Day 19 of Noirvember: Is Gilda a Femme Fatale??

What is a femme fatale?

— Fatal femme . . . or not?

She’s described in several ways on ye olde World Wide Web. The first definition I encountered stated that a femme fatale is an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who is likely to cause distress or disaster to a man who becomes involved with her. Another said that this character, sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. Yet another called her a woman who is very attractive in a mysterious way, usually leading men into danger or causing their destruction.

Sounds about right.

And now that that’s out of the way, here’s another question: is Gilda a femme fatale?

This issue came up a few weeks ago in my classic movie meetup group, and I thought it would be a perfect topic to explore here. Let me say from the outset – in my opinion, Gilda is decidedly not a femme fatale. Just because a woman is inordinately alluring, uncommonly sensual, and men fall all over themselves trying to curry her favor doesn’t mean she’s a femme fatale.

— These three.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this character, she’s played by Rita Hayworth in the 1946 film of the same name. Set in Argentina, the story centers on a triangle between the beautiful and erotic Gilda; her new husband, casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready); and her former lover – and Ballin’s right-hand man – Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford). Outside of the goings-on involving these three, there’s other stuff happening in the film related to German mobsters and tungsten mines and cartels and such, but I really never understood (or cared) about those bits. It’s the relationships between Ballin and Gilda, Gilda and Johnny, and Johnny and Ballin for me.

— Is it her fault?

So back to the question. And my answer. It’s my contention that in order to be a femme fatale, said femme has to be intentional. That is, she has to purposefully go after the money, or resolutely spin a web of deception, or decisively work to corrupt the clueless dude. It’s not a label that occurs by happenstance. She is the way she is because of the way she IS.

The closest that Gilda gets to femme fatale-ism relates to the first definition I offered above, for when it comes to Johnny, Gilda most definitely causes distress. But is that her fault? Was that her intention? I say no. It’s true that when Gilda was introduced as Ballin’s wife, Johnny’s life was irreversibly rocked. But it’s highly unlikely that Gilda learned that her ex-lover was working for Ballin Mundson and then set out to marry Ballin just so she could cause a disruption in Johnny’s world. She was certainly as surprised to encounter Johnny as he was to see her – she just did a better job at recovering from the shock.

— She got her kicks making Johnny squirm.

Until Ballin’s disappearance, Gilda’s encounters with Johnny were brimming with disrespect, even contempt – but I don’t see anything femme fatale-ish in that. In fact, I’d venture to say that her actions were as much a response to Johnny’s behavior as they were a product of her own motivations. It can’t be denied that Gilda, on several occasions – beginning with the night that the trio had cocktails in the casino – seemed to get a kick out of needling Johnny; at best, she liked to see him squirm – at worst, she wanted to make him jealous. But showing Johnny a beautiful piece of jewelry that her husband bought her, or dancing with an admiring casino patron, hardly constitutes fatal conduct. If anything, she’s more like a willful child than a femme fatale, one who wants her own way, doesn’t want to be told what to do, and dares to show you that she can’t be controlled. (“I’ve got some some news for you, Johnny,” Gilda says in one scene. “I do exactly what I please, when I please. I was true to one man once – and look what happened.”)

— At heart, she was good. (Just ask Uncle Pio.)

Even when Gilda displayed her flirty side (or, her defiant side when Johnny attempted to rein in her flirting), she was harmless – at least, to Johnny. In fact, if Gilda hurt anyone, it was herself, with her tendency toward reckless actions. And, certainly, when Johnny married Gilda following Ballin’s death, HE was the one purposefully inflicting the pain and anguish on HER. Furthermore, once Gilda realized that her marriage to Johnny wasn’t to be the idyll she’d envisioned but, instead, a prison with a sadistic warden, she tried her best to escape.

For my money, femmes fatales are clearly, easily, unquestionably identified. Phyllis Dietrichson. Kathie Moffat. Kitty Collins. Cora Smith. Margot Shelby. The list is extensive. But Gilda Mundson Farrell isn’t on it. Gilda had a loving heart and a forgiving soul. She was sensitive and fragile and intense. She wasn’t a bad girl.

She just looked that way.

What do you think? Let me know . . . and join me tomorrow for Day 20 (only 10 more days – sniff!) of Noirvember!

~ by shadowsandsatin on November 19, 2023.