Lesson 5 - Critical Perspectives - Applying a Feminist Critique / Masculinity in Crisis

READING: Pluskovich - A Second Gaze at Hitchcock's Women

In this article, the author identifies that whilst in earlier Hitchcock films, women are often represented in  mostly stereotypically negative ways, in his later films, notably Vertigo and The Birds, the representation of women is much more complex than it initially appears.

Vertigo 2010_11-Lesson 4 Feminist Theory- A Second Gaze at Hitchcock's Women READING by candifilmstudies

Below is a summary of Modleski's views in her book - The Women who Know Too Much (see critics reading list in revision post for sources etc...) Modleski critique's some of Mulvey's ideas regarding the Male Gaze and Scopophilia and offers her own perspective of Hithcock's treatment of women in his film:

Overview of Modleski the Women Who Knew Too Much by candifilmstudies

Laura Mulvey - The Male Gaze

Below is Laura Mulvey's article on Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. In this article she discusses her idea of the Male Gaze in the way women are represented in Film and also discusses the terms Scopophilia and Fetishization in relation to how the female characters are constructed and represented by male directors. You will find a summary of these ideas in the reading above (it follows the summary of Modleski's ideas in The Women who Knew Too Much).

Visual Pleasure Mulvey by candifilmstudies

Vertigo and the Rescue Fantasy: Some ideas...


1) Zizek - Fantasy Realised




2) Berman, The Collapse of the Rescue Fantasy

The 3rd European Psychoanalytic Film Festival_Vertigo as Rescue Fantasy-overview of Critical Framework by candifilmstudies

3) Hitchcock discussing male fantasy & the transformation sequence with Truffaut - warning - it's a little vulgar!

A Summary of Psychoanalytical Theory and the Rescue Fantasy_viewing Handout by candifilmstudies