In Her (2013), by Spike Jonze and Vertigo (1958) by Alfred Hitchcock, violence is aestheticized through the use of romance. Scottie and Theodore’s sadistic tendencies are masked by their obsession with love. Scotty and Theodore convey the characteristics of men who are hopelessly in love with the women they are with, but in reality they simply want to control them.
Vertigo and Her’s aestheticization of violence and the protagonists’ need for control are emphasized by the fact that both Scottie and Theodore cannot bear the burden of being the object of what Laura Mulvey describes as the ‘male-gaze.’ Mulvey suggests that the male-gaze sexually objectifies women and is a mechanism that allows men to be the object of control. Scotty and Theodore exemplify men who have lost the ability to emit the male-gaze and have been overpowered by women. Scotty has been overpowered …show more content…
The scene in which Catherine chokes Theodore and says, “I’m going to fucking kill you,” emphasizes the fact that Catherine uses violence to show Theodore she loves him. However, it is apparent that Theodore thinks of this exchange as a way for Catherine to exert control over him. He tries to regain the role as a dominant male when he tells his date, “I don’t want to be a puppy. I want to be a dragon. I to rip you apart and destroy you.” Violence is represented in a playful way, but it is clear that Theodore is discontent with being submissive, so he tries to control his date by showing her that he too has the power to be violent. In the scene where Catherine is signing divorce papers, she infers that Theodore was always trying to make her perfect. Theodore was inherently trying to become the dominant male, but it resulted in him getting divorced. The sadistic qualities in this film are often not acknowledged because it seems as if Theodore’s violent games are harmless, but it actually represents his discontent with being
Vertigo and Her’s aestheticization of violence and the protagonists’ need for control are emphasized by the fact that both Scottie and Theodore cannot bear the burden of being the object of what Laura Mulvey describes as the ‘male-gaze.’ Mulvey suggests that the male-gaze sexually objectifies women and is a mechanism that allows men to be the object of control. Scotty and Theodore exemplify men who have lost the ability to emit the male-gaze and have been overpowered by women. Scotty has been overpowered …show more content…
The scene in which Catherine chokes Theodore and says, “I’m going to fucking kill you,” emphasizes the fact that Catherine uses violence to show Theodore she loves him. However, it is apparent that Theodore thinks of this exchange as a way for Catherine to exert control over him. He tries to regain the role as a dominant male when he tells his date, “I don’t want to be a puppy. I want to be a dragon. I to rip you apart and destroy you.” Violence is represented in a playful way, but it is clear that Theodore is discontent with being submissive, so he tries to control his date by showing her that he too has the power to be violent. In the scene where Catherine is signing divorce papers, she infers that Theodore was always trying to make her perfect. Theodore was inherently trying to become the dominant male, but it resulted in him getting divorced. The sadistic qualities in this film are often not acknowledged because it seems as if Theodore’s violent games are harmless, but it actually represents his discontent with being