Examining Camera Techniques in Hitchcock

8/20/2019 Examining Camera Techniques in Hitchcock

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Hitchcock Films

Known to his audiences, both past and present, as the "Master of Suspense", Sir Alfred Joseph

Hitchcock directed more than fifty films during a career which spanned more than six decades.

His tales of murder and mystery, told with intelligent plots and witty dialogue, inspired a new

generation of filmmakers and revolutionized the thriller genre. Despite being considered the best

filmmaker of all time, the legendary director never won an Oscar for his work, despite being

nominated several times. The only Hitchcock film to win an Academy Award, "Rebecca", was not

actually awarded to the man himself.

Hitchcock began his career in the era of silent film. Between 1925 and 1929, he made nine silent

feature films including: The Pleasure Garden; The Mountain Eagle; Downhill; The Lodger; Easy

Virtue; The Ring; Champagne; The Farmer's Wife and; The Manxman. Unfortunately, some of these

no longer exist.

Hitchcock had, in 1929, the honour of being the director of England's first talking film. "Blackmail" is

the story of a young woman who, after killing her attempted rapist, finds herself caught between a

blackmailer and the investigating detective ‐ her boyfriend.

During the 1930's, Hitchcock was to direct, and often write, a further twelve films in his British

homeland. One of these "The Man Who Knew Too Much" from 1934 was later remade by Hitchcock

himself in 1956. Many believe the original was the better version.

"The Lady Vanishes" (1938) is still considered some of Hitchcock's best work. This clever and fast‐

paced film centres around a young woman pitched into a dizzying web of intrigue in her search for a

kindly old Englishwoman, who disappears while onboard a train. The plot is set in the fictitious

country of Vandrika, which is a thinly‐veiled depiction of Nazi Germany.

In 1939, Hitchcock and his family made the move to Hollywood where the second, and by far, most

successful phase of his lucrative career was to begin.

The 1940's saw the production of yet another twelve movies. The most notable of these were

"Rebecca" and

"Shadow

of

a Doubt."

"Rebecca" Hitchcock's first American film is a psychological thriller, starring Laurence Olivier, Joan

Fontaine and Judith Anderson. The plot centres around a young woman (who is never named) who

marries an aristocratic widower but feels that she lives in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca,

who died in mysterious circumstances.

Hitchcock made his signature cameo appearance in a phone box toward the end of the film.

The release of Rebecca was delayed to give it a chance at the 1940 Academy Awards, the 1939

awards to

be

dominated

by

Gone

With

The

Wind.

Rebecca

was

nominated

for

a total

of

nine

Oscars,


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including Best Director, but won only two, Best Picture and Best Cinematography.

"Shadow of a Doubt" (1943) was Hitchcock's personal favourite of all of his films, which is why I

considered it a necessary inclusion here. In this, the young Charlotte, suspects and then confirms,

that her favourite Uncle Charlie, is the "merry widow murderer" a notorious serial killer.

The 1950's were a golden decade for Hitchcock, releasing some of his most famous, most loved and

most enduring films during this time. Most notable during this time were:

"Rear Window" (1954) One of the most stylish thrillers, this film was shot entirely in or within view

of the window of one apartment. In it, a wheelchair‐bound photographer uses his binoculars to spy

on his neighbours, unwittingly discovering a possible murder in the process.

"To Catch A Thief" (1955) Starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, this film had one of the wittiest scripts

of all,

loaded

with

double

‐entendres.

Grant's

character,

a retired

thief,

is

the

prime

suspect

in

a

series of cat burglaries.

"Vertigo" (1958) This haunting, dream‐like thriller, is one of the most discussed of Hitchcock's works.

However, on its release it actually met with poor box office sales and negative reviews. Vertigo is the

story of a retired police investigator, who after being hired to tail a woman develops a deadly

obsession with her.

"North By Northwest" (1959) A Madison Avenue advertising executive is mistaken for a double agent

and chased across the country by spies who take every opportunity to try to kill him. This is

Hitchcock at

his

best

producing

a comedy

and

a thriller

which

delivers

scene

after

memorable

scene.

The next two decades saw a decline in the number of films by the prolific director but certainly not a

decline in quality or popularity. Two of Hitchcock's most famous, even notorious films were released

during this time: "Psycho" in 1960 and, "The Birds" in 1963.

"Psycho" Who hasn't heard the piercing violin shrieks that dominate the unprecedented violence of

the shower scene? That sound alone is enough to produce shivers. With the disturbed killer

extinguishing lives without care and the heroine of the piece meeting an early demise, this has

become the prototype for the countless horror films to have followed.

"The Birds" A woman is terrorized by a flock of birds making violent attacks in an isolated

community. The reason for the birds attacking was never revealed, adding to the mystery and the

fear.

Alfred Hitchcock died in 1980, an inductee to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hall

of fame, a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and, most importantly, the creator

of some of the best know, and most loved films of all time.


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Examining Camera Techniques in

Hitchcock's North by Northwest

In Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest , techniques such as camera distance, camera

movement and editing all contribute to the visual structure, suspense and narrative of the film.

The camera distance and movement present the viewer with a sense of compositional space while

the editing emphasizes dramatic focus, establishes a certain tempo and allows the viewer to follow

the story in a logical manner.

In one particular scene early in the film, the camera views Roger Thornhill, the protagonist, entering

the building through an extreme long shot. Although Thornhill cannot be clearly identified, the

viewer assumes that Thornhill has entered the building.

