practicepiano says > One thing that appears to be missing, that is often a part of film noir, is the evil femme fatale, or, in some films, a vulnerable and needy woman who is going to pull the protagonist down (either by what a mess her life is, or because she's actually evil in disguise).
That overall sinister or foreboding feeling that's usually a staple of film noir movies is also missing. The only time I was worried something bad was going to happen was when Daisy took off in her car in the snow but that could hardly qualify for what I'm talking about. As far as a vulnerable and needy woman, that was Lucille, Dan’s wife. Some may say she had her reasons but she was the only real bad guy in the movie.
Watching film noir movies, I usually have an anxious, uneasy feeling that was just not there with this movie. Still I can see why people have gone both ways on whether or not it is a film noir. None of that came to mind when I was watching it but if I had been told ahead of time I was going to be watching a film noir movie, I'd have said after it ended that it was not what I would call film noir.
it can be argued that this element is there, it's just that the genders are reversed.
To call the Dan character the reversed femme fatale of the movie is a stretch. I don't think he is. Daisy's involvement with him did not bring tragedy or negativity into her life. She was not a tragic figure who made bad decisions as a result of being with him. Dan was a fairly nice guy. He didn't beat Peter up or even try to manipulate the situation. He was who he was and, even though he was cheating on his wife, he wasn't a bad guy. The portrayal of the wife, the way she behaved towards, treated, and used the children made her unsympathetic in my view. He was cheating on her but I didn’t like her and could see why he didn’t want to be with her. It’s no excuse for cheating but I understood his motives.
Daisy is our protagonist, and Dana Andrews' character is the sucking vortex of need, mess, selfishness and danger.
Clearly you have a very negative impression of Dan. It's not an impression I share. I don't condone cheating but Daisy knew very well he was married and had children. She kept seeing him and wanted to marry him. She had a lot of complaints but she kept taking him back.
It was clear early on that Dan was just in it for the sex. He always made excuses for not socializing with the only people with whom they could be seen. He always cancelled dates but didn't mind rearranging his schedule to spend time alone with her. He never took any action to leave his wife and he didn't mind that she was seeing other men. She knew all this and it frustrated her but she kept right on seeing him.
When another man, one she wasn't really even interested in, Peter, came along and basically did the same thing, except in a more subtle, underhanded way, she went along with his wishes and married him. In his case, he wasn’t getting the sex, which he wanted, so he had to marry her.
One could say Daisy was never really in love with Dan. She had the guy and wanted to keep him but all she really wanted was a man of her own; a husband. She always said Dan wasn't sensitive or humble enough and he wasn't free but once he met all those conditions, she wasn't interested. She already got what she wanted, a husband.
If she ever really loved Dan, Peter could never have come along and changed her feelings for him that easily. She even admitted to Peter after they were married that Dan was still on her mind and she had to fight to let him go. Even if she had grown to love Peter, it's hard to believe what they had replaced her love for Dan. I think she was just fearful Dan would end up not marrying her or would later find himself bored with her as he had with Lucille. Their love wasn't based on anything more than attraction; that's all they had.
In the end, she made the right decision for herself – only it wasn’t really her decision at all. It was Peter’s. That's why I call him manipulative. He knew how to read and control her. He knew she wasn’t interested so he acted like he was rejecting her. She had the element of wanting what she couldn’t have so it worked. Peter was lonely and just wanted someone to be with. It wasn’t so much her but she’s the one he met and the one he wanted. He knew if he fought or competed with Dan, he’d lose so he tricked her.
Daisy was ready to settle down so she settled for Peter; the sure bet; the man who married her. That’s no different than Dan with Lucille; someone he married, most likely, due to his business relationship, or desire for a relationship, with her father. He stayed with her for the same reasons.
Along the way, Dan evolved. He realized he wanted a different life but Daisy thought he was running from his responsibilities. I disagree. The way Dan was before was his way of not dealing with responsibility; later, he met it head on; even setting up practice for himself. Peter was the one she should have worried about. He had problems and seemed to have a lot of secrets.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
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