This paper will try to illustrate the basic concepts of negative femininity and positive
masculinity in film noir created by the male gaze. By making use of feminist film
theory and especially Laura Mulvey’s essay “Visual Pleasure and the Narrative Cinema”
(1975), Alfred Hitchcock’s acclaimed film noir Vertigo (1958) will be compared to
François Truffaut’s very own version of a film noir, La Siréne du Mississippi3 (1969).
The focus of the comparison will lie on the display of misogyny in order to hold up male
hegemony and hide male neurosis and dependency.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Feminist film theory and the male gaze
- Female representations in film noir
- Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958)
- Abstract plot
- The neurotic male
- Female characters as ideal illusions and projections of the male protagonist
- François Truffaut's La Sirène du Mississippi (1969)
- The neurotic (fe)male
- The female character: a male illusion or a female performance?
- Conclusion
- Filmography
- Bibliography
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the portrayal of femininity and the male gaze in film noir, focusing on how female characters are often depicted as neurotic male projections. Using feminist film theory, it compares Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) and François Truffaut's La Sirène du Mississippi (1969) to analyze how these films use misogyny to reinforce male hegemony and mask male neurosis and dependency.
- The influence of the male gaze on female representation in film noir
- The role of feminist film theory, particularly Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and the Narrative Cinema," in understanding these representations
- The construction of negative femininity and positive masculinity in film noir
- The connection between male neurosis and the objectification of female characters
- The analysis of specific examples from Vertigo and La Sirène du Mississippi to illustrate these themes
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The Introduction sets the scene by exploring the stereotypical portrayal of male detectives in film noir, often depicted as morally ambiguous figures who navigate the complexities of crime and law. While male characters have become more nuanced over time, the representation of women has remained largely static, with the "femme fatale" archetype persisting as a provocative figure who threatens male dominance. This paper argues that the male characters' neurotic anxieties manifest in their attempts to control and suppress female characters, reducing them to objects of desire and robbing them of their individuality.
Chapter 2 delves into feminist film theory, outlining its various approaches to exposing how mainstream cinema perpetuates patriarchal ideologies through its depictions of gender. It highlights how Hollywood films often reinforce negative stereotypes of women, portraying them as unreliable and fickle. In contrast, male characters are often portrayed as strong, versatile, and superior to their female counterparts.
Chapter 3 focuses on female representations in film noir, further analyzing how the male gaze shapes these portrayals. Drawing on Laura Mulvey's influential essay "Visual Pleasure and the Narrative Cinema," the chapter explores how scopophilia and narcissistic identification contribute to the objectification of women in film. The male protagonist, aligned with the dominant male perspective, becomes the active observer, while the female character is reduced to a passive object to be looked at. This dynamic reinforces male hegemony and fuels the male protagonist's anxieties about castration.
Chapter 4 examines Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, focusing on the neurotic male protagonist and the ways in which he projects his own illusions onto the female characters. This chapter delves into the specific examples from the film to illustrate how female characters serve as both "mirror and a screen of the male lack," ultimately lacking their own identities.
Chapter 5 analyzes François Truffaut's La Sirène du Mississippi, comparing it to Hitchcock's Vertigo to examine how the two films use misogyny to reinforce male dominance. This chapter explores the complexities of the female characters in Truffaut's film, questioning whether they are simply male illusions or performances constructed to serve male desires.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary focus of this paper lies in understanding the portrayal of femininity and the male gaze in film noir. The work utilizes feminist film theory, particularly Laura Mulvey's essay "Visual Pleasure and the Narrative Cinema," to analyze the construction of negative femininity and positive masculinity in film noir, as exemplified through the films Vertigo and La Sirène du Mississippi. The paper explores themes of scopophilia, narcissistic identification, and the connection between male neurosis and the objectification of women.
- Quote paper
- Sema Kara (Author), 2012, Female characters as neurotic male projections in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and Francois Truffaut's "La Sirène du Mississippi", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/267435