However, in the next long shot, the viewer can now clearly make out Thornhill with his blue suit as

he enters the lobby room.

After Thornhill enters the lobby, the camera follows him to the front desk. Hitchcock's use of the

long shot gives the viewer a sense of the environment around the subject or focal point of the shot.

The viewer identifies the location of the scene as well as the other background action occurring at

the moment.

As he reaches the front desk, Hitchcock cuts to a medium shot to center the action between

Thornhill and the secretary. A medium shot here allows the viewer to focus on the conversation

between Thornhill

and

the

secretary.

Thornhill

asks

the

secretary

if

he

could

see

Mr.

Townsend

as

the camera slowly pans back toward the front of the lobby to show the presence of the villain

waiting to take part in the action.

While the viewers to begin to recognize the villain, the camera tracks in to give the audience a closer

look. Hitchcock's camera movement allows the viewer to clearly locate the two significant

characters‐Thornhill and the villain‐as well as their locations.

Throughout the middle of the scene, the camera uses little variation in its distance and movement.

The

entire

conversation

between

Thornhill

and

Mr.

Townsend

consists

of

medium

shots

with

no

camera movement. Hitchcock used the medium shot and medium close‐up as an appropriate

conversational distance; the viewer can focus on the conversation between Thornhill and Mr.

Townsend without becoming distracted with other background or side action.

Toward the end of the scene, camera distance and movement are once again used to define the

space and action of the shot. When the villain hits Mr. Townsend in the back with the knife, the

camera tracks back and cranes down from a medium close‐up to a long shot.

Hitchcock's camera movement gives the audience a sense of space as the people waiting in the

lobby begin

to

surround

the

tragedy

in

the

center

of

the

room.

When

the

spectators

in

the

lobby

accuse Thornhill of the crime, he frantically runs out of the lobby. Hitchcock uses panning to follow


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Thornhill out of the room.

In the final shot, Hitchcock uses an extreme long shot with an extreme high angle (bird's eye view) to

give the audience a sense of location as he shows Thornhill running out of the building.

Hitchcock varies his use of editing throughout the scene to clarify the narrative and to represent the

character relationships. I

n the first few shots, Hitchcock uses the basic cut to focus the action. In the third shot, as Thornhill

reaches the secretary's desk, the shot cuts to the action at the desk in order to focus the audience's

attention on the conversation between Thornhill and the secretary.

In shots five and six, Hitchcock uses cross‐cutting to go back and forth between the action at the

desk and the villain in the doorway. Cross‐cutting communicates to the viewer that both actions are

occurring simultaneously;

while

Thornhill

asks

the

secretary

to

speak

with

Mr.

Townsend,

the

villain

hides patiently preparing to execute his crime.

During the discussion between Thornhill and Mr. Townsend in shots 7‐11, Hitchcock uses shot‐

reverse shot as a style of editing for conversational shots. The camera shoots over the shoulder of

one subject, focusing clearly on the other subject.

In the ninth shot, Hitchcock quickly switches the camera in the middle of Mr. Townsend's sentence

from Thornhill's reaction back to Mr. Townsend's question. Hitchcock shows the facial expressions

and reactions of both characters by quickly switching back and forth between each character.

The shot‐reverse shot sequence ends when Mr. Townsend asks Thornhill, "Now, Mr. Kaplan,

suppose you tell me who you are and what you want."

The director cuts back to both men in the picture. When Thornhill takes out a picture and asks Mr.

Townsend, "Do you know this man?" the villain strikes Mr. Townsend in the back with a knife.

As the traumatic music beings to play, Hitchcock uses a montage sequence to emphasize the

dramatic focus

of

the

event.

In

shots

15

and

16,

the

camera

quickly

cuts

first

to

show

the

reactions

of a group of people sitting at a table and then cuts to the reactions of the three secretaries as they

stand up to bear witness to the ghastly event.

Hitchcock uses this montage sequence to emphasize the drama of the murder and show the facial

expressions of the horrified witnesses.

Alfred Hitchcock's camerawork and editing techniques provide the viewer with a clear visual and

narrative structure as well as a sense of the mood of the scene while creating drama and suspense of

the action.


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What Modern Filmmakers Can Learn from

Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

is

a master

of

suspense,

and

his

films

are

unparalleled

by

any

modern

‐day

director.

There have been no directors before and none since that can create such a level of suspense without

employing cheap tactics or without coming off as evidently trying too hard.

Hitchcock movies were created in a time when you couldn't rely on great special effects to bring a

movie to life with bad or non‐existent plot. In a way, this almost worked toward Hitchcock's

advantage. A good example of this is evident in his iconic film Psycho. Since he couldn't show a

brutal stabbing, he used peripheral shots of blood falling on the shower floor or her hand grasping at

the wall and screaming. Nowadays, a brutal stabbing is the least of what you should expect to see in

a murder thriller. Too many directors focus on making a stabbing look gory and realistic, and they

ignore aspects

of

the

story

that

make

a film

truly

suspenseful.

Another lesson to be learned from Hitchcock films is that suspense does not always have to come

from impending danger. A film like Hitchcock's Rear Window keeps you on the edge of your seat by

just giving you a glimpse of something that maybe you're not supposed to be watching. Making the

audience feel like they're doing something they shouldn't be doing can be suspenseful, even if there

is no source of danger, just the crazy notion that your neighbor might have done something horrible.

Hitchcock succeeds at tapping into different emotions in the audience that can create fear and

anxiety.

That

is

another

area

in

which

Hitchcock

excelled

and

modern

directors

fail

at.

