Sigmund Freud Privatstiftung
Zeit: Donnerstag, 24. Jänner , 18.30 Uhr
Ort: Österreichisches Filmmuseum, Augustinerstraße 1, 1010 Wien
Begrüßung: Alexander Horwath (Direktor Österreichisches Filmmuseum) und Dr.in Lydia Marinelli (Leitung Wissenschaft, Sigmund Freud Privatstiftung)
Abstract: „In this paper I would like to return to Freud’s essay ‚The Uncanny‘ from a rather different perspective to my previous use of the concept. I would like to consider the debate between Freud and Jentsch about the significance of the beautiful automaton Olympia in E.T.A. Hoffman’s story ‚The Sandman‘ and use both their approaches for an analysis of some of Hitchcock’s later films.
Concentrating on his beautiful but deceptive heroines, particularly ‚Notorious‘ (1946), ‚Vertigo‘ (1959), ‚Marnie‘ (1964) but also with reference to other relevant films, I want to reflect on the female star performances in these key films: the way that masquerade (in the story) heightens their characteristically highly stylised appearance of Hitchcock’s female stars which, in turn, draws attention to the pre-existing stylization typical of Hollywood star performance.
While the appearance and performance of the stars evokes Jentsch’s interest in automata and the blurred boundary between the animate and the inanimate, the Hitchcock’s recurring hints at castration anxiety, accompanied by the actual presence of the maternal body evokes Freud’s assertion that the uncanny effect is only aroused by something ancient, that is, the return of the repressed.
I would like to see if a reconciliation between their views might be achieved through this consideration of Hitchcock’s heroines while also reflecting on the significance of the beautiful automaton for an understanding of the cinema itself.“