Jeff, Say Goodbye to Your Man Card by Mallory

Mallory Pendergast

Noir: Film and Novel

Professor Sinowitz

6 October 2017

Jeff, Say Goodbye to Your Man Card

            In the film Out of the Past, the two main characters Kathie and Jeff develop a relationship with a dynamic that swiftly changes within the scene Jeff’s old partner Fisher tracks them down. After officially deciding not to return Kathie into the arms of his financer, they run away to a cabin together, and Kathie’s true nature is revealed. Upon their first meeting and until the happenings in this scene, Kathie was able to deceive Jeff, making him think she was an innocent woman who made a mistake by shooting her previous lover. The contents of this scene reveal how manipulative and controlling Kathie really is. Not everyone would place such an emphasis on this scene being the most pivotal moment, failing to realize how degrading it is to Jeff’s machismo that Kathie murders Fisher. Kathie shooting Jeff’s partner while he and Jeff are in the midst of a brawl paints Kathie as more masculine than Jeff. Kathie’s dominance as the more masculine of the two foreshadows her later dominance over the other male characters she becomes involved with; by making Kathie the puppeteer, the film is further highlighting her role as the femme fatale.

            At the start of this crucial scene, Jeff is pulling into the driveway of the cabin and Kathie is outside waiting for him. As they walk into the house together after sharing a romantic moment, they are stunned by the appearance of Fisher. Up until this point the lighting is low key, meaning that it is primarily shadows with some pools of light. In film, darkness usually signifies fear or something unknown, so the use of shadows in this part of the scene foreshadows the unknown arrival of Fisher and the fear that his arrival generates in Jeff and Kathie. The shots of the scene thus far are medium shots, which do not provide any sort of dramatization of the subjects pictured, but during Fisher’s arrival, the angles at which him, Jeff, and Kathie are pictured do depict their significance to the plot relevant to each other. As Kathie and Jeff start to enter the home, the camera looks up at them, which is meant to increase the importance of the subject. In contrast, Fisher is shot at a high angle, which is intended to reduce his intimidation as a character. As they enter the house, the eerie music and Jeff’s narration clue to the audience that a plot twist is approaching. Upon their entrance, the lighting immediately changes to high contrast, displaying harsh streaks of light and dramatic streaks of darkness. Tragedies and melodramas are usually depicted in this type of lighting, and knowledge of this background information can hint that something dramatic is about to happen.

            Once in the house, Fisher and Jeff migrate to the center of the room and Fisher sits down in the chair so Jeff is towering over him. Jeff is closer to the top of the screen, since he is towering over Fisher, which signifies the authority and power he has in the situation thus far; Fisher’s de-elevated position depicts powerlessness. Jeff is harshly illuminated in the first few frames and Fisher is cast in darkness, making it difficult to view his face entirely. This creates a sense of inaccessibility to Fisher while simultaneously providing a more intimate relationship with Jeff. Throughout the progression of the scene Fisher’s face is illuminated further as his purpose of arrival is revealed, which makes sense because the audience is becoming more intimate with his character.

            Before the fighting ensues, the frames rotate between over-the-shoulder shots of each character, causing the character in full-view to be at a lower angle compared to the other character. This switching between who is depicted as the more powerful character builds up the power struggle taking place, ultimately preparing the viewer for the fight scene.

            While the fighting commences, the camera pans to a shot of just Kathie leaning against the wall. Kathie’s face is overcast with a light shadow, which could hint at an aspect of mystery as to what she will do in following seconds. Panning back and forth between her and the brawl lets the audience know that she is an important character in the scene, and that her role will be prominent shortly. Additionally, her facial expressions are quite odd for the situation at hand; she appears to be excited about the occurring actions, displaying glimpses of a smile. The director purposefully wants the viewers to see her curious facial expressions because they are a clue that something unexpected is about to occur.

            After the shot is heard, a stunned Jeff turns around to an illuminated Kathie. In this frame, the eye draws directly to her, making her the dominant character. She remains illuminated, making her the dominant for the remainder of the scene. Their proximity to each other also changes from the beginning of the scene to the end. At the start of the scene they are standing at either an intimate or personal range from one another, but after Fisher’s death they are at a social proximity. According to Louis Giannetti, author of Understanding Movies, this stance usually signifies reservation in a relationship, therefore insinuating that Jeff and Kathie’s love affair has come to an end. This is also confirmed by her departure from the cabin and the close-shot of her checking book, proving that she was lying to Jeff about stealing the forty-thousand dollars.

            This scene contains significance pertaining to the remainder of the film because it depicts the end of Jeff’s love and trust of Kathie while also painting Kathie as the more powerful of the two. Usually in film, and in society, guns are seen as a masculine object, and shooting as a masculine action. Therefore, by shooting Fisher she is asserting her dominance and masculinity, while instantaneously claiming control over Jeff and the situation at hand.

In the aftermath of the shooting Jeff says, “You didn’t have to kill him,” and she responds by saying, “Yes I did. You wouldn’t have killed him.” This dialogue is crucial to the case of Kathie stripping Jeff of his machismo; if violence is seen as a manly action, then Kathie saying that Jeff was not capable of carrying out the deed basically insinuates that Kathie believes herself to be stronger than Jeff since she was capable Her slight smile during the fight shows that she is pleased by the events and she has the characters positioned right where she wants them. She proves that she is willing to kill for control, something that Jeff is unwilling to do, which also asserts her as having a more masculine role than Jeff. This masculinity that Kathie embodies, and the dominance she has over Jeff foreshadows her control over the men throughout the rest of the film, as well as the multiple other deaths, including Jeff’s, that will occur because of her. At the end of the scene, after the discrepancy, she walks out on him. Again, society usually depicts the man walking out on the woman in intense arguments, but here the roles are reversed.  

            In noir films and novels there generally exits a sexy seductress who wreak havoc on the men they are involved with, known as the femme fatale. Stripping Jeff of his manliness, Kathie sets herself up to be the perfect femme fatale. Being the one to flee the cabin gives her the upper hand because it leaves Jeff unaware of her location so he cannot regain control over her. The remainder of the events in the film only happen because of Kathie’s doing and Jeff’s submitting to her as a result of his lack of leverage. Worst of all, just when Jeff thinks he has the upper hand, Kathie is still pulling the strings. Kathie takes everything from him, including his life, which she does by shooting him in the groin. By doing this Kathie practically takes Jeff’s man card and throws it into a shredder and continues to light the remaining strips on fire. Out of the Past relies on Kathie’s masculine overtones to establish her as the femme fatale and emasculate Jeff.