The Field of Vision as a Realm of Power; Representation of Police Surveillance Mechanisms in the Modern Metropolis (Case Study: The Devil’s Day (1994) and The Devil’s Hand (1981))

Doregiraei, Nastaran; Sayyad, Alireza

doi:10.22034/rpa.2025.2061462.1156

The Field of Vision as a Realm of Power; Representation of Police Surveillance Mechanisms in the Modern Metropolis (Case Study: The Devil’s Day (1994) and The Devil’s Hand (1981))

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Nastaran Doregiraei ¹ ^¶

Alireza Sayyad ²

¹ MA in Cinema Studies, Department of Cinema, Faculty of Cinema and Theatre, Iran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

² Associate Prof, Department of Cinema, Faculty of Cinema and Theatre, Iran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/rpa.2025.2061462.1156

Abstract

Michel Foucault, the French thinker and historian, in his studies on the emergence of disciplinary power, examined how disciplinary mechanisms permeated the management methods of modern institutions by drawing on the surveillance model of the Panopticon prison. He identifies surveillance as one of the fundamental pillars of modern societies, ensuring the formation of docile and normalized individuals. Surveillance cinema, as an expanding field of academic inquiry, builds upon Foucault’s theories to explore both the aesthetics of surveillance and the new logics of representation they generate. This study focuses on two Iranian films—The Devil’s Day (1994) and The Devil’s Hand (1981)—to analyze the portrayal of police surveillance and mechanisms of control in their narratives. First, the theoretical framework of surveillance discourse is outlined, drawing on Foucault’s thought and the concept of the Panopticon. Then, the relationship between the cinematic medium and the phenomenon of surveillance is examined from multiple perspectives. Each film is subsequently analyzed to clarify how Panopticon surveillance is represented, how new technologies are employed, and how complex identity-related tensions are depicted. The findings indicate that these two works, as examples of surveillance cinema, portray the intricate relationship between technology, power, and identity within their specific socio-political contexts.

Keywords

The Devil’s Hand

The Devil’s Day

Police Surveillance

Michel Foucault

Panopticon

Cristina Vatulescu

Subjects