Stereotypical Representations in the Thriller genre

In the thriller genre, there are many different representations of gender and ethnicity such as culture, gender, heterosexual and many other stereotyped representations.

Cultural bias is a very common stereotype in the Thriller genre. In the film 'Se7en' (1995), Morgan Freeman played a smart, intellectual, senior, detective. This had always been represented as a 'white' actors role but his role as Detective Somerset was different. Hollywood has always been a white centric company and the black ethnicity usually plays the minor roles in films.

Gender bias is also a very common stereotype in the Thriller genre. In this genre, females have  played the victim role, or the femme fatale, which portrays that women should not be trusted. For example, Jodie Foster played FBI agent Clarice Starling in 'Silence of the Lambs' (1991).

Heterosexual bias is not as much of a common stereotype as cultural or gender bias. Having a homosexual protagonist is almost entirely rare even in liberal Hollywood. The idea of a leading male detective, in a film, being openly gay is unheard of.

Storyboard for blood rose

Maltese Falcon

Within the credits sequence at the start of the film it has a black background with a picture of the Maltese falcon in the background, which could symbolise what could happen later on the film. This shows many conventions from the typical film noir such as the black and white theme, the way they dress with the top hats and they all smoke.
After the credit scene there is an establishing shot of the city to show the typical place where a film noir is set. This allows the audience to know where the film is set and it allows them to have a quick overlook of the city.

Throughout the conversation with the two private detectives and the femme fatale there are many close up shots to show the emotions the woman has to show she is genuine about the current situation and gains the detectives’ trust. The woman is taken by the man, which shows the power men have over woman in the genre film noir, which provides an argument for woman against film noir nowadays. The men could not keep their eyes off her and they were instantly attracted as they kept looking up and down at her. This shows that men just see woman as a piece of meat based on their looks. They looked even happier when she gave them money, as the male would usually earn the money for the woman at this time.
There is low-key lighting when the phone rings to show something dark has happened and something has gone wrong. This is because his partner was just murdered by the man they were meant to be watching and following. He then calls the woman on the phone angel, which is ironic to what has just happened as angels are there to protect people from bad things happening but it is the woman’s fault he was shot.
He plays the typical detective at this time, as he knows the police well and he drinks all his problems away and asks the police to drink with him to get them off the fact of them thinking he is a suspect.
The film likes to use private detectives instead of normal cops as it makes it more exciting because private detectives can do thing their own way instead of having to follow specific orders.
As the typical film noir film the femme fatale plays a devious, lying character and plays the spider and the fly with the two private detectives to trick them. After she has left the room from having the same conversation with the two detectives they both argue over her like children to show they have both already fell for her.
Throughout the whole film a slow instrumental, orchestral sound of music is playing. The sound of the music is shambolic which could represent what life is like in the city.
The protagonist does not change his tone of his voice so this shows he has no emotions, which is good for a typical private detective.
In the detectives office it is a typical setting for a detective as it shows old newspapers and a handkerchief on the table, which usually symbolises people from the older generation to show that is it set in the time of the film noir.

Christian Metz - Theory of the horror genre

Certain representations have now become stereotypes (a widely held but fixed and over simplified image of a particular type of person or thing).

Christian Metz in his book language and cinema (1974) explored the development of genre film and suggested that genres pass through four phases of existences:
1) The experimental (The cabinet of Dr Caligari, 1919)
2) The classic (Hollywood films such as Dracula and Frankenstein, 1931)
3) The parody (Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, 1948)
4) The deconstruction ( Se7en, 1995)

The experimental = This means the early phase of films which explored and experimented with the horror theme.
The classic = This is the phase of films that established the narrative. the horror genre was the most successful.  
The parody = Films that mimicked the horror genre.
The deconstruction = Films that include two genres together for example a horror mixed with a thriller.