Topsy-Turvy Gender Roles: Who has the Power Here?

Whether asking for another baby or correctly foiling murders and assassinations, Jo maintains a firm grasp on the power in this relationship. She is comfortable and composed at all times while Ben fumbles and bends in pursuit of her elegance. The dinner scene in Marrakech shows a short verbal battle between the two in which Jo competently and completely rejects Ben's ideas about the future. Notice, here, her composure in the face of his glass-jawed impotence (indeed, he feels his jaw as though punched at the end of the clip). Hitchcock unambiguously presents Ben as the emasculated, or at least impotent male. His body language, posture and halting manner of speech contribute to a lack of finesse, strength and in the end, control.

Notice how his legs are situated at the restaurant table. Hitchcock fades into this scene right after the uncomfortable dance on the couch, indicating that Ben's legs, classic phallic symbols, have been shortened or tied and hence rendered ineffectual. His hand positioning also mimics his wife's in addition to guarding that sensitive area. This is a man under near total spousal control.