Hitchcock

films create a general air of suspense. Modern films focus on giving you jumpy moments, which can

be great for one or two seconds, but after that you are too removed from the movie. Hitchcock uses

the camera to really bring you into the film and to the edge of your seat.

It is hard to get through a Hitchcock film without feeling uneasy and often, more like completely

anxious. Your average suspense film in modern day can only aspire to do even half that. Modern

thriller directors could really benefit from studying the master of suspense. With our current

technology, realism in movies can perfectly complement a well crafted fearful mood. But it is

important to emphasize the creation of anxiety to create a successful suspense classic, and that is

something

that

no

one

has

ever

done

better

than

Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock: Revolutionary of

Modern Day Film

At the turn of the century when film was being born, so was one of the greatest directors of all time.

Known by many as the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock revolutionized filmmaking during his

expansive fifty‐year


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career. Sadly enough, although extremely influential, Hitchcock would never win a single Academy

Award for his outstanding directing ability; however, Alfred Hitchcock's ideas and techniques

changed filmmaking during its most pivotal years and for generations to come.

After making his first successful film in 1926, The Lodger, Alfred Hitchcock established himself as a

premier director. It wasn't until he came to Hollywood that he would make the films that changed

motion picture history. Before he made Shadow of a Doubt in 1943, the usual villains were portrayed

as men dressed in black, with an ugly face, horrifying features, and a gothic demeanor. Hitchcock

changed this persona as he brought menace into a small town. He also revealed that someone you

love may have done terrible things or may have a dark past. His villain no longer matched the profile

of the pre‐established antagonist. Hitchcock used a good looking, charming man, with intrigue who

came from an All‐American family. Audiences would never think that this man would be a vicious

killer. To this day, more and more films are being made with this notion that anyone can be the bad

guy no

matter

what

they

look

like

or

how

they

act.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s Hitchcock would begin to experiment with film and the elements in

those films. In 1946 he made Notorious, a World War II espionage film

starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Notorious would be the first time that Hitchcock would use

a MacGuffin, an object that has importance to the on‐screen characters and story but has no

relevance to the audience. This technique gave the audience an omniscient presence knowing more

than the characters on‐screen. In Rope (1948), Hitchcock used twelve unedited takes to portray real

time which would be edited in a perfect linear format that would have the film take place in exactly

the same amount of time equal to the film's duration. The film would also take place on only one

set. In Strangers On a Train (1951) he would use light versus dark to differentiate his characters and

would be the first time he used the plot of good versus evil. Through the rest of the 1950s he would

make his most memorable films: Dial M for Murder (1954), which was filmed in 3‐D, Rear Window

(1955), The Trouble With Harry (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), To Catch a Thief

(1957), 'Vertigo' (1958), and North by Northwest (1959), but it wasn't until 1960 that he made his

most memorable and influential film.

Psycho (1960) was an unprecedented film that revolutionized the industry as well as how audiences

forever viewed movies. Hitchcock urged patrons not to arrive late. Before Psycho was released,

audiences would show up and leave at any point during the film with no worries about missing any

information. Hitchcock stated that it was necessary to be there from the beginning to get the full

effect. If someone arrived late they would not understand the film. As the audience watches the first

half of the film, they are drawn into a story of embezzlement and deceit. They follow Marion Crane

(Janet Leigh) as she steals money from her boss and flees Phoenix, Arizona on her way to California.

The film takes a sudden halt when the audience is amazed and bewildered to see the main character

killed off during the immortal shower scene. Never before had a main character been killed so early

in a film. This change allowed Hitchcock to use yet another technique new to audiences. He was able


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to steer the audience into changing their allegiance from Marion, the main character, to Norman

Bates (Anthony Perkins), the son of a murdering mother. As he uses this technique, no one in the

audience suspects that Norman could be a killer. In fact, audience members hope for him to succeed

in covering up his mother's dirty deeds. As the film progresses, Hitchcock puts more fear in the

minds of the audience than on the screen itself. There are fewer murders towards the end; however,

the mental suspense he creates is what makes the film so horrifying. He takes the entire audience on

a rollercoaster ride that ends with the knowledge that Norman is actually a split personality of

himself and his mother and that they are the killer. After Psycho, Hitchcock reached heights of

international stardom he never expected.

Though he would never win an Academy Award for directing, he was honored in 1979 by receiving

the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Alfred

Hitchcock was an amazing and

brilliant director with a style of film direction that was never thought of or imagined in his time. He

set guidelines

and

revolutionized

modern

day

filmmaking,

including

the

Hitchcockian

style

of

film,

clearly named after him. From the mid 1920s to the mid 1970s there was no other director like him.

He set standards and for fun and humor he always made sure that he had a cameo in every film.

Francois Trauffant once stated that "Hitchcock not only intensified cinema, he intensified life".

Written by:

J Berg

Alfred Hitchcock and the Mainstreaming of

Gay Characters in the Movies

Among the many reasons to watch an Alfred Hitchcock film is that few other directors of the period

featured so many homosexual characters in major roles. Some might well say that Hitchcock should

be taken to task since most of his gay characters were also villains, but the flip side of that argument

is that

those

characters

also

happen

to

be

the

most

interesting.

Consider

how

much

more

memorable the Martin Landau character is than the James Mason character in North by Northwest.

