I think we were sposed to think Velda was cute, but I didn't. Maybe times have changed too much. I'm wondering if the director purposely made the women unattractive. Weird.
I've often thought the same thing, Velda is not pretty or attractive, and her figure is boyish not the least bit curvy. With the exception of the Cloris Leachman character, all the women are amoral. Velda sets up men for shakedowns and "Lily Carver" will do anything to get the "box".
It feels as if Aldrich wants you to see the women from the inside out as opposed to most film noir femme fatales(think Ava Gardner) - in most film noirs the women are so beautiful but are really dangerous on the inside.
I came away from the last scene telling myself that although Velda had just an attractive face which was not top of the mark beautiful, that she had a perfect figure. How many curves does a lady need to not be called boyish ? would never have mistaken her for a boy as she has as very feminine form in perfect proportions, Her slim waist, shapely legs, etc. could not really be improved upon
I have no good reason and suspect that monkeys possess some sort of soul. Geode
Just for reference the plurals are "femmes fatale" and "films noir."
I feel better now. Hope you do, too.
I quite like Maxine Cooper and Gaby Rodgers-but they aren't your conventional sexpots. Notice Hammer never bothers with women even when they're climbing over him-very different to the books. Aldrich hated what he saw as macho garbage and was it seems trying to suggest this tough guy was gay!
shareThe tendency to ignore efforts at affection are not a sign of homosexuality, but of his indifference to romance. Notice that he never asks Velma to take these risks for him. She proposes to do degrading things for his sake, and he simply lets her do them. The idea of a man who behaves indifferently to women desperate for his attention has long (forever?) been considered part of 'macho' behavior. In short, it IS the 'macho garbage'. It shows his callousness toward women, not a desire to have sex with men.
"Byron couldn't have put it more graciously."
Plot Spoiler Ahead:
As I watched this film it seemed to me that the reason Hammer kept ignoring the women who were all over him was that Christina had really "gotten" to him on that fateful night, with her mysterious appearance, sexy manner of dress, and intriguingly perceptive conversation, topped off by her eerily prophetic, cryptic request ("Remember Me").
He is also all too aware of the fact that he will not be able to see her again, never to find out if she really was as sexy and unusual as she seemed, or if she was merely crazy, as he probably first suspected. Oh, of all the unanswered questions, and the itch that can't be scratched...
(Not to mention the fact that he had to go through hearing her being tortured to death without being able to help her in any way.)
This shimmering femaera managed to cast a bit of a spell over him, in which he was held for the rest of the movie. None of the other women in his life, no matter how alluring or available, could compete with the ultimate mystery woman of his recent, life-altering experience.
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Velda to me looks a lot like Keely Smith who to me is very sexy. Leachman and Gaby are character actors in this film and not leading ladies. I prefer Gaby over Leachman any day! But she's too ditsy to be trusted-look at what she eventually does! And dangerous too!
shareI definitely find Velda cute.
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Michael Moore, if you ever show up at my house with a camera, I'll kill you.
-Clint Eastwood
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He did.
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Michael Moore, if you ever show up at my house with a camera, I'll kill you.
-Clint Eastwood
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Absolutely right. It's absurd that some people now think that this is a sign of homosexuality! Haven't they watched several hundred western TV shows from the 1960s? ;-) Amazing how times have changed
shareOf the top 3 female stars, Marian Carr (Friday) is actually quite attractive and sexy, if you have ever seen her other work. I agree though that mostly the women in this film were not photographed very flatteringly. Maxine Cooper as Velda did nothing for me, and Gaby Rodgers as Gabrielle/Lily Carver did even less. As an added note, Cloris Leachman, with her tight curls and trench coat gave off a bizarre 'Harpo Marx' vibe.
shareIt's definitely got nothing to do with the era.
I've been overdosing on older movies for the past few months and I can swear to the fact that they had a ton of hot women, who were often not only talented actresses but had real personality...the main women in Kiss Me Deadly (except Friday - agreed) were all awful and the acting overall was also terrible which didn't help.
Before I read this board I was watching the film thinking "Christ, these women are fuggers, poor show for a supposed classic noir". I wouldn't have shown any more interest in them than Mike Hammer did....I don't think there were any homosexual undertones in the film at all, but being surrounded by all those mingers I wouldn't blame him if he did go gay.
The crooks by the pool had a hotter bevy than ol' Mike, for sure.
shareLove your use of the language!
What about Carl Revello's sister? ... and the imprint of those perky nips?
Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman definitely had some class! Gaby Rodgers was decent too
you guys spoiled my viewing , especially geiger_i, and this pic is my revenge!
http://www.mingers.com/photos/week/SexyPeople(1).jpg
wish it is able to slightly improve your taste
I thought the actresses were fine and looked very much as 50's actresses should look. No one in this movie is supposed to be nice or appealing, anyway. Why "cuteness" has to enter into it puzzles me. If you have to look at "cute" there's tons of other movies out there. This movie is ugly to the bone and having 'attractive' women in it would just be a distraction.
*I* couldn't help noticing NONE of the men actors were attractive at all. I'm insulted! I want eye candy, at least men in speedoes, ugly as they are. And what's with those big bulky suits? And greasy hair? And of course, hats hats hats. Men with hats make me giggle.
Femme fetales in mystery/film noir films are traditionally sexy and attractive. The leading males and villains in these films not so much. Nice try though.
shareMaybe Aldrich wanted them to look more realistic. But I agree with Women like Lauren Bacall, Gene Tierney or even Marylin Monroe this movie would be better know. Anyway I found Velda was very attractive and there was some chemistry between her and Mike Hammer. IMO a great Movie and with a famous cast it would have been more popular.
share*I* couldn't help noticing NONE of the men actors were attractive at all. I'm insulted! I want eye candy, at least men in speedoes, ugly as they are. And what's with those big bulky suits? And greasy hair? And of course, hats hats hats. Men with hats make me giggle.
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Velda was okay in a European kinda way. More sluttish than the character in the books. The other two were definitely mannish, in fact I even thought I could see some scars on the Carver chick's face. I haven't read the book, but Spillane tended to make his most vile femmes fatales lesbians, and I got the impression she was actually one.
shareI thought they were all very attractive, but they were glammed down a bit, as was everything else in the movie. Everything adds up to this gritty, nasty sort of feel that works perfectly as a whole. I agree with whoever said Cloris's hair has got to go, but Velda was sexy (I'm a sucker for curvy brunettes), and Gaby Rodgers was cute as hell with her little blonde waif look. The short blonde hair, the cute (if devious) smile, the goofy, sleepy voice... She almost seemed more mid-60s than mid-50s.
You type like a Dane Cook fan.
Good point on the glamming down, which is typical of film noir. I don't think film noir had a lot of "cute" women anyway, but some of those "broads" were dangerously beautiful – and this film was no exception. If anyone was cute here, it was Mike Hammer, who looks oddly contemporary.
Give me the realism of films like this over today's "cute" bimbos any day.
Are you kidding? Look at photos 20 and 21 here:
http://2009and-scene.blogspot.com/2011/07/kiss-me-deadly-1955.html