1. Mulvey (1974)
• Interprets Scotties’ pursuit of Madeline as an erotic obsession based on
castration anxiety.
• States that Scotties’s voyeurism is blatant: he falls in love with a woman he
follows and spies on without speaking to.
• Its sadistic side is equally blatant…Once he actually confronts her, his
erotic drive is to break her down by persistent cross-questioning.
• Then, in the second part of the film, he re-enacts his obsessive
involvement…he reconstructs Judy as Madeline, forces her to conform in
every detail to the actual physical appearance of his fetish…in the
repetition he does break her down and succeeds in exposing her guilt.
• His curiosity wins though and she is punished.
• Mulvey is as harsh with Judy as she is with Scottie:
“Her exhibitionism, her masochism, make her an ideal passive
counterpart to Scottie’s active sadistic voyeurism.”

2. Wood (1977)
• Character of Midge is not mysterious and contrasts with
Madeline (who is more erotic through mysteriousness,
vulnerability and grace)
• Wood points out that in the second half our POV is split
between Scottie and Judy.
• Madeline dies (both times) at the moments when she
threatens to become a real person.
• There are Fetishistic attempts to mold Judy into Madeline.
• Judy succumbs and agrees to fully recreate Madeline.
• Judy disappears under the shadow of his object to win his
love.
• Transformation scene is a “Breathtaking moment of romantic
fantasy fulfillment.”

3. Wexman (1986)
• She criticises Mulvey’s ideas.
• She discussed the commercialised eroticism of the American
film industry (female actresses have to look a certain way) ,
• The demand of Hollywood led to controlling Kim Novak’s
image and to harassing the actress during production.
• So what about Midge?
• Maternal qualities
• Soothing tone of voice
• Male imitation
• Presents herself as Scottie’s buddy
• Spectator figure
• Someone the female spectator identifies with?

4. Keane (1986)
• Challenges the idea of the camera
aligning itself with the male POV.
• Mulvey views voyeurism as active and
sadistic.
• Keane suggests that Scottie also suffers
in his voyeuristic position and is in a way
a passive character.
• Scottie also loses his beloved by looking
at her.

5. Palombo (1987)
• Scottie’s fainting in Midge’s apartment is
revealed as his ‘raging fear of his dependence
on Midge and her mothering…’
• The spectator’s identification with Scottie is
disturbed by the flashback scene; from that
point on we watch his struggle.

6. Rothman (1987)
• Scottie knows Judy can become Madeline.
• Judy can only be beautiful if she has the
courage to accept the potential Madeline in
her. (Someone who is not real)

7. Modleski (1988)
• Suggests that due to Hitchcock’s fascination with
femininity throws masculine identity into question and
crisis.
• Scottie’s desire to merge with a woman who is some
sense doesn’t exist…points to self destruction.
• In his nightmare, Scottie lives out Madeline’s
hallucination and he dies her death.
• His attempts to cure her have failed and he is plunged
into a feminine world of madness and death.
• Scottie swings between a hypnotic and masochistic
fascination with the woman and a sadistic attempt to
gain control over her.