Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema," Part 3: Vertigo

Film & Media Studies
28 Feb 202111:03
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe transcript analyzes Vertigo and its representation of women, considering how it may reflexively examine the 'male gaze' rather than just exemplify it. It discusses how Madeleine consciously performs 'to-be-looked-at-ness,' how the film uses images and portraiture to explore women as idealized constructions, and how Scottie tries to impose an artificial image onto Judy's real identity. An early scene also highlights gender roles and a bra engineered by a man in his spare time, further illustrating the theme of male construction of feminine beauty ideals.

Takeaways
  • 😊 Vertigo is consciously aware of its subject matter as discussed in Mulvey's theory
  • 😮 Mulvey acknowledges Vertigo shows some reflexivity about the male gaze
  • 👀 The museum scene thematizes the idea of women presented to be looked at
  • 🎭 Madeleine consciously performs 'to-be-looked-at-ness'
  • 👩‍🎨 Motifs like portraiture and flowers construct Madeleine's image
  • 👻 Madeleine is portrayed as an ethereal, ghost-like image
  • 🖼️ Connections are drawn between Madeleine, Carlotta's portrait and Judy
  • 💄 Judy's transformation into Madeleine is about creating an ideal image
  • 👗 The opening scene foreshadows Scottie remaking Judy
  • 👩 Design of the cantilever bra suggests woman's image created by men
Q & A

  • What does Mulvey acknowledge about Vertigo in one sentence in her essay?

    -Mulvey acknowledges that films like Vertigo seem to be reflexive about the concerns raised in her essay, such as the notion of women as objects 'to be looked at'.

  • How does the museum scene in Vertigo thematize the 'to be looked at' concept from Mulvey's essay?

    -On first viewing, the audience is aligned with Scotty's perspective. But on repeat viewings, it becomes clear that Madeleine is consciously performing 'to be looked at-ness' for Scotty, showing the layers of construction around presenting her as an image.

  • How does the motif of portraiture in Vertigo relate to Mulvey's view of women as images?

    -The frequent framing of Madeleine in profile, as if a portrait painting, calls attention to the idea of her as a pictorial image rather than just a character.

  • How does Madeleine's self-presentation with flowers relate to being an image?

    -When Madeleine adorns herself with flowers, creating a spectacle of color, she is consciously displaying herself as an aesthetic image.

  • How does Scottie try to literally construct an image of Madeleine?

    -Scottie tries to impose the image of Madeleine he has constructed in his mind onto Judy, shaping her into an artificial recreation of Madeleine through clothes, hair, etc.

  • How does the opening scene foreshadow issues of gender construction?

    -The opening scene's focus on John's emasculation via corset and Midge's design of a bra engineered by a man foreshadows the film's themes around artificially constructing femininity.

  • How does Midge function as a counterpoint to Madeleine?

    -As a mother figure to Scottie, Midge balances the femme fatale archetype of Madeleine, enhancing Madeleine's femininity through contrast.

  • How does the bra detail reflect the film's theme of male construction of femininity?

    -The bra engineered by a man in his spare time parallels Scottie's project of reconstructing Madeleine's image through transforming Judy.

  • Does the film critique or reinforce patriarchal portrayals of women?

    -While Vertigo participates in voyeuristic, misogynistic patterns, its self-awareness around artificially constructing femininity offers some critique of these issues.

  • What techniques does the film use to blur women with their image?

    -Techniques like the hazy fog around Madeleine, the ghostly quality of constructed Madeleine, and the mirror triggering Scottie's memory blur distinctions between women and their visual image.

Outlines
00:00
🤔 How Vertigo is self-reflexive about the male gaze and objectification of women

This paragraph analyzes how Vertigo is self-aware and reflexive about the themes of the male gaze and women as image/object for the pleasure of men. It provides examples of how the film consciously presents and thematizes these ideas through Madeleine's performance of 'to-be-looked-at-ness' for Scotty's benefit and the layers of artificial construction of Madeleine's identity by Elster and Judy. The portrait motifs and the recreation of Madeleine as an image also suggest the film is commenting on treating women as images for male consumption rather than merely exemplifying it.

