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Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies Literatures in English Mgr. Veronika Pituková Murder Taken out of the Venetian Vase and Dropped into the Alley: Adapting Hard-boiled Masculinity and Femininity Dissertation Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. 2016 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature ii Acknowledgement I wish to thank the many people who supported and assisted me while I pursued this project. First and foremost, I extend my gratitude to my supervisor Tomáš Pospíšil for his time, invaluable suggestions, patience, and encouragement. In addition, I want to thank the faculty and staff at the Department of English and American Studies for their support, making me feel included and an opportunity to do research at the Michigan State University. Moreover, I would like to express my appreciation to Professors Justus Nieland and Patrick O’Donnell for fruitful consultations and suggestions. I would also like to thank Mary Chapman Cook for believing in me and encouraging me in my academic endeavors. Next, I want to thank my family and friends for saying the right thing at the right time whenever I grew discouraged. Most of all, I thank my soon-to-be-husband, Tomáš Vencúrik, for refusing to let me surrender to my frustrations. Without you I would not be where I am. iii You’re right on the money with that. We’re all like detectives in life. There’s something at the end of the trail that we’re all looking for. —David Lynch iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 1 THE PRIVILEDGED AND THE OTHER ....................................................................... 6 1.1 FILMING GENDER .................................................................................................. 16 2 THE HARD-BOILED FORMULA .................................................................................. 22 2.1 UNDERSTANDING THE GENRE EMERGENCE ................................................. 22 2.2 LOOKING, ACTING, FEELING AND THINKING MASCULINE/FEMININE ... 26 2.2.1 Dashiell Hammett’s Blond Satan in Temptation ..................................................... 32 2.2.2 Raymond Chandler’s White Knight and Spider Women ........................................ 39 2.2.3 Mickey Spillane’s Hard-boiled Outcast and Seductive Babes ................................ 50 3 THE BAFFLING FILM NOIR ......................................................................................... 60 3.1 FILM NOIR’S ROOTS, ITS CANON AND SOCIAL CONTEXT .......................... 61 3.1.1 Gender in “Classic” Film Noir ................................................................................ 71 3.2 NEO-NOIR: HOMAGE OR EVOLUTION? ............................................................ 80 3.2.1 Gender in “Neo” Film Noir ..................................................................................... 84 4 WRITTEN WORDS INTO MOVING PICTURES ....................................................... 88 4.1 FILM ADAPTATIONS ............................................................................................. 91 4.2 FILM REMAKES .................................................................................................... 102 5 ADAPTING THE HARD-BOILED MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY .............. 109 5.1 ADAPTING DASHIELL HAMMETT’S THE MALTESE FALCON ..................... 110 5.1.1 The Maltese Falcon a.k.a. Dangerous Female (1931) .......................................... 112 5.1.2 Satan Met a Lady (1936) ....................................................................................... 121 5.1.3 The Maltese Falcon (1941) ................................................................................... 129 5.2 ADAPTING RAYMOND CHANDLER’S FAREWELL, MY LOVELY .................. 140 5.2.1 The Falcon Takes Over (1942).............................................................................. 142 5.2.2 Murder, My Sweet (1944) ..................................................................................... 154 5.2.3 Farewell, My Lovely (1975) .................................................................................. 171 5.3 ADAPTING RAYMOND CHANDLER’S THE BIG SLEEP ................................. 186 5.3.1 The Big Sleep (1946) ............................................................................................. 188 5.3.2 The Big Sleep (1978) ............................................................................................. 203 5.4 ADAPTING MICKEY SPILLANE’S I, THE JURY ............................................... 214 5.4.1 I, the Jury (1953) ................................................................................................... 216 5.4.2 I, the Jury (1982) ................................................................................................... 226 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 234 WORKS CITED ...................................................................................................................... 243 v LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1. Iva on the phone with Spade, lying on a lounge in a revealing, intimate dress ............. 114 Fig. 2. Archer and Spade accepting the job .............................................................................. 116 Fig. 3. Wonderly’s revealing clothes ........................................................................................ 117 Fig. 4. Wonderly in bath ........................................................................................................... 117 Fig. 5. The femme fatale captured ............................................................................................ 120 Fig. 6. Spade the new investigator for the District attorney tells Wonderly: “you helped me get it” (Dangerous Female) ................................................................................................................. 120 Fig. 7. Shane flirting with Murgatroyd ..................................................................................... 124 Fig. 8. Ted Shane ...................................................................................................................... 124 Fig. 9. Purvis does not let Shane cross her ................................................................................ 126 Fig. 10. Purvis tries to manipulate Shane .................................................................................. 126 Fig. 11. Anthony Traverse ........................................................................................................ 127 Fig. 12. Madame Barabbas and “Kenny boy” ........................................................................... 127 Fig. 13. Spade’s face when he sees Cairo ................................................................................. 132 Fig. 14. Joel Cairo ..................................................................................................................... 133 Fig. 15. Spade disgusted by and angry with Iva ....................................................................... 135 Fig. 16. Rough, almost animalistic attraction............................................................................ 136 Fig. 17. Confused Spade ........................................................................................................... 138 Fig. 18. Brigid “behind bars” .................................................................................................... 138 Fig. 19. Gay Lawrence “The Falcon” ....................................................................................... 144 Fig. 20. Jonathan “Goldy” Locke .............................................................................................. 145 Fig. 21. Jules Amthor—the swami ............................................................................................ 148 Fig. 22. Lindsay Marriott .......................................................................................................... 148 Fig. 23. Malloy at the club ........................................................................................................ 149 Fig. 24. Deceived and angry Malloy ......................................................................................... 149 Fig. 25. Jessie Florian ............................................................................................................... 150 Fig. 26. Brave Ann Riordan ...................................................................................................... 152 Fig. 27. Ann is “invisible” in Diana’s presence ........................................................................ 153 Fig. 28. Imprisoned femme fatale ............................................................................................. 153 Fig. 29. A bar with all white customers .................................................................................... 157 Fig. 30. Moose Malloy (left) ..................................................................................................... 158 Fig. 31. Marlowe vs. Marriott (right) .......................................................................................
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