Controversial Film: The Freaks

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Joan Hawkin analyzes Tod Browning’s film called the Freaks, which was known to be a controversial film. The film drew a lot of negative attention for having “freaks” as the main focus of the film. However, Hawkin explains that there are a lot more things happening within the movie. The film was about Hans, a man with a disability, a disability of being short and small. Almost child-like, he falls in love with an able-body, good looking woman named Cleopatra, or what Hans like to call her, “big people.” His lover Frieda tried to stop Hans and warn him that Cleo is after his fortune and not love. Hans refuses to believe her and eventually marries Cleo, who is in fact after his wealth with her real lover Hercules. Cleo eventually poisons Hans, and Hans catches on. Hans and the rest of his friends/family, or “freaks” eventually plots revenge to get back at Cleo and her wrong doings. Part of their revenge was for her taking advantage of Hans and toying with him. The other part was because …show more content…
First, she points out how patriarchy exists within those who serves the circus show. Even if they are “freaks,” they still systematically fall another this structure. The fact that Hans want to show, and try to prove to others that he is a real man, like those “big people,” is what makes it evident, according to Hawkin. The women in the film must obliged and must be submissive to those who are men. This can be seen on how Hans treat Frieda, and Hercules on Venus. Because this structure of patriarchy is so strong, when Cleo sexuality humiliates Hans, it affects him severely. He feels as though he needs to prove to Cleo and the rest that he is a man, he is the dominant one and not Cleo. Cleo’s remark of her not being a freak creates a paradoxical scene of her becoming one. This could also be a metaphor to show the audience that being disabled or a “freak” comes with social constructs that are applied to their lives on the
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