Two short answers for the following question:
Though both Cora (in The Postman Always Rings Twice) and Alex (in Fatal Attraction) are constructed in these films as dangerous femme fatales, do we find them to be utterly unsympathetic characters ? Explain, using examples from the films (including examples of film technique to support your points.
Consider the impact of the following: the contexts and eras in which both women are living (and in which the films were made), the impact of patriarchy and the balance of power, what aspects of their characters specifically are deemed threatening, and to whom and why.
also reply to these two discussion posts (keep it short and straight forward)
1.
In both films, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Fatal Attraction, the characters Cora and Alex are seen as dangerous femme fatales, and I agree that they are utterly unsympathetic characters. Both characters are blinded by love and only think about themselves to pursue their desired dreams. For example, Cora convinces Frank to help her in killing Nick so that they can be with each other. In another scene, she thinks of herself as someone who lost her white purity because she is married to Nick, who is Greek. These scenes present how unfaithful and racist Cora is towards Nick with no signs of sympathy. Similarly, in Fatal Attraction, Alex is immensely obsessive towards Dan as she fears abandonment. Her character of being unsympathetic shows as she is fully aware that Dan has a family. However, Alex still tries to be with him and ruin their family dynamic. It also presents how greedy and not self-aware she is.
2.
The era that Cora was living in, was during the war time period. Men were sent to participate in the war, while the women were back at home and deemed as the primary breadwinners. Not only did women take care of their families and home, they also worked jobs to have an income to support their families/home while their husbands were deployed.
Throughout the entire film, it is clearly evident that Cora believes in a balance of power between men and women. Right at the beginning of the film, she was portraying her idea of dominance to Frank when she dropped her lipstick and expected him to pick it up. Furthermore, she continued showing her dominance to him when they went for a swim. Frank was hesitant to go into the water, whereas Cora immediately jumped in. Fast forwarding towards the middle of the movie, Cora’s husband tells her that he is planning on selling their house and business. This in turn, makes Cora extremely upset and she begins raising her voice at him to make him overturn his decision.
Certain aspects of Cora’s actions can definitely be seen as threatening. For instance, Frank witnessed Cora holding a knife in the kitchen and was preparing to kill her husband. Cora’s husband was the reason as to why she couldn’t be with Frank, thus she thought if she killed him, then her and Frank could finally be together. Furthermore, nearing the ending of the movie, Cora was not afraid to threaten Mr. Kennedy. When Mr. Kennedy refused to make a phone call (on the request of Frank and Cora), Cora then held a gun to his back and forced him to make the call otherwise she would shoot him.
