In order to maintain control or oppression of someone, that group has to believe in their role. The pedagogy of the oppressed or internalization of prejudice is what keeps people in their place; for instance, the mother who raises her sons to perceive themselves as superior to women. Ophuls portrays women’s oppression in Madame de…, Caught, Letter From an Unknown Woman, and Reckless Moment.
Societal norms
Ophul’s “Vienna about 1900” shares some of the same problems as America in the 1940s and 50s. Women were the possessions of their husbands and were not able to support themselves if they chose to be independent. Women adopted their husband’s identity and were supposed to sacrifice themselves for their husbands and children. In marriage, women were supposed to be faithful; whereas, men were not sexually restricted. Women were generally perceived as intellectually inferior to men and emotionally fragile.
Ophuls portrays Lisa as a woman who rejects the economic and gender roles imposed on her. She imagines a life with beautiful things, with the freedom to love a man and to have her own identity. Lisa marries Stauffer for the security of her son, though in her heart she does not accept her role. In Madame de…, Louise accepts her role and indulges herself in buying luxurious items until she finds true love which destroys her need to identify with being the general’s wife and materialism. Andre also expresses his confinement in his role, which suggests that society is like a prison for everyone in its prescriptive behaviors and norms. Throughout the film, Andre represses his hurt over his wife’s suitors and Donati by pretending that he is happily married for that sake of his social graces. In Reckless Moment, Lucia is totally imprisoned in her role as a wife and mother. Even in her rejection of Sybil, she appears to accept her middle class role in American society. Lucia appears to perceive Sybil as a black servant who is less capable than she is. Only Donnelly sees Lucia as the prisoner she really is. In Caught, everyone believes that money is paramount in life. All women want to marry rich men. Smith Ohlrig is convinced that all women want his money and treats Leonora accordingly. In the newspaper, Leonora’s mother is quoted as saying, “I always knew my daughter would be a success,” regarding Leonora’s marriage to Ohlrig. Ophuls comments on this society, by allowing Leonora the chance to choose love over money.
Money
Ophuls' women are married to men because they do not have financial security. Money is what makes men powerful. Smith Ohlrig and Tom Harper are the powerful men of the 1950s; they own corporations and travel abroad. And their wives were bought by them with jewels and furs and thus became possessions as well. One of the disturbing scenes in Reckless Moment is when Lucia tries to acquire a loan from a bank, and she is met with “for that kind of loan, we’d need your husband’s signature.” In desperation to cover the blackmail of $5000USD, Lucia resorts to going to a loan shark, Coastways Loan Company. Ophuls portrays her humiliation with such clarity and sincerity that it is heart-breaking to watch her cringe at the loan desk, and beg “I need the money.” Even Louise has to pretend to faint to manipulate the pawnbroker to accept her earrings in exchange for money to pay her debts. In their confined state, women are restricted to silence and looking “ridiculous”.
Women are men’s objects, just like the earrings are Louise’s and the mink coat is Leonora’s. Ophuls depicts very strongly that women are bought into marriage. Husbands dress their wives to show how much money they have. Louise is Andre’s showpiece, just as Leonora is Smith’s. When Louise sells her earrings, she rejects her marriage. She is to Andre as her earrings are to her. As soon as she associates Donati’s love with the earrings, she sells everything just to have them, in essence him. Women can also be considered merchandise; in the case of Frau Berndle’s marriage to Herr Kastner and Lisa’s to Johann Stauffer, the women sell themselves for their own and their child’s financial security (Wood, 1998, 209), which is seen in Caught as well, with Leonora going back to her husband for her child’s welfare.
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