Different times. Back then you could commandeer a woman’s bookstore (Funny Face) trash it, and then come on to her in one afternoon.
Would Cary Grant’s initial moves on Irene Dunne in Penny Serenade (he buys an armload of records from her even though he doesn’t own a phonograph) also be considered stalking? :dubious:
[Highjack] Is this scene in all versions of Victor/Victoria? When I saw the film version (James Garner and Julie Andrews) I wondered if that scene had been added to assure the audience that our nominally straight protagonist wasn’t falling for a female impersonator whom he actually thought was a man. I thought it would be a more interesting if you excise that scene. [/Highjack]
Because Jimmy Stewart’s actions are not depicted as charming/romantic. He is depicted as a very disturbed sick sick man. Therefore, doesn’t qualify for this Thread.
That’s the only version I’ve ever seen. It does undercut the later romantic scene where she says “I’m not a man” and he replies “I don’t care if you are.” This, after he was shown caring quite a lot and going to some trouble to find out for sure.
“Scotty” in*** Vertigo ***is definitely an obsessed stalker type. He’s obsessed with the girl he lost, the girl he saw die.
But ***Vertigo ***is not supposed to be a romantic story. We’re not SUPPOSED to look at Scotty’s behavior and think, “Awwww… how sweet!” We’re SUPPOSED to see him as depressed, twisted, and (yes) a little bit dangerous.
Hitchcock WANTS us to see Scotty’s behavior toward Judy/Madeleine as unhealthy.
For the most part, we’ve been looking at conventional romances and romantic comedies and asking, “Is this supposedly sweet, lovable character a little sick and stalkerish”?
Ditto on what other people have said, that Scotty’s behavior is supposed to be troubling. I saw this in a theater, and I remember everyone in the audience kind of backing up in their seats when he walked into Judy’s apartment.
Also, FWIW, those of us who know how the movie ends know why Judy didn’t immediately call the police.
I guess because Peter is pursuing a woman who is engaged to someone else-- but by the time he is pursuing her romantically, she has made it very clear that she doesn’t want the life her family has laid out for her. I don’t think he is stalkerish at all, except maybe in a paparazzo way, but in the beginning, he is a reporter looking for a story.
I saw this in the theater when it first came out, and it has always had that scene. Perhaps it has been cut from TV broadcasts for time, or even to make King Marchand look less creepy.
Yeah, Aladdin in the original story is a dick. It’s that way in a lot of old stories, though: the hero isn’t necessarily someone you’d want for a husband.
I haven’t seen the movie in years (the one odd fact I remember about the movie is that my wife’s maiden name was also the name of the dead Spanish noblewoman Kim Novak is obsessed with; it was weird to see her name on the grave stone!).
But I seem to recall that Scotty had a nervous breakdown and spent some time in a psychiatric hospital after the “death” of Madeleine.
Which means, again, his character’s sanity is definitely in question. His behavior toward Judy is not supposed to be romantic- if it strikes many viewers as creepy, even crazy, well, it’s SUPPOSED to!
He sees her late at night through an apartment window. He had to find out who she was and where she worked. Without Google. I think the movie glosses over how he does it.
Stalking does require an ongoing effort, I suppose, but it really does ring my creepy-vibe alarm bells.
Just thought of one… the homeless tramp played by Robin Williams in The Fisher King spends a lot of time literally stalking Amanda Plummer. But since it’s Robin, it’s depicted as adorable rather than as scary.
I mean, what woman WOULDN’T want to be followed around by a lovesick homeless guy?