Landau's character was probably an inspiration for the Smithers character on The Simpsons. Many‐

including those in the gay community‐will say that contemporary depictions of "outed" gay

characters in so many movies and TV shows today is proof that homosexuals are finally entering the

mainstream. I would counter that today's gays are introduced specifically because of their

homosexuality and so represent a step backward. The gay characters in Alfred Hitchcock's movies

were not written so as to introduce a multicultural element nor do they exist in order to provide

easy access to characterization and jokes. In fact, none of the gay characters in Hitchcock's movies

are explicitly presented as homosexual. And that makes all the difference. For you see, they are

people first

and

gay

second.


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Aside from the obsequious and slightly perverse character that Martin Landau plays in North by

Northwest the most obviously gay characters in the Hitchcock canon are Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca,

Norman Bates in Psycho and, my favorite Hitchcock character of all time, Bruno in Strangers on a

Train. Of course, there are many others and you might even make an argument that such big time

characters as Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt is gay. Yes, it is quite obvious that psychologically

Hitchcock was a homophobe of the biggest type; every single one of these characters is not only gay,

but psychotic. But, like I said, they are also the most interesting people in their respective movies.

Mrs. Danvers has long been established as a lesbian and it was probably pretty obvious even to most

moviegoers when Rebecca came out. Much like the Landau character, Mrs. Danvers is a bit overly

committed to her boss, Rebecca. There is certainly much more of a lesbian element in the novel and

quite clearly Hitchcock had to take a step back from that in making a movie in 1940, but there is no

questioning that Mrs. Danvers' love for Rebecca runs deeper than is openly discussed. It is also quite

obvious from Rebecca's slutty qualities that men for her were just toys to play with her pleasure.

Never for a moment think that Mrs. Danvers was a Smithers, plunging into the waters of unrequited

love.

Norman Bates is a bit tougher to make the argument for according to some people. Those who

doubt that Norman Bates is meant to be homosexual point to his habit of peeping in on female

showers. But the important thing is what Norman Bates does after he watches the unfortunate

Marion Crane get naked. That murderous impulse to drive a knife into her sweet white flesh over

and over again is not the psychological reaction that a heterosexual person would have. If Norman

Bates were a heterosexual in that situation, you can bet that Marion Crane's body would not have

disappeared without some of his semen inside her. But there was no sexual assault; it was all

venomous self

‐hatred

that

Norman

Bates

expressed

in

that

motel

bathroom.

As famous as Norman Bates is and as popular as Norman Bates is, I contend that he is far from the

greatest character‐much less the greatest gay character‐to appear in an Alfred Hitchcock film. That

honor simply has to go to Bruno in Strangers on a Train, played to the hilt by Robert Walker in what

is far and away his greatest performance. Strangers on a Train is Robert Walker's show; Farley

Granger is certainly good in his own way as the typical Hitchcock character who finds himself

trapped in a web of deceit not of his own making, but there is no questioning that without Walker's

titanic performance‐the fact he didn't nab an Oscar is one of the all‐time great Academy Awards

crimes‐Strangers on a Train would be one terrific little thriller, but nowhere near the masterwork it

is.

You know the story. If you haven't seen Strangers on a Train, then you've seen it in Throw Momma

from the Train or one of its other dozens of incarnations. Two strangers meet and discuss the perfect

murder. One puts forth the idea that the perfect scenario for a murder would be two people with no

connections to each other agreeing to off the object of the other's misery. The result would appear

to be the bane of the police: a murder without motive. Robert Walker plays a wealthy gadabout with

terrific shoes who meets tennis star Farley Granger on a train. The discussion is theoretical for

Granger who just want to get rid of Walker. But Walker's Bruno leaves the train assuming the

agreement is set. And therein lies the rub of this well‐plotted tale of suspense.

There is, as usual, nothing overt to suggest that Bruno is a homosexual. If made today, the


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filmmakers would go to great pains to show Bruno's lustful hunger for the Granger character. That is

the difference between movies made today and long ago. Despite all the alleged sophistication of

today's movies where anything goes and there is no censorship, the fact is that when limitations

were imposed filmmakers were forced to be more creative. How much more artful it is that

audiences aren't hit over the head with Bruno's sexuality. It accomplishes two things: The first is that

Bruno's gay qualities are not the driving force behind his personality. The second is that audiences

are forced to work and think. Subtlety is a lost art in the cinema today. With everything spelled out,

audiences today are actually far more confused by difficult films than they used to be. Witness the

almost universal criticism of Syriana, a movie that can hardly be described as difficult‐in comparison

to a movie made by Godard or Bunuel, for instance‐but does possess just enough subtlety that

people actually had to connect the dots themselves.

Film representations of homosexuals have no doubt become more plentiful as well as more explicit

in recent decades. But I do wonder if that's a good thing. The ability to portray gay sex scenes and

the gay

culture

so

unambiguously

hasn't

really

resulted

in

making

homosexuality

more

mainstream

and accepted. How many people would studiously avoid Strangers on a Train if they knew going in

that there was an explicit homosexual sex scene? Now, consider how many people over the decades

have watched Strangers on a Train, or Rebecca, or Psycho without even realizing they were watching

movies with major characters who are gay? That's what I call mainstream.

Hitchcock Film Analysis: Vertigo, Psycho,

and the BirdsThis investigation seeks to evaluate the films Vertigo, The Birds and Psycho, all directed by Alfred

Hitchcock, and how the success of these films show his effect on pop culture. The first component of

this paper outlines Hitchcock's techniques in the three films and describes how he used the

techniques to instill fear. The reaction and degree of success to these films is measured through the

impact of these techniques, the number of ticket sales, and the similarities between these three

films and the horror films of today. Several sources are used in this research paper, including The

Horror Film and the Alfred Hitchcock Interviews. These sources are then evaluated by discussing

their

origins,

purpose,

value

and

limitations.

