Power Dynamics of The Voyeuristic Gaze

According to Mulvey, cinematic voyeurism is phallocentric and linked to the male gaze. In classical Hollywood cinema, the traditional object of this gaze is the female body. Mulvey goes on to describe a power dynamic in which the position of looking is one of power and mastery while the position of being looked at is one of powerlessness and subordination. Interestingly, some sequences in “Rear Window” seem to complicate this differentiation. When Lisa climbs into Thorwald’s apartment and sees Thorwald approaching, Jeffries (the looker), watches helplessly. He subjects the scene to his gaze and thus exerts a certain degree of mastery over it, but simultaneously he is in a position of helplessness--- unable to directly influence the scene played out before him. He can see all, but he cannot act.

Also according to Mulvey, visual pleasure is rooted in seeing without being seen. This is observed throughout the film as Jeffries, Stella, and Lisa obsessively observe Thorwald and some of the other neighbors. For the immobilized Jeffries, this is his only form of reaction and he enjoys being an amateur-detective of sorts. However, the threat of unpleasure described by Mulvey by the disruption of this one-way gaze is made very real in the character of Thorwald. Once Thorwald realizes that Jeffries has been watching him, Thorwald attempts to murder Jeffries.

On a separate note,I was a little confused by Mulvey’s classification of voyeurism as sadistic. Sadism is the enjoyment of causing pain or degradation to another person. I do not think that voyeurism necessarily harms the object of the gaze. There is definitely a breach of privacy and a certain domination exerted over the object of the gaze, but I don’t think this is born out of a sadistic intent. Is Mulvey using a more nuanced definition of sadism from psychoanalysis? She explains this sadism as relating to the male desire to punish the woman for her “guilt” (lack of a penis), but this doesn’t make a lot of sense to me and I don’t think it could be applied to every voyeuristic situation (after all, Thorwald, the object of Jeffries’ gaze, is a man). It would be great to have this clarified in section.