05:01
🌫️ How the film connects women, images, and lack of materiality

This paragraph continues the analysis of Vertigo being about women as images rather than just exemplifying objectification. It examines how the haziness and fog makes Madeleine ghostly and picture-like, the motif of portraiture viewing her as an idealized image, the manufactured and ethereal nature of Madeleine's identity, and Scotty trying to recreate this image and instill it into Judy. The mixing of reality, fantasy, images and impressions suggests the film is consciously exploring woman as image.

10:04
👗 How the opening scene introduces the theme of women and idealized images

This paragraph analyzes how the opening scene foreshadows the film's exploration of women as manufactured, idealized images through the dialogue about Johnny's emasculating corset and Midge working on a bra design. The detail about the bra being engineered by a man in his spare time ties back to the theme of men constructing an artificial ideal of femininity that they impose onto actual women, much as Scotty does with Madeleine and Judy.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Male Gaze
The concept of the 'Male Gaze' refers to the way visual arts and literature depict the world and women from a masculine point of view, presenting women as objects of male pleasure. In the context of the video, it discusses how Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' can be interpreted as both embodying and critiquing the male gaze, suggesting that while the film showcases women as spectacles for male characters, it also reflexively thematizes and critiques this perspective by highlighting its constructed nature and the role of the female character, Madeleine, in consciously performing for the male gaze.
💡Reflexivity
Reflexivity in film refers to the technique where the film acknowledges its own artifice, engaging the audience in a critical examination of the filmmaking process itself. The video highlights 'Vertigo's' reflexivity, particularly in its exploration of the male gaze and the construction of the female image, by showing how the film makes the viewer aware of the act of looking and the artificiality of the characters' identities, thereby inviting viewers to contemplate the themes of voyeurism and objectification.
💡Vertigo
In the context of this video, 'Vertigo' refers to Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film that serves as a primary case study for discussing the male gaze and reflexivity in cinema. The video examines specific scenes and narrative techniques used in 'Vertigo' to illustrate how the film comments on and complicates the notion of the male gaze, as well as the representation of women as images constructed for male pleasure.
💡POV Shots
POV (Point of View) shots are a cinematic technique that shows the perspective of a character, creating a sense of identification for the viewer with the character's visual experience. The video uses 'Vertigo's' use of POV shots to discuss how the film aligns the audience's perspective with that of Scottie, the male protagonist, particularly in scenes where he observes Madeleine, thereby implicating the viewer in the male gaze while also inviting them to reflect on this perspective.
💡Idealization of Woman
This concept refers to the portrayal of women in a way that emphasizes their visual appeal to the male viewer, often reducing them to idealized images rather than complex individuals. The video discusses how 'Vertigo' plays with the idealization of the female character, Madeleine, both by showcasing her as an object of the male gaze and by revealing this portrayal as a deliberate construction, thus critiquing the process of idealization itself.
💡Construction of Identity
The term highlights how characters' identities can be deliberately shaped and manipulated, both by other characters within the narrative and by the filmmakers. In 'Vertigo', this concept is explored through the transformation of Judy into Madeleine, illustrating the theme of identity as a construct and inviting viewers to consider the implications of viewing women as malleable images designed to fulfill male fantasies.
💡Femme Fatale
A femme fatale is a trope in cinema and literature referring to a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, dangerous situations. While discussing 'Vertigo', the video suggests that Madeleine embodies elements of the femme fatale, yet it also complicates this archetype by showing her as a participant in her own representation and by highlighting the constructed nature of her allure.
💡Spectacle
In film theory, spectacle refers to visual elements that are designed to be impressive or striking, often at the expense of narrative depth. The video argues that 'Vertigo' uses spectacle, particularly in the representation of Madeleine, to draw attention to the act of looking and to critique the objectification inherent in the spectacle of femininity, thereby engaging with and challenging traditional cinematic practices.
💡Misogyny/Patriarchy
Misogyny refers to the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women, while patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power. The video contemplates whether 'Vertigo', by both depicting and critiquing the male gaze and the objectification of women, can be seen as a commentary on or a product of misogynistic and patriarchal attitudes, suggesting that its reflexivity allows for a critique of these systems.
💡Narrative
Narrative in this context refers to the structured sequence of events that form the story of 'Vertigo'. The video explores how the narrative of 'Vertigo', particularly the revelation of the constructed identities of its characters and the manipulation of Judy into Madeleine, serves to critique the process of storytelling itself, especially in its reliance on and subversion of gender stereotypes and the male gaze.
Highlights

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Transcripts

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