I

will

also

view

the

films

Vertigo,

The

Birds,

and

Psycho,

to evaluate the techniques used and to gain a better understanding of his work.

B. SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE

In a 1972 interview with the American Film Institute, Hitchcock stated that, in his films, he sought "to

handle the material so as to create an emotion in the audience." Hitchcock's movies are teemed

with techniques used to instill fear within the audience. For example, when Psycho first came out, no

one was allowed to enter the theater after the movie had started (this was unusual during the

1960s). In a 1963 interview with Ian Cameron, he said, "I'm more interested in the technique of story

telling by

means

of

film

rather

than

in

what

the

film

contains."

As

the

director

and

often

times

the


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producer, Hitchcock used every factor to his advantage, from the sound and camera angles, to the

setting and circumstances surrounding the situation.

Vertigo was released in 1958 and starred James Stewart and Kim Novak. The story involves Stewart

playing "Scottie" a retired detective who has an obsession with a woman, played by Novak, and a

fear of

heights.

Vertigo

is

"a

sensation

of

irregular

or

whirling

motion,

either

of

oneself

or

of

external

objects" . Scottie experiences this when he is faced with heights. To convey this state of dizziness,

Hitchcock used camera movements to exaggerate the distance from the top of a bell‐tower. He later

explained that this was done by "dollying in and zooming out." At the time, this was considered a

new special effect. The vibrant color of the film also increased its appeal.

Another Hitchcock masterpiece was The Birds, with Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor. Hitchcock

described the theme of the film as "too much complacency in the world: that people are unaware

that catastrophe surrounds us all." Even though the monsters were only birds, it still terrified

audiences with its everyday scenario. The most notable scare tactic is sound. Although Hitchcock

integrated several other effects such as animation, it is the orchestrated sound effects that top it off.

The soundtrack, composed by Bernard Hermann, is an eerie compilation of deadly silence and

electronic bird noises. Hitchcock explains the silences as "a sort of monotonous low hum" that

meant, in bird language, "we're not ready to attack you yet, but we're getting ready."

The MacGuffin is defined as "refer to an item, event, or piece of knowledge that the characters in a

film consider extremely important, but which the audience either doesn't know of or doesn't care

about." Basically, the MacGuffin is something that the story line is built upon, but it has no

significant purpose. The MacGuffin is a technique in Hitchcock's development of the plot in many of

his films,

but

its

use

is

perfected

in

none

other

than

Psycho.

Released

in

1960,

the

film

featured

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates and Janet Leigh as Marion. Bates is a shy, taxidermist, who is

controlled by his domineering mother and runs the Bates Hotel. Marion is famously killed off early

on, which sets the tone for the rest of the film. In the first half, the movie centers on the $40,000

that Marion stole. Yet when the movie is over, that money is the last thing on the audience's mind.

The MacGuffin was the money, but it was only needed to shift the setting to the Bates Hotel.

Hitchcock did this to throw the audience off track and make the impact of Bates' psychotic actions

tenfold.

C. EVALUATION OF SOURCES

The Horror Film was written by Peter Hutchings and was published in 2004. Hutchings works at

Northumbria University as a senior lecturer of Film Studies. In the preface, he explains that his book

deals with longstanding issues in horror films such as "genre definition, the role played by the

monster, the uses (and abuses) of psychoanalytical theory in horror analysis, the extent to which

horror is preoccupied with questions of other‐ness and differences" (Hutchings, xii). The value of this

book is its recent publication in 2004. Hutching's book contains information of the most recent

developments in horror films and the text is written in contemporary language that I can

understand. Hutching's viewpoint has the advantage of an up‐to‐date perspective. The limitation of

this book, however, is its mindset. Perhaps the writer's analysis is too objective.

Hutchings defines "the" horror film with caution. He is careful to distinguish each component of the


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horror film. He develops his analysis through chapters like "The Sounds of Horror" and "Terror in the

Isles: Horror's audiences." While the breakdown of this genre is useful for a generic approach, I find

that he does not really concentrate on certain films. Not much information is provided about

Hitchcock's films besides a sentence or two in each chapter. The author pays attention to earlier

films like Dracula and Frankenstein, and the slasher films of the 70s, such as Texas Chainsaw

Massacre and the Halloween series; nothing really in between.

Sidney Gottlieb edited the Alfred Hitchcock Interviews. Gottlieb is one of the many editors in the

Conversations with Filmmakers Series. He has compiled several other director interviews for the

series. In the introduction, he explains that he "tried to cover Hitchcock's entire career" (Gottlieb, x).

The editor does so by including interviews from Hitchcock's early years in the 1920s to the late

1970s. The value of this book is that the reader is able to look at Hitchcock during different periods

of his careers, from when he was just starting out, to the years when he was declared a living legend.

The limitations to this book are very little; the interviews provide a look inside the very mind of

Alfred Hitchcock.

Gottlieb is very straightforward with the material he has gathered; no information is provided but

the interviews themselves. The lack of information is a little confusing at times, because one might

want to know the exact time, location, or circumstances surrounding each interview. Other than

that, this raw presentation of Hitchcock's words is a very refreshing approach and allows the reader

to identify with Hitchcock very easily.

D. ANALYSIS

When Vertigo

was

originally

released

in

1958,

it

was

not

a box

‐office

success.

