The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines a scandal as “an action or event that causes a public feeling of shock and strong moral disapproval” (“Scandal”). As the word “public” suggests, a compulsory requirement for a scandal to...
moreThe Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines a scandal as “an action or event that causes a public feeling of shock and strong moral disapproval” (“Scandal”). As the word “public” suggests, a compulsory requirement for a scandal to develop is that it cannot take place in secret. It needs to become apparent to the public so as to trigger an emotional response such as the “shock” mentioned above. For that reason, the press and other media have always been a critical factor in the development of a scandal. Whereas, on the one hand, newspapers, magazines, or news websites naturally profit from a scandal (in terms of circulation or scope), on the other hand, the people who are its targets, usually suffer a great deal from the loss of reputation provoked by the scandal. A recent example of a scandal involves world famous Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey. Spacey, after, for a short time, having been exposed to a pitiless press coverage, has meanwhile almost completely vanished from the world of film after it had become public that he apparently sexually abused several of his former colleagues. By the time this paper is being written, according to the Internet Movie Database, no major film production starring Kevin Spacey is in the making (“Kevin Spacey”), and the popular streaming service Netflix stripped him off his role as the main character of its major television series House of Cards (2013-today, “Serienfinale ohne Kevin Spacey”). It thus seems to be a fact, that, no matter if the persons causing a scandal are really guilty or not, its aftermath can have a devastating effect on them. The very same happened to acclaimed British director Michael Powell and his 1960 film Peeping Tom. Peeping Tom undermined many then valid cinema conventions while, at the same time, overstepping multiple moral boundaries (all to be discussed further below). As a result, the “moral disapproval” (“Scandal”) within the public sphere became so strong that Powell barely made any more films afterwards. As Paul Cronly sums up: “The savage response from ... critics was so unanimous and extreme that it all but ended director Michael Powell’s ... career, forcing him towards early retirement”, (109). Peeping Tom literary “killed his [Michael Powell’s] career”, hence the title of this paper, which has been respectfully borrowed from David Gritten (“Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom: The Film that Killed a Career”) by its author.
The release of Peeping Tom nearly compromised the career of its lead actor, Karlheinz Böhm, as well, who was (and still is) famous for his role as Emperor Franz Josef in the widely popular Austrian Sissi trilogy (1955-57). Duncan and Müller provide an excerpt from an interview highlighting Böhm’s stark surprise and consternation over the audience’s reactions immediately after Peeping Tom’s premiere in London (139):
Ich war der hundertprozentigen Überzeugung, ich würde durch diesen Film der nächste weltberühmte Hollywoodstar1. Der Film hatte dann seine Premiere im Londoner Westend ... Wir waren sehr erstaunt, dass es am Ende des Films keinen Applaus gegeben hatte. Dann kamen die Leute aus der Vorführung – und haben uns nicht einmal angeguckt. Kein einziger kam, um uns vielleicht nur mal die Hand zu schütteln. Wir waren völlig fassungslos.
The reaction of the screening’s audience seems to be rather untypical for such an event, hence Böhm’s surprise. The people neither applauded, nor congratulated the film crew, instead, they apparently looked away, as if ashamed – or, more precisely, shocked. Peeping Tom’s premiere was already foreshadowing the upcoming scandal, although shock quickly turned into a chorus of outrage, when the number of people who came to see the film, increased.
This paper attempts to take a brief look at the Peeping Tom scandal, seeking to illustrate what kind of film it actually is and why it aroused such indignation in 1960. That is why, after this introduction, a short summary of the film’s main story is provided in order to outline the most important items of its plot, in particular those points which brought about the ensuing scandal. After that, a series of press reviews contemporary of the first performance of Peeping Tom demonstrate how rigorously critics rejected the film. The main part of this paper then explains why exactly the film unleashed such a scandal, exemplified by some of its most important scenes. The final portion of this paper is a section about the censorship forced on the film, and its aftermath, followed by a brief conclusion, summarizing the results.
