I'm finding that the more I dig into this early noir, the more we begin to shake loose the sexist view of women as completely helpless individuals in film. While Astor's character is trying to portray that here, we see that this card isn't causing Sam to budge. The femme fatale, while a murderer, gives a great deal of power to women on screen (even though she loses, ultimately, in this case). 1941 also saw the release of Citizen Kane, and the scene where Mrs. Kane signs over young Charlie is one of her in complete control. Astor's self-awareness in trying to play Sam is unable to cover up her crime, and it is interesting to see females as this darker power in film.
I'm finding that the more I dig into this early noir, the more we begin to shake loose the sexist view of women as completely helpless individuals in film. While Astor's character is trying to portray that here, we see that this card isn't causing Sam to budge. The femme fatale, while a murderer, gives a great deal of power to women on screen (even though she loses, ultimately, in this case). 1941 also saw the release of Citizen Kane, and the scene where Mrs. Kane signs over young Charlie is one of her in complete control. Astor's self-awareness in trying to play Sam is unable to cover up her crime, and it is interesting to see females as this darker power in film.
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