Yet

Hitchcock's

development of the story and the techniques he used to make the film stand out to this day. Vertigo

has been attributed as one of his greatest achievements. It wasn't until Universal Pictures' re‐

released in 1983 that the film began to gather the acclaim it deserved. The American Film Institute

rated it #61 on their list of the 100 Greatest American Films.

Hitchcock's technique of combining both zooming in and dollying back in Vertigo has been imitated

in other movies such as Jaws and Evil Dead II. During the late 1950s, this camera movement was

considered a new special effect. The result was a spiraling staircase that heightened the dramatic

change in perspective and the sense of the character's fear of heights. This technique was just

another factor

that

drew

in

audiences.

The

distinct

style

of

Vertigo

distinguishes

itself

from

other

horror films at the time and the way Hitchcock scared people separates him from other directors. It

kept him ahead of the game, because no one else had used a technique like that before, and to this

day, Vertigo is credited as the first film that use the "dolly out, zoom in" camera technique. Modern

critics are impressed with the aesthetic quality of the film and applaud Hitchcock's development of

the characters.

It is in The Birds, that Hitchcock, yet again, cleverly uses a technique of his to scare the audience and

does so effectively. The use of sound in The Birds constantly switches, utilizing both noise and

silence.

Hitchcock

did

this

to

create

suspense

and

fear,

not

only

when

the

birds

were

attacking,

but

also when they weren't. The idea of fear arising from an everyday occurrence (encountering birds)


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terrified audiences in 1963. Hitchcock also once said that it was the movie's "attack upon

complacency" that scared people the most. He did not use natural bird sounds. Instead, he

implemented "electronic re‐workings of bird sound", which worked even better to scare audiences.

It did very well at the box‐office, grossing over $11 million. Hitchcock's use of normal circumstances

added to the fear and potential reality of the film. The new concept of nature attacking provided a

basis for other films after its release. In the 1970s, there was a burst of nature's revenge films, such

as The Empire of the Ants in 1977, the Night of the Lepus in 1972 and The Bees in 1979. A sequel was

made in 1994, called The Birds II: Land's End. Mel Brooks parodied it in his 1978 film High Anxiety as

did Peter Greenaway in The Falls.

Psycho amassed a total of $32 million at the box‐office. It is Hitchcock's most well known film. There

are so many elements to Psycho that are easily identified by today's audiences. From the shrieking

violin music to the famous kill off of Janet Leigh's character to the insanity of Norman Bates. Psycho's

effect is still very much prevalent in our culture today. Hitchcock's coined term, MacGuffin, has been

used in several other movies like Pulp Fiction. The famous violin music is synonymous with terror,

and was even used in Finding Nemo to introduce a jokingly horrific 10‐year‐old girl. The shower

scene, where Janet Leigh's character is killed, has been parodied in films such as Scream 2 and

Looney Tunes: Back in Action. The movie itself has been remade twice, and there were two sequels

made in the 80s. The house where the 1998 remake was made still stands in Universal Studios for

tourists to see. Undoubtedly, Psycho has left its mark due to the ingenuity of Alfred Hitchcock.

E. CONCLUSION

Hitchcock has established a distinct style in each of his films. In Vertigo, he invented a visually

stunning picture

that

captured

the

audience's

attention.

His

use

of

camera

movements

and

color

marked a turning point in cinematography of the late 1950s. The aesthetic and haunting quality of

the film continually draw contemporary audiences to the ingenuity of the film. In the Birds,

Hitchcock used the sound of the birds, whether they were there or not, to scare audiences in a

whole new way. The combination of normalcy and unexpected terror ushered in new films that used

the same concepts but with different situations. In Psycho, Hitchcock introduced underlying themes

such as incest and necrophelia that shocked audiences, along with Norman Bates' shared personality

with his mother.

Hitchcock's techniques he used to develop his films not only make them famous but they still

fascinate people.

His

effect

on

pop

culture

has

stood

strong

with

Vertigo,

The

Birds,

and

Psycho.

His

films have influenced directors such as Steven Speilberg and Francis Ford Coppola and his face is well

known in pop culture. Hitchcock's films will continue to be timeless classics because they were

before their time.

Alfred Hitchcock's Cult Classic Horror

Psycho

Marion Crane

is

in

love

with

Sam

Loomis,

her

boyfriend,

and

wants

to

get

married

but

they

need

money. She works at a real estate office in Arizona. One day a wealthy man pays cash for a house


13/62

and Marion is to deposit the cash at the bank. After a lot of thought, she decides to steal the money

and flees to Fairvale to be with Sam. On a particularly stormy night, Marion pulls over at the vacant

Bates Motel, where she meets Norman Bates, a troubled young man who is obsessed with his

mother.

First off, this is a perfect classic! Hitchcock's great, even at low‐budget. Anthony Perkins as Norman

Bates, just CANNOT be beat or reproduced! Perfect, every movement and nuance, every word,

perfect! J don't care about Hitchcock's great direction here because without Perkins, this movie

would be an exponentially‐less of a film without him. Janet Leigh, as Marion Crane, is great as well.

