You are here:

The Pretender

Name: The Pretender
Director: W. Lee Wilder
Released: 1947
Duration: 69 min

Representation Score

1.5/10

Minimal

1947

Director

W. Lee Wilder

Runtime

69 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Pretender is a mid-century crime noir that closely follows the typical conventions of its time. The plot is centered around a male protagonist's greed and criminal activities, emphasizing deception and fatalistic irony. Representation is limited by the film's focus on a specific social class, reinforcing existing gender and racial hierarchies without introducing diverse perspectives or challenging the status quo.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Pretender have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on a heterosexual relationship between an heiress and another character. There are no characters with non-binary gender identities or stories that challenge the idea that everyone is straight.

How does The Pretender portray gender?

Limited

The story revolves around a male protagonist pursuing a female lead. The female character is portrayed as a passive recipient of the male protagonist's schemes, rather than an active participant.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Pretender?

Minimal

The story is set in high-society estates and social circles. This setting traditionally implies a homogeneous, white demographic without any evidence of racial diversity.

How does The Pretender represent religion and culture?

Limited

The plot unfolds within traditional capitalist and social structures. It emphasizes financial trust and individual actions without critiquing Western institutions.

Does The Pretender include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities mentioned in the synopsis.

Present on Screen

The film offers a clear, focused look at mid-century crime noir themes such as embezzlement and deception.

Limited or Absent

The narrative positions the female lead as a passive object of the male protagonist's schemes, lacking gender ability to act.
The social setting appears homogeneous, with no racial or ethnic diversity.
The story does not include any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth narratives.

Official Synopsis

Story of an investment agent who embezzles a large sum from an estate, hoping to cover his crime by marrying the estate's heiress. The girl is already engaged, so he arranges to have the fiance killed. A mix up involving the society section of the newspaper places him in the sights of his own hired gun.

How are these scores produced? →