Queer Subtext in The Hitch-Hiker

Living life with a queer lens, it’s hard not to wonder about a queer subtext in Ida Lupino’s The Hitch-Hiker (1953). Lupino’s subtly feminist portrayal of masculinity allowed the motion picture to stand apart from other male-directed film noirs. The two protagonists of the film, Gil and Roy, are leaving their wives and families behind for a fishing trip, which is very Brokeback Mountain (2005) to begin with. This act could be seen not just as escapism, but also as a yearning for masculinity and homosocial bonding. 

Gil and Roy are very protective of one another. Gil in particular takes care of Roy when his ankle is injured. He goes so far as to knock Roy out to shut him up and save him from being killed by Emmett Myers, the murderous hitchhiker. It’s interesting to point out that Gil is a draughtsman and Roy is a mechanic, to which Myers suggests makes Gil smarter. Gil is portrayed as the masculine hero of the film, whereas Roy struggles with his masculinity, perhaps due to a bicurious, heteroflexible, or gay inclination.

It may be a stretch to suggest that there is a sure queer text to The Hitch-Hiker, but taking into account Lupino's feminist critique, subversion of masculinity, and understated commentary on gender roles, would it really be that out of the question?

The Misogynistic Representation of Women in 'Double Indemnity'

The representation of women in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity (1944) is, like many femme fatale archetypes, misogynistic in nature. The femme fatale is a defining feature of film noir, and Phyllis Dietrichson is no exception. A common critique of the femme fatale is that it is derived from the fear of feminism and plays into the same age-old hysteria as witch trials. An independent woman is seen as a danger, using sex and womanhood to manipulate men.

In Double Indemnity, Phyllis is portrayed as a villainous yet sensual woman who stops at nothing to get what she wants from a man. She seduces Neff, an insurance agent, and convinces him to help her kill her husband – so she can gain the “double-indemnity” clause from the insurance policy. She potentially could have killed her husband’s late wife, and she plots to kill his daughter Lola.

In this sense, women are misrepresented in Double Indemnity and other film noirs. If a woman is not portrayed as a submissive housewife, she is portrayed as an emasculating villainess. A common theme in 19^th and 20^th century literature is the independence of women who are breaking free from the restraints of their patriarchal husbands and male-dominated society. In the male-dominated world of film noir, however, there is only a “good” girl who stays in line or a femme fatale who will use the power of seduction to make you kill her husband.

M is for Melodrama

While many could argue for a number of genres when classifying Fritz Lang’s 1931 classic M, I think that the film would best be defined as a melodrama. Although there are certainly elements of crime and horror in the movie, the film’s subtle cinematography, uses of sound, and approach to the subject matter make M more of a melodrama than a thriller.

For one, despite the film being about the pursuit of a serial child killer, none of these murders are shown. Only one murder is alluded to in the film, and it is done in a manner that is very subtle and poignant. The rolling away of the ball and the floating upwards of the balloon signifies the murder of the little girl.

The use of sound in the film also creates a more melodramatic ambience as opposed to a horror feel. Lang uses a lot of diegetic sound to add an additional sense of realism to the film, furthering its emotional pull with the audience. The use of the murderer’s whistling as a leitmotif also leaves viewers with a sense of melancholy.

Instead of being a film about the murders of a serial killer or the psyche behind it, the film is about the pursuit of the killer. However, this is not approached in a crime-thriller sense. M creates numerous parallels between the criminal underworld and the police force, exploring political allegories and creating social commentary. This sort of subject matter is more appropriate for a drama as opposed to a horror.

Overall, M is more about the mothers, the criminals, and the police than it is about the serial killer or his victims, which gives the film a more melodramatic resonance rather than leaving the viewer with fear-induced adrenaline.

Self-Reflexivity in Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr." (1924)

Considered one of the great actors and filmmakers of the silent film era, Buster Keaton is a beloved figure for cinephiles. In his 1924 film Sherlock Jr., Keaton became one of the first filmmakers to explore the idea of a film within a film, something he achieved with his self-reflexive technique. 

Keaton stars as a movie theater projectionist who tries to win the heart of a girl with a $1 box of chocolates. The "local sheik" steals the pocket watch of the girl's father and pawns it, using the money to buy the girl an even better box of chocolates. He then slips the pawn shop receipt into the projectionist's pocket.

The example of self-reflexivity that is most obvious begins 17 minutes into the movie, as the projectionist falls asleep on the job. In a dream state, he imagines himself in the movie, while the other actors are counterparts to the girl, the sheik, the girl's father, and the father's hired work.

The dreaming movie theater employee's astral projection spots the sheik and the girl in the movie – he is the villain, who later steals her pearl necklace much like he stole the pocket watch in real life. The projectionist puts on his hat and walks up to the screen and into the movie, but he is thrown out by the villain. He returns to the movie, but is continuously shocked and thrown back by changes in the movie's scenes. The projectionist's sleeping body twitches to the cymbal heard in the real movie's music. This continues to play out for much of the movie. In the end, the girl realizes who the in-real-life culprit is and forgives Keaton.

Keaton's self-reflexive techniques are especially effective. The viewpoint of the audience is within the audience in the movie theater that the projectionist works at, furthering the "film within a film" concept. While the overall movie is not as compelling in 2013 due to its lack of modernity, Sherlock Jr. is cleverly constructed and consciously self-reflexive.

Introduction

I am Ben Kitchen, a 4th-year University of Cincinnati student in my third year of the Electronic Media program. I am hoping to graduate in December 2014 with a Journalism certificate and Spanish minor. 

I am taking Going to the Movies: 20th Century Classics for a few reasons: 1) It's an Electronic Media elective, so there's that; 2) I love movies; and 3) I love writing. In high school, I took a similar class called Intro to Film, where we discussed and wrote about films such as Casablanca and Blade Runner. I'm looking forward to taking a similar class in a collegiate setting.

Some of my personal favorite movies are Clueless, Heathers, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Donnie Darko, and The Graduate. I enjoy vapid romantic movies like The Notebook (although I firmly believe that Nicholas Sparks is an awful writer and all of his other books-to-movies are horrible). I also like foreign films, such as the French-Canadian film C.R.A.Z.Y. and Pedro Almodóvar's La mala educación. Almodóvar is one of my favorite directors. I'm a big fan of Gael Garcia Bernal as an actor as well, and I really appreciate New Mexican Cinema.

–Ben