Not only is she sexy and beautiful but, her acting's great. Her smirk, while driving her car and hearing

voices, looks uncannily like Perkins' smile in the ending shots. It reminds me of Jack Nicholson's

insane smile in the car on the way up to the Overlook in "The Shining". Martin Balsam, as Det. Milton

Arbogast, is very good as well, the perfect detective actor. The name Arbogast is used in other

detective roles by other actors; it's just "detectivey":)

The plot starts out slow for the first third but it's necessary buildup to get us to Norman Bates. Once

there, it's almost all Anthony Perkins ‐ he steals the show. The plot isn't difficult to follow so don't

worry lovers of simple plots, be happy, rejoice! It's not of you get great results with this simple a

story. There's no flash, few special effects, so it relies on direction and characterization. Oh, one

truly exciting first is that Psycho shows, on camera, the first toilet ever seen on video ‐ and it flushes

as well!! I know, it took my breath away too!

There are great and inventive shots in this movie. Some are there just to cover up the gore and

nudity to get it up (no ideas guys!!) to the strict standards of the movie industry of the day. Rob

Zombie would

have

a heart

attack

if

he

had

to

follows

those

standards!

There

are

also

some

cool

shots besides that. One such shot is when one of Norman's victims falls backwards down the stairs,

very inventive.

Oh, one of the best features of this movie, besides Perkins, is the soundtrack. Everyone immediately

recognizes that shrill, ear‐piercing, screeching sound as being synonymous with shower scenes, as

much as the Jaws theme is to the ocean. A few simple notes and BAM! Instant classic which will

forever be remembered. But this isn't even the theme. The theme is memorable as well by many

horror fans but, not as well as the shower scene. Overall, the soundtrack makes this film several

times better than without. It's crucial to the drama and buildup of tension which is important to the

terror of

Norman

Bates

and

the

fleeing

of

Leigh's

character.

The atmosphere is almost all conveyed by Perkins and the music.

This is a 100% guaranteed must‐see for horror, Hitchcock, Perkins, Leigh, and drama fans! No buts

about it. 5/5 My only issue is that it's not very close to true story of Ed Gein but it bares some

semblance to him with the woman's clothes and his mother's chastisement of her son about girls.

Beyond that, it bares little semblance to Gein. Now part 4, totally messes up the Gein story with

mother/son screwed up relationship


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Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest: The

Significance of an Afterthought

Alfred Hitchcock

reigns

as

one

of

the

most

creative

and

talented

directors

in

the

history

of

cinema.

He is famous for his manipulation of the genres of suspense and horror and often approaches both

genres at a different, more shocking angle than any other directors of his time. His film, North by

Northwest, is an example of his manipulation of a viewer’s emotions of fear and anticipation. The

movie opens with, the star, Cary Grant’s Roger Thornhill in his natural element, the city.

From there, two mysterious men kidnap him and take him to the country, where the Townsend

Mansion is situated. Philip Vandamm, a foreign spy that deciphers American secrets, acts as Leonard

Townsend and proceeds to ask Thornhill a number of questions about his knowledge of government

affairs all while referring to him as George Kaplan, a fictional government agent. A confused

Thornhill refuses

to

comply

with

Vandamm’s

call

of

obedience

and

information

and

is

fed

a bottle

of

bourbon in hopes that when he is placed in a car, he will drive himself off a cliff.

Thornhill manages to get himself arrested for driving while intoxicated. Thornhill then spends the

rest of the movie attempting to find out the source of Townsend’s, or rather Vandamm’s, interest in

George Kaplan and how the beautiful woman he met on the train, Eve Kendall, plays a role in the

entire mystery. The mysterious and sketchy undertones in the acting remind the viewers that every

character holds a secret. The acting also emphasizes the mood of suspense created by the story and

action. However, in North by Northwest, Hitchcock places more weight on the editing and camera

angles

within

a

shot

rather

than

acting.

Since Hitchcock is known for being a formalistic director, he places less emphasis on the actor’s

contribution to the shot. One of the key scenes, the crop duster scene, in North by Northwest, is

devoid of all dialogue. Instead, the scene derives suspense from the editing. Thornhill spends seven

minutes trying to save himself from the rogue crop duster that is trying to kill him. The plane dips

and weaves, all while shooting chemicals and bullets that are meant to be deadly for Thornhill. The

shots, at some points flashes to expressions of fear on Thornhill’s face, but the placement of the

plane, often headed straight for the camera, overpowers Thornhill’s expression.

The

camera

angles

within

the

crop

duster

scene

add

to

the

suspense

of

the

scene.

There

are

instances within the scene that the plane reaches normal altitude. During those long shots, when the

plane is only in the distance, the viewers, as well as Thornhill have a reprieve. The next instant, the

plane nosedives into the shot nearly taking off Thornhill’s arm or head. After that, the audience

doesn’t even have the chance to breathe a sigh of relief because bullets are raining down on

Thornhill from off the frame.

The camera cuts to a shot of the plane making a wide turn and returning for another round of

horror. For seven minutes straight, the camera is weaving and whirling as the plane does, creating

feelings of disorientation and apprehension. The audience never knows what the faceless villains

within the

plane

have

up

their

sleeves

next.


15/62

Although camera angles and placement within the shot during the crop duster scene elicit fear and

apprehension in the audience, Cary Grant’s facial expressions add to the suspense. Since the film

isn’t a stage production, the use of facial expressions becomes a subtle element in the scene. A

close‐up shot can zero in on Grant’s surprised expression as the plane makes a sudden turn and

heads straight for him once again. The shot can also accentuate Grant’s sigh of relief as the plane

passes overhead in a failed attempt to him harm. However, Hitchcock only uses Grant’s facial

expressions sparingly. Instead of having the acting become the key element of the scene, he prefers

to use the acting as a mirror of the audience’s feelings.

