Love, Women, Men and Power in Letter from an Unknown Woman (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Instructor Course Title Due Date Love, Women, Men and Power in Letter from an Unknown Woman Melodrama refers to storytelling that explores themes of romance, betrayal, longing, and tragedy. While the term “melodramatic” is often used derisively to suggest something overly-dramatic, even to the point of farce, these themes are representations of what drives the audience. As Thomas Elsaesser puts it, melodrama, “...performs a critical and oppositional function in the representation of a culture's pressure points and discontents.” In other words, melodrama contains within it a hidden function. These stories do not only reflect the longing of the audience. Rather, they provide a way to oppose the dominant cultural paradigm and allow those discontent with the status quo to vent that frustration. Given this, it is worth examining the melodramatic 1948 film, Letter from an Unknown Woman not as merely a piece of entertainment but as a covert critique of the culture’s prevailing values, in this case the patriarchy. By following the story of a lovelorn young woman, Lisa, who is treated with indifference by the object of her obsession, Stefan Brand, the film instructs the audience in the hazard of allowing men like Brand to float through life buoyed by the adulation of their talent while the women who adore them are discarded. The film opens with Brand returning from a concert. Though successful, Brand is clearly world-weary and apparently alone in the world except for his mute butler. Brand is given the eponymous letter from an unknown woman, the writer of which declares in the letter’s first line that she may already be dead by the time that Brand reads it. This piques Brand’s interest, though only just. Ophüls lets the audience in on Brand’s essential callousness through stage direction. He is intrigued by the letter, but not so distracted by his contents that he does not have the spare attention to reach for a cigarette as he reads. From this first sequence, the viewer is transported back in time to recount the story of a woman who Brand does not know but should know and who deserves to be known by him for the impact that he has had on her life. Brand in many ways is the beneficiary of privilege. A celebrated pianist, he can afford a large house full of luxuries which Lisa finds when she enters the house as a teenage girl. Lisa quickly becomes fascinated by Brand, though he is barely aware of her existence. That Brand is unaware of Lisa’s infatuation is hardly his fault at this point. They only have one brief interaction, and it is not especially meaningful. But while he is largely unaware of her, she is completely smitten by him. As such, she enacts the rituals expected of a young woman in the patriarchal culture of nineteenth century Austria. Namely, she passively becomes intensely devoted to him, refusing the affections of the young marriage candidate that her mother and stepfather secure for her in Linz. That these behaviors are detrimental to Lisa are obvious to the audience, her concerned parents, and even to Lisa herself. Yet, this is the role that she is resigned to. As a woman, Lisa cannot pursue Brand overtly. The prerogative to pursue belongs to men alone. Women only have the power to accept or reject potential suitors, and even this power of refusal is not owed them. Lisa’s suffering underscores the unfairness of this power dynamic. Through the use of this tragic character in melodrama, the unfair power of patriarchy is criticized. Because the audience knows from the start that Lisa will meet a tragic end, and is allowed to vicariously experience her girlish infatuation with Brand, it becomes possible to empathize with her. Now connected to the character, the audience can then examine her situation and question the cultural currents of power that Lisa is caught in. Brand does eventually take note of Lisa, though only after she covertly pursues him. By waiting for him in the places that he regularly frequents, like the street corner he often passes by, she is able to break the taboo and pursue Brand in a way that it is acceptably passive. Brand, for his part, notices her and begins to pursue her. By this point, both Lisa and the audience know that Brand is already married. While stalking him in his home, Lisa sees Brand return home with a young bride and so decides to give up on him, at least for a time. Yet Lisa allows him to pursue her romantically since this is the fulfillment of all her fantasies. She relishes the attention that he lavishes on her and so is willing to forget the fact that he is unavailable for marriage as a married man. Female chastity is highly prized and jealously guarded by patriarchal cultures, in which both men and women see female infidelity in more unforgiving terms than infidelity by men. As such, audience members may judge a young woman accepting a man’s advances despite knowing he is married. But, as mentioned above, Lisa’s tragic fate and pure love endear her to the audience. If there is a villain here, it is Brand. Brand is not a cruel or meanspirited man and is not typically villainous in the melodramatic sense. Rather, he is glib and floats through life willingly oblivious of the damage that he causes. He observes the rules of decorum for a man of his station. A wealthy man like Brand is expected to be generous with his social subordinates, and this is what he does. When he recognizes Lisa on the street, it is after he is sparing a few coins for some street performers. He is consistently seen tipping people very well, such as the operators of the stationary train car where he takes Lisa after courting her at dinner. But this is not generosity for its own sake, since Brand is effectively buying the privilege of escaping responsibility for his actions through these gestures. He instructs the concierge at the restaurant to provide a plausible cover story for his wife, which the man reflexively does. This conspiracy between the two of them is overt and...