Feminism in Film

Paper Summary:

Both "Briar Rose: Sleeping Beauty" by Anne Sexton and Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film, "Psycho," were constructed during relatively similar times in American history. This paper shows that, in terms of their theoretical construction in regards to feminism, these two works of art seem to come from completely different eras. The country or time of Sexton's imagination takes the myth of Briar Rose, the name of Sleeping Beauty, and creates an articulation of initially subjugated, childhood, female silence that must be resolved through active female empowerment in marital adulthood. On the other hand, the paper shows that "Psycho" begins with a journey of female empowerment that ends with the female's demise.

From the Paper:

"This desire to expiate herself of Crane's guilt, of course, renders her unintentionally naked and vulnerable. Crane unintentionally lays herself open to being first watched by the voyeuristic eye of Norman Bates through a peephole, which the viewer involuntarily participates in. Crane becomes the target of his hidden, sexual rage. Then, she enters the final sleep of death at the end of her journey in the film, while Briar Rose ends Sexton's poem with the desire to awaken from the limits of her feminine existence, the curtailing influence of marriage and home life."

More papers on Feminism in Film:

• Film Review # 65643 : "Feminism in Film: "Erin Brockovich"
• Film Review # 140736 : "Feminism in the Film "Thelma and Louise"
• Research Paper # 61789 : "Women in Film Noir"

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