Woman […] stands in patriarchal culture as a signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer, not maker, of meaning (Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure” 15).
Ever since Laura Mulvey published her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” in 1975, feminist film theorists have challenged her assertion that films are directed at an exclusively male spectatorship. Despite the fact that Mulvey herself has revised some of her ideas in “Afterthoughts on ‘Visual Pleasure and
Narrative Cinema’ inspired by King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun (1946)” (1981), theorists are still struggling to understand if and how visual pleasure manifests itself for female viewers.
In classical Hollywood cinema, this visual pleasure is the result of
successful audience manipulation. Cinema is often regarded as a ‘narrative machine’ because “the narrative is delivered so effortlessly and efficiently to the audience that it appears to have no source” (Belton, American Cinema 22). As a rule, the film’s artifice is hidden so well that it remains unnoticed by the audience, conveying the impression that the narrative is “spontaneously creating itself in the presence of the spectators […] for their immediate consumption and pleasure” (ibid.). Thus, cinema’s visual manipulation techniques enable viewers to
experience visual pleasure as they enter the world on screen and become involved in the lives of their screen surrogates.
Among the many talented directors in the history of film making, Alfred Hitchcock is known for being one of cinema’s most productive auteurs and a pioneer in the field of visual manipulation. Through his way of directing the camera – and with the camera also the gaze of the spectator – his audience not
only appreciates the narrative itself but also, and especially, Hitchcock’s technique of storytelling. By means of simultaneously zooming in and tracking out, combined with point-of-view shots and extreme close-ups, the audience assumes the protagonist’s perspective along with a sense of vertigo, guilt and pleasure. Thus, as a director, Hitchcock is like a criminal who makes the audience his accomplice in a crime that is about to unfold in front of their eyes. [...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Gaze and Spectatorship in Feminist Film Theory
2.1. Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975)
2.2. Beyond Mulvey
3. Playing with the Gaze in the Films
3.1. Rear Window (1954)
3.1.1. L. B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies
3.1.2. Lisa Carol Fremont
3.1.3. Visual Pleasure through Masquerade and Female Empowerment
3.2. Vertigo (1958)
3.2.1. John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson
3.2.2. The Women: Midge and Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton
3.2.3. Autonomy, Nostalgia and Empathy enable Visual Pleasure
3.3. Psycho (1960)
3.3.1. Marion Crane and Lila Crane
3.3.2. The Men: Sam Loomis, Milt Arbogast and others
3.3.3. Norman Bates and Mrs. Bates
3.3.4. Empathy and Masquerade as a Source of Visual Pleasure
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This thesis examines the intersection of feminist film theory and Alfred Hitchcock’s cinema, specifically questioning whether female spectators can experience visual pleasure in films traditionally viewed as patriarchal. By analyzing the mechanisms of the "gaze" and audience identification in three iconic films, the work argues that women can navigate and even subvert male-dominated visual structures through empathy, masquerade, and identification with screen surrogates.
- Application of Laura Mulvey’s "male gaze" theory to Hitchcock’s works.
- Deconstruction of the active/male and passive/female dichotomy.
- Exploration of female empowerment and agency through cinematic identification.
- Analysis of the role of masquerade in gender performance and spectatorship.
- Investigation of how Hitchcock’s films provide space for subversive female readings.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.2. Lisa Carol Fremont
On her first appearance in Jeff’s apartment, Lisa is a shadow falling on Jeff’s closed eyes, giving him a long sensuous kiss. To Jeff’s question “Who are you?” she responds by turning on three lamps, announcing with each light “Lisa” “Carol” “Fremont” (RW 16:02). Modleski “sees this important association between Lisa and light as part of her ‘confident nomination of herself [which] reveals her to be extremely self-possessed’” (Gordon 57) and self-confident. Moreover, it establishes her wish to be looked at, to be seen as a beautiful and glamorous woman by Jeff. Lisa’s exhibitionism is therefore not passive at all, but active, confident and assertive.
Jeff cannot relate to Lisa’s need for self-representation and mocks her by asking “Is this the Lisa Fremont who never wears the same dress twice?” (RW 16:30). At first, it is difficult to understand why Jeff would not want to commit to a woman like her; after all, Lisa is what Stella calls “the right girl for any man with half a brain who can get one eye open” (RW 11.21). Mulvey explains why Jeff would rather look out his window than look at Lisa by defining scopophilic pleasure in terms of looking at people who are not aware of being watched. The unawareness on the part of the object being looked at is crucial to give the viewer a sense of control.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the research question regarding whether female spectators can experience visual pleasure in Hitchcock's films and establishes the theoretical focus on the male gaze.
2. The Gaze and Spectatorship in Feminist Film Theory: Examines the origins of feminist film theory, specifically Laura Mulvey’s foundational essay and subsequent critiques regarding the male-coded nature of classical Hollywood cinema.
3. Playing with the Gaze in the Films: Provides an in-depth analysis of Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho, focusing on how characters and spectators navigate power dynamics and visual control.
4. Conclusion: Synthesizes findings, confirming that while patriarchal structures are present, female viewers find subversive ways to reclaim visual pleasure and empowerment through identification.
Keywords
Hitchcock, Visual Pleasure, Feminist Film Theory, The Gaze, Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, Spectatorship, Identification, Masquerade, Gender Roles, Patriarchy, Scopophilia, Female Empowerment, Narrative Cinema
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates how female spectators experience visual pleasure in Alfred Hitchcock’s films, challenging the traditional feminist view that these movies are strictly designed for a male, voyeuristic audience.
Which films are primarily analyzed?
The analysis focuses on three of Hitchcock’s most influential films: Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), and Psycho (1960).
What is the core research question?
The research asks if and how female viewers can find empowerment, empathy, and identification within films that are technically constructed around patriarchal power dynamics and a male-oriented gaze.
What scientific methodology is applied?
The author utilizes a qualitative film analysis approach grounded in feminist film theory, incorporating perspectives from scholars like Laura Mulvey, Mary Ann Doane, and Tania Modleski.
How is the main body structured?
The main body follows a comparative analysis of the three selected films, examining specific male protagonists, female characters, and the psychological mechanisms of visual pleasure such as empathy and masquerade.
What are the essential concepts identified in the work?
The work focuses on key terms like the "male gaze," "masquerade," "scopophilia," "narcissism," "identification," and "female empowerment" to explain the complex relationship between the film text and the spectator.
How does the role of 'masquerade' function in the films?
Masquerade is identified as a strategy used by female characters (and sometimes male characters) to manipulate their appearance, thereby concealing their true intentions or power and creating a facade that enables them to gain or maintain control.
In what way does the film Psycho offer a different spectator experience?
Psycho is described as deconstructing Hollywood's illusion of control, leaving the spectator in a state of helplessness and forcing a shift in identification after the brutal death of the primary surrogate, Marion Crane.
- Quote paper
- Anett Koch (Author), 2011, Playing with the Gaze in Hitchcock. The Experience of Visual Pleasure in "Rear Window", "Vertigo" and "Psycho", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/275235
