[Julien]

hey Jet,
I did use a couple of silent films in my class. They were Blackmail and The Lodger. You probably know the background of the films even if you've never seen them. The Lodger is based on Jack the Ripper, a killer who only kills blonds Blackmail is about a woman who is raped and kills her attacker, but is blackmailed by another person.

I can tell you're a great fan of Hitchcock. One thing I'd like to add is that the violence towards women doesn't necessarily mean death or focused on the lead actress. It can be the overall feel of how he treats women in his films. As you rightly pointed out, for example, The Birds is filled with violence against women, with Annie Hayworth being killed and Melanie Daniels being tortured by the birds themselves. In Rear Window, Grace Kelley's character is abused by the killer when he roughs her up. She is also emotionally abused by James Stewart's character.

While it is true that possibly not all the lead actress are physically abused, they may be abused in other ways. Trauma can take on many forms. I will also agree that the trauma/abuse may not occur in every single Hitchcock film, but it is evident enough throughout a majority of his films to be considered a topic for study or discussion.

You must also consider how the film is shot and how he objectifies his female characters. The camera can cut as deep as a knife. These are just thoughts off the top of my head.

G