Film analysis - Scarlet Street (1945)

Film analysis - Scarlet Street (1945)

The story follows anti-hero Chris Cross who sees a woman being beaten up and goes to save her. The woman turns out to be femme fatale Kitty whom he then takes for a drink. Chris soon falls for Kitty while she and her boyfriend Johnny plan to extort money from Chris by Kitty pursuing a relationship with him. Chris steals $500 from his wife and $1000 from his boss in order to please Kitty. Chris confronts Kitty after he sees her kissing Johnny and feeling embarrassed, he kills her. Johnny is later accused, convicted and sentenced to death for Kitty's murder. Chris spends the rest of his life being tormented by the idea that Kitty and Johnny will be together eternally and tries to commit suicide but is saved.

Scarlet Street begins by following the film noir convention of dark, rainy streets. This creates a dull and depressing setting and the viewer knows that something bad is going to take place during the film. 

When we are first introduced to femme fatale Kitty, she is seen wearing a low-cut black dress. The low-cut follows Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory as it makes an object to be looked at by both the male audience and male characters. The black is a semiotic for death and depression and so the whole dress suggests to the audience that Kitty is dangerous but also that something bad is going to happen to her. The over-the-shoulder shot still keeps Chris in frame but Kitty is still the main focus, highlighting her role as a femme fatale.

Later on in the film, Kitty is seen wearing a white dress, whilst still revealing, it connotes innocence and purity and so can be seen as ironic as whilst she is trying to portray it, she is far from innocent and pure.
"It's like falling in love I guess. You know... first you see someone, then it keeps growing, until you can't think of anyone else."

Protagonist and anti-hero Chris follows the convention of wearing a suit and looking smart. In this shot, Kitty has her hand on Chris', showing her working her charm to make him do what she wants him to do. However, this is not the main focus of the frame and so is dismissed by the audience.

When Chris sees Kitty kissing Johnny, the shot is through the window, giving the audience the feel that we're seeing something we shouldn't be and allows us to see the scene from Chris' perspective. The frame is lighter on Kitty and Johnny, making them the central focus of the shot and highlights the idea of Chris' anger and jealousy.

A problem in Kitty and Johnny's relationship is violence- a theme frequently used in film noir. This violence can be seen as a reason for the way Kitty acts so manipulative and risks ruining Chris' life in return for Johnny's love. Kitty is once again wearing white and so still comes across as innocence. A femme fatale is usually a strong character but being hit by her boyfriend makes Kitty look weak and so breaks her femme fatale act for a short while.

When Kitty is mocking Chris, we can see her reflection in the mirror. This can represent the way she's acted two-faced to Chris by acting sweet and as if she loves him to make him give her money and buy her things. This shot is mostly light apart from Chris' coat which is the darkest thing in the frame and so gives the impression that Chris is going to be the one to cause death and destruction. 
"You're old and ugly and I'm sick of you!"

After killing Kitty, Chris walks out of the apartment. The lighting becomes very dark and we are left with shadows and silhouettes which create a depressing and slightly sinister atmosphere.

The high angle shot of Chris walking down the stairs after murdering Kitty highlights the banister and gives the effect that Chris is trapped. The shadow behind the door creates tension and a potential plot twist, making the audience wonder whether Chris is going to get caught or not.

The film ends with Chris walking down the street surrounded by people who then fade away and Chris is left in the shot on his own. This reflects Chris' isolation and that he is haunted with the thought of Johnny and Kitty being together eternally in another world whilst he is left with the guilt of two deaths. The film ends on a depressing note with an uncomfortable and dull atmosphere, making this film a film noir.

"You walk around with everything bottled up."