Film noir stemmed from American and English hard-boiled detective novels, originating in 1925 (Borde and Chaumeton 15). These intriguing books captivated readers and remained popular for many years. A popular noir writer is Dashiell Hammet, whose work inspired the widely known film noir The Maltese Falcon (1941), which was a book originally written by Hammet in 1929. Around 1940, film noir became well-liked during the Great Depression (15). Several films were released between 1940 and 1942, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), that defined the genre's thematics, visual style, and moral ambiguity. Each film resonated with American audiences because the darkness within film noir provided catharsis. Due to their distress during the Great Depression, Americans needed an outlet in which to place their feelings of frustration. The …show more content…
Mary Astor created a beautiful, manipulative, and dangerous femme fatale through Brigid O’Shaughnessy. She is a compulsive liar and is able to use her feminine charm to control those around her, particularly men. Brigid’s character arc is convoluted from the beginning. She is introduced to the plot when she contacts Sam about the missing bird statue, but Sam is skeptical of her after he learns she lies about having a sister. Brigid is caught telling lies in several instances, but never admits her faults. Later on, the audience learns Brigid killed Sam’s partner so she could obtain the acclaimed falcon. Brigid is made to be a villain in this film, but she still provides inspiration for women. She is not a role model, but she is someone who triggers a silent confidence, a lingering question in the face of trouble: What would Brigid do? Her actions are not what the viewer should take away, but her perseverance would inspire the female audience. Film noir is the embodiment of everything calm, cool, and collected, something Americans in the 1930s and 40s desperately wanted to