Rebecca & Marnie & Feminism

Women’s Films The two films Rebecca (Hitchcock, 1940) and Marnie (Hitchcock, 1964) are women’s films, as they both “highlight a woman’s difficulty (with Marnie, her failure) in negotiating the oedipal trajectory and her problematic attachment to another woman, here [in Marnie] the mother”  (Jacobowitz, pg 16). Mrs. de Winter has no mother figure, so she …

The Male Gaze in Vertigo

First Look The first appearance of Madeline in Vertigo is at Ernie’s in a busy room. As she becomes visible the camera stops panning and starts dollying in towards her. At the same time, the sounds of the room quiet down and the music swells into Madeline’s song. She is on display. The low-back dress reveals the perfect skin …