Linus Gelber

This image, probably the first photograph I have pretty much completely created in Photoshop, was prepared for the upcoming "Utata Goes to the Movies" project of the Utata photography group.

The assignment was to create a picture in the style of a film or film genre, either a recreation of a scene or vibe from a specific movie or an evocation of a body of work.

This is a reflection on the film noir style, which as a genre owes much to Orson Welles and Raymond Chandler. I've gone the Chandler route with this picture. The end title is a from-the-audience shot of William Castle's completely unrelated movie The Tingler, which played at the West Newton Cinema with the recent 31st annual 24 Hour Science Fiction Film Marathon. The Woman in Noir is burlesque dancer Selina Vixen, performing her femme fatale number at the Slipper Room on the Lower East Side of New York. The twain met in my computer.

The femme fatale is a fascinating character, and below are a few bits of witty fatale banter from some of the famous Chandler outings.

The Blue Dahlia

Helen Morrison: I take all the drinks I like, any time, any place. I go where I want to with anybody I want. I just happen to be that kind of a girl.

Lady in the Lake

Adrienne Fromset: Do you fall in love with all of your clients?
Philip Marlowe: Only the ones in skirts.

The Big Sleep

Vivian Rutledge: You've forgotten one thing - me.
Philip Marlowe: What's wrong with you?
Vivian Rutledge: Nothing you can't fix.

Double Indemnity

Phyllis Dietrichson: I was just fixing some ice tea; would you like a glass?
Walter Neff: Yeah, unless you got a bottle of beer that's not working.

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