The Killer Without a Face —“Blind POV” and Character Formation in Richard Fleischer’s See No Evil

Abstract

This paper uses the suture theory as an analytical tool to elucidate the mechanism of character formation (and its failure) by analyzing a cryptic shot in Richard Fleischer’s See No Evil (1971). Film theorists have regarded the suture theory as a process of suturing space through an intersection of the eyes of people both on- and off-screen. However, this definition should be expanded to include the mechanism by which characters are formed.

Scholars and critics have commended this film as it creates suspense in an invisible manner. They nevertheless have overlooked a cryptic underwater shot that captures Jacko from below at the climax, which is ironic since the character being strangled is blind, thus relating to the invisibility of violence and death. In my discussion, I characterize this shot as a “Blind POV,” indicating the “point of view” of the blind protagonist, Sarah. Furthermore, the killer’s boots and Jacko’s face never appear in the same shot, as he takes off his boots before the climax. This generates a split between the boots and Jacko’s face, that is, a split of “body suture,” so Jacko does not explicitly embody the character of the killer. Jacko’s reflection is visible in a mirror on-screen when he sneaks up on Sarah from off-screen. His face is a signifier depicting an invisible murderer’s face, which remains in the absent field (off-screen). Finally, I suggest that his face goes beyond being a signifier of absence (off-screen) and exposes an absence (nothingness) in the underwater shot.