Film Noir: Character Profiles

Ellen Bradford - "Bonnie Kensington"

Femme fatale: "An irresistably attractive woman who leads men to destruction"

This character is our femme fatale. She is firstly presented as incredibly vulnerable and someone that the audience perhaps wish the detective to fall for, as love stories are a nice watch.



We used Laura Mulvey's audience theory like they do in these films and put an attractive female in to attract the 'male gaze'.

I think by using a blonde femme fatale the typical 50's blonde, curly hair and red lipstick (much like marilyn monroe) is still interpreted as a 'sex' symbol.

The sexualisation of Bonnie should alert the audience that something is not quite right, however that reaction will differ from person to person. Ellen has quite a mature look about her and her eyes portray a hidden sense. This is key for the presentation of our character.



She moved from England as a young adult to the United States and so has picked up the strong american accent. Her sob story she brilliantly portrays in the first office scene to the detective shows the power of her seduction and female position. It's important that she has a past that will be very different from the detective's because it will add to her mystery and attract him to her further.




By shooting in the 1950's style it means that our femme fatale can be conventional. I like the way the women are portrayed - my favourite being the character of 'Phyllis' in Double Indemnity because she is perfectly conventional. I look forward to creating a similarly powerful character who dominates the storyline as a female.