Feminist theory says that Hitchcock is a misogynist, and his

portrayal of women is derogatory, where as post feminist

theory takes a closer look at his work, and reveals that
Hitchcocks work, especially Vertigo puts the image of
masculinity in crisis, which then in a way empowers all of the
women around Scotty.
Marion Keane looks specifically at scopophilia in Vertgo, this
looks at the characters and the audience attitudes to their
relations. It re interprets how we perceive gender roles in
cinema and shows the women as more active characters, and
men as more passive, which reverses gender roles from
feminist theories.

Laura Mulvey looks at a wide range of elements to vertigo, she

writes in the 70s and 80s, which is when a new wave of
feminism came about. She says that women are always
viewed from a male perspective in films, which objectifies and
as a result sexualises them to the audience. However she
reflects this on male insecurities, and how the objectification
of women in a way gives the female a power over men. This is
seen in vertigo, how Scotty is completely under the influence
of the women around him and is de masculinised.

One sequence where this is clearly evident is in the sequence

where we are first introduced to Madeline, and she walks past
Scotty. It is evident within the context of the film that she
knows she is being watched. This gives her power over the

male gaze, as she uses it to manipulate Scotty. In the edit it is

shown scotty never makes direct eye contact with her. Shot
from a low angle, we see Scotty as afraid to look directly at
her, and is therefore the passive character, as appose to
Madeline who is the active character.

This idea that Madeline is leading Scotty is also evident in one

of the key symbolisms. In the sequence where Scotty is
following her, for a very long silent sequence, she leads him
around inn circles, a recurring theme which shows Scottie
being led down towards a bad ending, and here he is led by
Madeline. This shows her influence over Scotty, and therefore
her power in femininity.