Voyeurism and Movies

Allen 2022-11-26 06:50:34

In "Three Treatises on Sexual Desire", Freud classified "peeping" as one of the psychological mechanisms that produce sexual pleasure. He believed that people's desire to spy on others' privacy originated from childhood and from curiosity about their own life and origins. . This desire is a kind of sexual instinct, originating from the sexual "peeping urge". American scholar Solomon mentioned in "The Concept of Film", "The film industry believes that contemporary people have a lust for voyeurism." The film theorist Metz pointed out, "The conditions of film screening have created a suitable situation for voyeuristic desire. The frame of the screen in the darkened auditorium is like a keyhole.” This means that the film itself is a product of voyeurism, the viewer peering into the lives of others through the camera and the screen.
Born in 1960, "Voyeur" is a classic voyeuristic film by British director Mitchell Powell. The film tells the story of a voyeuristic camera assistant Mark who murders women one after another, just to record their fear before death with a camera. expression. His psychopathy stems from the shadows of his childhood - he was tested by his father, a psychologist who studies fear. Eventually Mark's crime was exposed and he committed suicide in front of his own camera. Because the film boldly portrayed the perverted psychology of the protagonist and made a naked performance of sex, violence, and voyeurism, the film was unanimously disgusted by the audience and critics, and the director Powell was even ruined by the film's reputation. Over time, after Coppola and Martin Scorsese praised the film, people began to revisit the film, and "Voyeur" is regarded as an outstanding classic in film history.

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Extended Reading

Peeping Tom quotes

  • [Mark is about to be interviewed by the police and is filming their investigation]

    Clapper Boy: Suppose they catch you?

    Mark Lewis: Oh they will. They look very efficient.

    Clapper Boy: Don't you mind?

    Mark Lewis: No.

    Clapper Boy: Mark, are you crazy?

    Mark Lewis: [laughs] Yes. Do you think they'll notice?

  • Mrs. Stephens: Helen?

    Helen Stephens: Yes?

    Mrs. Stephens: Doesn't matter.

    Helen Stephens: Mother, what's worrying you?

    Mrs. Stephens: The price of whiskey.