Fetishism/Voyeurism

I found Hayward's piece on Fetishism/Voyeurism to explore film through a different lens that is both unique and uncomfortable. I never thought that when watching a film that I am a voyeur in the characters life, but rather the character's are sharing something intimate about their life with me, the viewer. On a second thought, Hayward's definition of voyeurism "the act of viewing the activities of other people unbeknown to them"(480) accurately describes the 'movie watching experience.' The characters never invited me into their life, I am simply watching without their knowledge. Since I previously learned about voyeurism in my abnormal psychology class in the context as a sexual disorder, it is unsettling to label film watching in the same manner. It is also unsettling to think about the camera as a 'voyeur' through its position viewing the actor. This made me think about the POV shot from a different point of view. For example, in North by Northwest when Roger Thornhill looks into the house at Vandamm, it is really the camera unknowingly 'viewing' Vandamm. Through the voyeurism lens, the camera is personified and no longer a technological tool.