Joaquim da Silva Fontes, Significação e Estabilidade do Género no ...

contorted Expressionistic grimace, immediately following the previously analysed use of
his hand.
In all these films, the hands are an important expressive device, simultaneously part
of the body and the source of creativity. In Scarlet Street the particular hand that creates
notable paintings is at the same time that part of the body which is going to kill. Either as
symbolic of erotic touch or of violent gesture, the applications of the hand in Fritz Lang’s
movies are manifold. In the case of Scarlet Street, there seems to be a major concern with
the kind of function the hand has in Freudian psychoanalysis, in the sense that Chris’s
emotional and sexual balance is obtained through the works of his hands as a painting
artist.
2.1.1.2 Against the Clock
Scarlet Street opens with a testimonial dinner given in honour of Christopher Cross
to celebrate the twenty-five years of loyal dedication to his boss and commitment to his
work. This silver jubilee commemoration brings to light the total submission of a man
whose work and faithfulness to it are (condescendingly) acknowledged by his co-workers
and especially by his boss, J.J. Hogarth. At the end of the dinner, in a room filled with
smoke from cigars and cigarettes, Mr Hogarth stands up and says: “Boys, I’ve had the time
of my life tonight. And speaking of time, I have here [he gets a gold chain watch out of his
right trouser pocket] a 14-carat jewel timepiece, and that’s just right because the man I’m
giving it to is a 14-carat jewel cashier”. The idea of “faithfulness” is further stressed by the
message engraved inside the watch: “To my friend Christopher Cross in token of twentyfive
years of faithful service from J.J. Hogarth. 1909-1934.” Cross can only thank him and
add: “I hardly know what to say (…). All I can say is that we’ve got the best boss in New
York”.
The gold watch expresses more than just a powerful metaphor of temporal
servitude, underlying Chris’s individual psychology. It obviously represents the time
ticking away (a quarter of a century), marking the fact that Chris has been trapped in his
cashier’s cage for far too long. On looking at it, the watch seems to swing back and forth,
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