Similarities Between Vertigo And Film Noir
Contrastingly, the idea of the ‘eternal feminine’ suggests that men and women have different essence at the core. In Vertigo and film noir in general male and female relationships often appear as a decoy sustained by a fear of death. ‘Woman, for man, is death’ (Cixious). As an illustration, the mis-en-scene of Vertigo could be seen as linking the character of Madeline/Judy to death with the flowers and the church yard. Nevertheless, with the presence of the mirror shot in which we see Madeline twice over, may imply that Scottie and as a result the audience be seen as her reflection. In other words, Scottie’s identification evolves into a ‘mirroring relationship’ with the female and her desires. To emphasis further, the male fascination with
the essence of woman is ‘nothing but a fascination with their own double, and feeling of uncanniness’ (Kofman, 1985). In light of this maybe Scottie’s perversion is not representive of an eroticised male gaze but of the pursuit of a mysterious other in which he identifies with. Freud expresses the uncanny as the ‘familiar which has been made strange through repression.’ In this case the Madeline/Judy character is the strange yet can be seen as Scottie’s figure of identification.
Interestingly, for the first half of Vertigo the Madeline character is near mute and exists as a ‘half-seen object of man’s romantic quest’ (Conley and Modleski, 1989). Tania Modleski proposes that the ‘male spectator is as much deconstructed as constructed by films, revealing fascination with femineity’. Her statement places the masculine identity under questioning, creating capacity for the female spectator of films and complex interactions.
In terms of Mulvey’s appropriation of scopophilia and sadism-machoism. One of Freud’s big discoveries was that these sexual instincts come in pairs. A sadist is always a masochist. In other words, active and passive forms are always found collectively in the one person. While masculinity is often associated with activity and femininity with passivity Freud states ‘it is by no means so invariably complete and exclusive as we are inclined to assume’. While Mulvey uses Freud’s psychoanalytic theories as a political weapon she appears to have appropriated a certain transcription to suit her cause.
the essence of woman is ‘nothing but a fascination with their own double, and feeling of uncanniness’ (Kofman, 1985). In light of this maybe Scottie’s perversion is not representive of an eroticised male gaze but of the pursuit of a mysterious other in which he identifies with. Freud expresses the uncanny as the ‘familiar which has been made strange through repression.’ In this case the Madeline/Judy character is the strange yet can be seen as Scottie’s figure of identification.
Interestingly, for the first half of Vertigo the Madeline character is near mute and exists as a ‘half-seen object of man’s romantic quest’ (Conley and Modleski, 1989). Tania Modleski proposes that the ‘male spectator is as much deconstructed as constructed by films, revealing fascination with femineity’. Her statement places the masculine identity under questioning, creating capacity for the female spectator of films and complex interactions.
In terms of Mulvey’s appropriation of scopophilia and sadism-machoism. One of Freud’s big discoveries was that these sexual instincts come in pairs. A sadist is always a masochist. In other words, active and passive forms are always found collectively in the one person. While masculinity is often associated with activity and femininity with passivity Freud states ‘it is by no means so invariably complete and exclusive as we are inclined to assume’. While Mulvey uses Freud’s psychoanalytic theories as a political weapon she appears to have appropriated a certain transcription to suit her cause.