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Hitchcock themes and motifs - handbags

The handbag, a traditional "feminine" accessory, frequently functions in Hitchcock as a powerful object, rather than as a mere costume accessory. Perhaps surprisingly, in view of the standard claim that women in Hitchcock films are passive victims, the handbag is a signifier of female assertiveness rather than frivolity or passivity. The way it is used consistently demonstrates that in Hitchcock films femininity can be a powerful force to be reckoned with, often consuming the male protagonists with both fascination and fear.
Sarah Street, "Hitchcockian haberdashery" (1995)[1]

Blackmail (1929)

Suspicion (1941)

Stage Fright (1950)

Dial M for Murder (1954)

Rear Window (1954)

The Trouble with Harry (1955)

Vertigo (1958)

North by Northwest (1959)

Psycho (1960)

Marnie (1964)

Articles

Notes & References

  1. Hitchcock Annual (1995) - Hitchcockian haberdashery