An Analysis of the Influence of Post-war Culture on The Maltese Falcon Through the Femme Fatale Character of Bridget

Abstract

Culture is a product of social groups, and art as a medium presents peoples ideas. It has become particularly important and necessary to study the integration of culture into art, that is, how art presents a certain culture to understand society. This paper selects the post-World War II society and the resulting post-war culture. The paper discusses existentialism and feminism in post-war culture by examining the portrayal of the female character Bridget in the film noir The Maltese Falcon based on Sigmund Freuds psychoanalytic personality theory. Summarizing the film and examining the existential femme fatale character Bridgette, the paper explores how the culture of postwar society influenced and reflected each other. The paper concludes that Bridgette, as a typical classic female character in a film noir, has an existential femme fatale personality that reflects the postwar culture that existed in society at that time. At the same time, cinema as an artistic medium interacts with and integrates with society.