The Women Who Knew Too Much

Modleski argues that Hitchcock was neither misogynist or sympathetic in his portrayal of women in film. With an analysis that uses psychoanalysis and feminist criticism she shows Hitchcock's approach to be ambivalent to women.

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Tania Modleski claims that critical approaches to Hitchcock have falsely fallen into two camps: either he is seen as a misogynist, or he is seen as sympathetic to women in his demonstration of women's plight in patriarchy. In opposition to these positions, Modleski asserts that Hitchcock is ambivalent towards his female characters. Applying the theories of psychoananlysis, mass culture, and a broad range of film and feminist criticism, Modleski presents careful and fascinating readings of seven Hitchcock films from various periods in his career.