rendering effeminate

there's a curious contrast that i've noticed with the katharine hepburn films i've been watching lately. i've just finished a study of wwII/ films noirs and couldn't help but notice that the strong female roles in the hepburn films dove-tailed nicely with the femmes fatales in the noirs. take pat and mike, filmed in 1952, the era of film noir.

look at the expression on spencer tracey's face as hepburn goodheartedly emasculates him in front of a crowd. not only does she single-handedly fend off his attackers but he has to reenact the embarassment for a second audience in the police station. the male fear of femmes fatales in so many films noirs is finally, horribly realized.

the female threat is handled differently than in films noirs. although this worst possible senario occurs, the fall-out is minimal. no one is punished for this role reversal and the man and woman live happily ever after. instead of the double-cross or death by gun fire, its marriage. through it all, he accepts her. it seems the threat is far more debilitating than the reality.

swarm

pat and mike 1952
directed by george cukor
cinematography by william daniels

it seems so much like a zombie movie, the way these golf fans trot after the big league players during the game. even more creepy is how, as the game nears the finish in a tie, the crowd becomes more agitated, intense and even start running close behind the caddies. the final swarm as the winner is declared is downright frightening. all this in a film about a ladies' golf match. it reminds me of the climax of day of the locust and certainly not what i'd expect from director george cukor.