Photoplay Editions & Movie Tie-Ins
The Golden Years [1912-1969] ... Femme Fatale Films

Femme Fatale is a French phrase translating to “fatal woman” and a common companion to any discussion of “Film Noir” or stylish Hollywood films with a focus on crime, cynical attitudes, and seduction.  Relationships would usually result in distress and disaster for the male involved.

Early silent films gave us a precursor term “vamps” referring to women who had no limits in their liberal attitudes and erotic behaviors.  The 1920s softened this with the introduction of “flapper” to describe women who respected a limit but were still pleasure-seeking.  The term “gold digger” also emerged to label those seeking a rich partner.
Theda Bara is a silent film actress best recognized as a “vamp” in many films.  Photoplay edition examples include Carmen (1915), The Kreutzer Sonata (19115), Under Two Flags (1916), and Camille (1917).  The last three are digest-size early paperbacks.  All teens’ photoplays in this paper format are difficult to find.

A 1922 novel titled Souls for Sale by Rupert Hughes was filmed in 1923 and exposed the competition among young actresses in finding roles in the movie industry and the inherent casting irregularities of directors and producers.  The A. L. Burt dust jacket is reprinted from the Harper Brother first edition and features a wraparound artwork scene depicting a film camera.  The 1924 film A Madonna of the Streets (novel The Ragged Messenger by W. B. Maxwell) presented film-goers with the scenario of a woman finding redemption in her character and values.  This theme has become central in many films.  The 1929 novelization for Golddiggers on Broadway popularized this term and all film editions by Efrus and Bennett are scarce.

Greta Garbo has played the “femme fatale” in memorable films such as Susan Lennox (1931) and Camille (1936).

The 1940s and 1950s are thought of as the classic time for “film noir” and the crossover with the “femme fatale” is often evident.
Two wartime paperbacks by the consortium of book publishers labeled Armed Services Editions are worthy of special mention.  Double Indemnity has a cover with a book-shaped image of Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson.  Another 1944 film The Woman in the Window has a cover that depicts the photoplay edition published by World Publishing.   Other prime examples of 1940s movie tie-ins include Fallen Angel (1945), Mildred Pierce (1945), Gilda (1946), and The Pitfall (1948).

The next two decades saw paperbacks outpacing the hardcover book sales and film tie-ins often have great cover art in this period or striking photo images.  The “Femme Fatales” depicted in artwork on book covers generated a new term “Good Girl Art”, sought after by collectors.  Film books to watch for include Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Killing (1956), The Unholy Wife (1957), Valerie (1957), Too Hot to Handle (1960), Lolita (1962), and culminating with The Laughing Woman in 1969 published in 1970.

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Last Revision:  June 21, 2021 11:24 AM