When Gilda was releasing in theaters, it was a time when a newer, darker film genre called Film Noir began to take over Hollywood. The term genre translates into “Black Film,” due to its common usage of low-key lighting visuals, and common themes revolving around cynicism. Prior to the Film Noir wave, women in American cinema were very often placed second to men, due to the patriarchal society that was considered normal during the time period before World War II. The American woman often did not have a voice despite the fact that they had been working in the factories replacing the men, but they still didn’t have a say in the male dominant society. Charles Vidor’s Gilda would be a perfect example of how the cinematographers portray women’s role after the arrival of Noir film wave, while Griffith’s Broken Blossoms is a perfect example of how films portray women before the Film Noir wave. …show more content…
Her motives remain unclear but seem to have malicious intent, and she is able to manipulate the men around her. She is also a very seductive, but also devious character. Therefore, the viewers often do not sympathize for her pain or suffering. But, she is definitely a very strong character without any doubt. In some cases, you can even say that, she is even consider to be stronger that Johnny Farrell. From her costume we can see that when she is not wearing dress, she is always wearing appropriate working class suit. This is very different feminine figure from Lucy in Broken Blossoms. Where Lucy is always wearing dresses, scarf, and often shoot with a close up iris shot, with filters to make her even more feminine that the women in