Examples Of Feminism In Hitchcock's Movies

The Feminism in Hitchcock Hitchcock has had a controversial reputation when it comes to his female characters and stars. He portrayed his thoughts of women through his movies, which changed through his filming carrier. His portrayal of females in these early movies, such as Rebecca, was much different than how they were shown in later movies like Notorious. Hitchcock evolved his characters by having them portray more independence and sexual confidence, a departure from the early portrayal of submissive women.
In the earlier non-silent films of his, many of the female character were portrayed as being submissive to their counterparts. In The 39 Steps, Hitchcock depicted Pamela as always with a man by her side, seeming to rely on them. Though …show more content…
Danvers and believed everything she told her about Rebecca. She thought she could not be as good as Rebecca and doubted herself for most of the film. Only near the end did she begin to show some strength in her character. These movies alluded to Hitchcock’s early misogyny towards women. Especially in the time period that they were filmed in, many women did not have starring roles that betrayed them as strong characters. Hitchcock’s representation of them is concurrent with what was expected of a woman in society. The female “played second fiddle” to males or parts of society and Hitchcock did not break out of that mold at …show more content…
These characters were assertive, intelligent, and rarely allow themselves to be sublimated by men. For example, his female characters in later films were more sexually aggressive and confident. The turning point for this change begun with the movie Notorious. Alicia in this film was a drastically different character than was previously portrayed in Hitchcock’s stories. Her excessive drinking and promiscuity made her stand out as a feminist character. She did what she wanted without letting men limit her, even though her activities made Devin uncomfortable. He made references to being just another one of her boyfriends, but she stands up for herself and her decisions. In North by Northwest, Eve had a similar disposition with her sexuality. She told Thornhill that she “never makes love on an empty stomach” and was very direct about her advances. She slept with him fairly early on in their relationship and does not hold back her desire for him