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What Is The Femme Fatale In The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

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Sci-fi and film noir genres portray women as an object to be wary of as their independence and free will is a form of danger to society. The femme fatale used in the film noir genre is a sexist term that was developed with the integration of women in the workplace and their growing ambition. These women are viewed as selfish, sensual, and dangerous as they fail to conform to gender roles. Moreover, femme fatales and independent women can be perceived as body snatchers through the expansion of independent feminist ideologies that go against conventional gender roles and undermine patriarchal values that instil fear in men who wish to uphold these values.
Don Siegel’s (1956) “The Invasion of The Body Snatchers” is set in a period where the idealism …show more content…

Miles warns Becky that the pods are growing and picks her up to go someplace else. They fall to the ground and Miles starts kissing her, however, Becky does not respond to his kisses, and it is clear that she has become an emotionless monster. The camera shows this change through a close-up of her face, there is no emotion as she opens her eyes. It switches to Miles, whose eyes widen, horrified by the revelation that his lover has turned into one of them (1:15: 26, Siegel, 1956). She gets up and demands for him to join and accept them. Miles, still horrified, shakes his head in disbelief and runs away from the cave in fear. This can be viewed as a form of liberation as she refuses to be kissed by Miles as a form of independence as she is viewed as an emotionless monster for refusing to kiss, a notion feared by men at that time. Society has become brainwashed and lost their autonomy through these pods, showcasing that these women are not themselves as they should traditionally follow conventional gender roles that adhere to what patriarchy considers acceptable for men and …show more content…

Alex is a childless single working woman who becomes infatuated with Dan, a married man after a brief affair. Alex is depicted as unstable and obsessed throughout the film, as she commits various crimes to convince Dan to stay with her. In one scene, Alex pretends to be pregnant, solidifying her position as a femme fatale as this is a ruse. Dan is not persuaded as she reminds him of her sexuality and their affair. Dan aggressively flings her to a wall, threatening that “You tell my wife, I’ll kill you” and promptly leaves (1:11:13, Lyne, 1987). This moment resembles the scene in which Becky tries to convince Miles to join the pods, in both cases the men in these scenes refuse and run

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