Beware these women! - Making a bad impression..

Like in real life the first impression influences how you see people or vice versa.

The first impression of a woman in film who will make trouble shall show you that she is bad (– of course this does not apply for the surprisingly bad girl who at first appears like a dream of a girl – where would be the surprise if she wasn’t an angel in the beginning and turns out to be the devil?)

But sometimes you won’t be left in doubts: It could be the music that makes clear: Beware! This is no nice lady!

Kay Thorndyke's (Angela Lansbury) entrance scene in STATE OF THE UNION (1948): you hear her voice (shouting: "NO!") and than you hear a dramatic piece of music – and there she is: coming into the house, looking tough like a stone and you immediately know: Beware!

Bette Davis as Stanley Timberlake in IN THIS OUR LIFE (1942) has a meaningful entrance music, too + she is a crazy driver! (Remember the Disney villainesses? Btw: Dawn has made a post about her favorite Disney villainess – there are some videos to watch, too!)

You can be sure that you are watching a bad woman in film when she has her own wicked sounding musical theme like

• Miss Gulch/ The wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) of THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) ~ Monty has posted an article about her (there is an interesting video about the casting of the wicked witch, too) ~ but here is the maybe bestknown theme of a meanie (besides the shark's theme from JAWS (1975):

Sometimes it can be a more visual first impression:

The classic introduction of a beautiful woman is the view of her - beginning on her feet. Very effective when she is going down stairs or something rolls on the floor and the view goes back to her feet - like the lipstick rolls to

• Lana Turner in THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946):

( if you are able to watch this film: Do it! – And: Notice the music when Lana Turner’s character first appears!)

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  Or the first view of Barbara Stanwyck in DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) – we see her in this film wearing nothing but a towel and this is shot from downstairs and shortly after that she is going down the stairs - and we will see a close up of her feet, legs... ;")

And the introduction of an ugly bad woman who first was a beauty can be like the one of

• Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) in FREAKS (1932):

I love that you do not see her in her “disgrace” until the end of the film – the freakshow audience will be looking down on her and a woman screams... I am a friend of reaction shots which is here a “free space” to imagine your own horror picture of her.. ;”)

And we have my favourite introduction of a wicked woman:

• Virginia Mayo as Verna in WHITE HEAT (1949) who, when we meet her for the first time, lies in bed asleep – and: she snores!

According to Hollywood this is a sure sign that this dame is not your romantic heroine – can you imagine Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann in ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) or Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) snoring - or chewing their bubblegum with mouth wide open?

And to close this entry we have actually a male view of a mean girl – who on first sight looked like she was an angel – our guest speaker is my dear, dear (oh so dear!) friend Mr. Elvis Presley telling you about the DEVIL IN DISGUISE:

~ At least a second video.. I am very disappointed that I am not able to show you each and every scene. Well, now you HAVE to watch the movies!! ;”) ~

Yours

Irene

(not snoring but sometimes whimpering in her sleep.. And speaking.. And walking.. but more often: whimpering.. )