SSC Film Studies

"contrary to the more frequent disembodiment of the male voice in cinema, the female voice is restricted to the realm of the body. This amounts to keeping it outside discourage. The female voice can hardly reach a signifying position in language, meaning or power and is hence all too easily reduced to screams, babble or silence dominant cinema"

(Anneke Smelik, The Cinema Book, p946)

in this scene we see Natalie being very cruel as she manipulates Lenard by abusing his mental condition. at first she raises her voice and starts arguing with Lenard. she goes on to calling his wife a "fucking whore" and calls Lenard "a fucking retard". This is contrary of Smelik's quote as he says "the female voice is restricted" and that "the female voice can hardly reach a signifying position" as her voice is clearly not restricted because she raises it and uses it to manipulate Lenard and it reaches a signifying position because it leads to Lenard punching her in the face.

After Lenard punches her in the face and she comes back in because Lenard forgot who she is she starts talking softly and comes across as a vulnerable female character who has just been attacked or abused. This reflects Smeliks quote more as she lowers her voice and speaks softly therefor showing its 'restricted'.