gospel of Matthew (14:6–9):
But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias (Salome) danced before them: and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath, to give her whatsoever she would ask of him. But she being instructed before by her mother, said: Give me here in a dish the head of John the Baptist. And the king was struck sad: yet because of his oath, and for them that sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (Caravaggio)
Obviously, there is a strong element of sexuality at work with the Femme Fatale and that cuts both ways as an narrative element: empowerment for the woman, weakness for the man. Witness the hold Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) has over the ultimately hapless Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) in the classic 1944 film Double Indemnity:
This is a core element of dozens of movies including The Maltese Falcon, The Killers, The Postman Always Rings Twice, a staple of film noir. But even after that sub-genre’s heyday, Hollywood has returned to this character type in movies during the last three decades including The Last Seduction, To Die For, and the 1992 box office smash hit Basic Instinct and its Femme Fatale Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone):
Indeed the largest spec script sale in 2013 — for a reported $2M — was “Reminiscence” by Lisa Joy and it features a Femme Fatale in a prominent role.
One dynamic common with almost all Femme Fatale characters: They engender dialogue that crackles with sexual subtext. Take this exchange between Ned (William Hurt) and Matty (Kathleen Turner) from the 1981 movie Body Heat:
Ned: You can stand here with me if you want but you’ll have to agree not to talk about the heat.
Matty: I’m a married woman.
Ned: Meaning what?
Matty: Meaning I’m not looking for company.
Ned: Then you should have said I’m a happily married woman.
Matty:You aren’t too smart, are you? I like that in a man.
Ned: What else do you like? Lazy? Ugly? Horny? I got ’em all.
Matty: You don’t look lazy.
Not all Femme Fatale characters are working perfect ‘black widow’ plans. Some find themselves trapped in a circumstance in which they are desperately attempting to survive. A case in point: Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) in the 1986 movie Blue Velvet:
Since many, if not most of the movies featuring a Femme Fatale are written by men, it seems fair to consider a Jungian take on the character type, that it represents the negative aspect of the anima, more of a projection of how a woman appears to a man, rather than an objective reality. No matter how one interprets the Femme Fatale, clearly there is a not so veiled subtext at work: Sex is dangerous.
What brainstorming can you do with a Femme Fatale character type?
Is it possible to do a gender switch, make the character a male? That brings us to another character type: Don Juan. However whereas a Lothario is typically all about sexual or romantic conquest, the Femme Fatale has a darker edge often involving manipulation and murder. So could we work with a Homme Fatal? As long as there is some sort of violence in the cards.
One interesting way to go: Rather than making the Femme Fatale a Nemesis, Trickster or as a variation on theme an Attractor as in Blade Runner, what would a story look like with the character being the Protagonist? That would be tricky as part of the allure of this type is the mystery: Is she or isn’t she playing the guy? However it would be possible, at least in theory, in which we never quite know what’s in the mind of a Protagonist Femme Fatale… until the end… and maybe not even then.
What other Femme Fatale character types can you think of in movies? Why do you think they make for such interesting figures?
For more Character Type articles, go here.