Since Hitchcock considered editing the defining element of a film, his use of acting as a means of

expression was subtle. He preferred to use cinematic techniques such as shots and placement to

instill anticipation in his viewers. Acting within his film usually seemed as if it had been considered

an after thought, often mirroring the audience’s sense of fear and anticipation only to confirm what

their feelings really were. For these reasons, Hitchcock became known as one of the most, if not

most, groundbreaking directors. His films continue to scare or confuse audiences today.

Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock

In connection with the upcoming Halloween season, credit for suspense should be given where

credit is due and to none other than the "Master of Suspense" Sir Alfred Hitchcock.The appropriate

stir of the macabre and the cryptic is in the air with Halloween coming soon and likely no better time

to pay tribute to mystery buffs and masters alike.

With regard to cinematography many people realize an all‐time master of course is Sir Alfred

Hitchcock (1899‐1980). Born in London, England, he was characterized by his austerity and

command of attention from the audience in famous films and television presentations. A film

director who lived until the age of 80, Alfred Hitchcock was a pioneer of suspense and thrillers,

nowadays we give credit to Stephen King. Hitchcock worked many aspects of cinema, from silent

film, to the black and white talking films and later evolving to color productions, including television.

He was married to Alma Reville and died in Bel Air, Los Angeles, Calif. on April 29, 1980. Cinema

experts describe his work as an arm of German Expressionism, a visual and time line comparative

might be the artist Eduard Munch whose famous work included "The Scream."

Famous actor Francois Trauffaut and producer Steven Spielberg brought top billing from "Close

Encounters of The Third Kind," later contemporaries influenced by Alfred Hitchcock. Certainly

science fiction was the next logical step after the explosive repercussions of earlier suspense and

thrillers.

In a span of six decades, Alfred Hitchcock directed as many as 50 feature films, the longest work 130

minutes, or just over two hours. "The Alfred Hitchcock Presents" television series aired from 1955 to

1965 usually for 60 minutes, reshows following for many years afterwards. Some of the stellar stars

included Cary

Grant,

Grace

Kelly

and

James

Stewart,

all

highly

visible

during

the

black

and

white

film

productions.


16/62

Sir Alfred utilized technique, compact dialogue, symbols and tools to elevate the level of suspense in

his features. Reeled camera shots were taken from a believable vantage point further convincing the

audience of immediate presence. Symbols created a sense of impendence, i.e., in one "Alfred

Hitchcock Presents" feature a man becomes tormented when he is unable to remember where he

buried someone, large hedges and the moon are viewed many times from different angles pre‐

empting the viewer to be just as stumped in knowing where the corpse is. In "The Birds" shot after

shot of different angles of flocks of crows become more impending as the birds move in closer

towards attack, increasingly chaotic to heighten the anxiety. "North by Northwest" shows a rooftop

and weathervane again and again at different times during the most heightened suspense as a visual

tag. In "The 39 Steps" the use of footsteps and repeated camera shots of stairs boost tension and

narrate the mystery. Most of these features and films were in black and white, many times at night,

and there was no doubt these films were suspense thrillers.

The movie "Rebecca" received an academy award for Best Picture. A master of human interraction,

Sir Alfred

builds

the

suspense

between

a second

wife

and

an

aloof

husband,

a predatory

housekeeper, and the hauntings of the beautiful late first wife "Rebecca." In watching this movie, my

suspense was wondering if the second wife was going to an afterlife as the first. How the first wife

died reaps suspense as a ticking clock. This feature film starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

The accompanying photograph is one of the classic perched crow signatures of Alfred Hitchcock. In a

series of shorter films for television, usually 50 to 60 minutes, included was the Hitchcock

introductory signature: the raising of suspense questions in the beginning, the director himself in a

black suit with a cigarette, sometimes a black crow roosting on his shoulder, and other times he

maintained only a profile while giving the introduction. The signature series also included a closing

and often

a dubious

question

was

proposed

at

the

end.

The

movies

and

productions

incorporated

musical portrayals, sounds of doom, faint to louder, etc., screeching birds, a scream in the night, and

the composer who receives credit is Louis Levy.

Top rated feature films included "Rebecca" receiving the Academy Award, "Lifeboat," "Spellbound,"

"Rear Window," "Psycho," and "Suspicion" other famous works for cinema. The television series

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" earned the Golden Globe Award. From that series the productions I

remember so many years later included "The 39 Steps," "Frenzy," "The Birds," "The Lady Vanishes,"

"Vertigo," "North by Northwest," and "The Man Who Knew Too Much." All of these were in black

and white and first rate. Dialogues were brief, compact and as direct and poignant as the visuals.

As a strange quirk for thought, Alfred Hitchcock is purported to despise eggs. After eating a poached

egg as a youth he continued to avoid eating them to a point of compulsion and appeared to develop

a phobia of eggs.

Any notable mystery buff organization celebrates Alfred Hitchcock. There is a current popular

organization Alfred Hitchcock Scholars, Hitchcock Magazine publications have been circulating for

many years and advertises at www.mysterynet.com. The magazine continues its imprint in 2007

with excellent mystery stories written by modern writers. Some stories take place in foreign

countries,

some

are

bent

towards

crime,

most

are

just

plain

scary.

Then

for

a

"horrific"

Halloween


17/62

consider an all‐night or weekend series of film showings including sci‐fi, suspense and Alfred

Hitchcock presentations.

Alfred Hitchcock's Lovely Leading Ladies

Alfred Hitchcock was cinema's Master of Suspense. His films range from subtle character studies like

Strangers

On

A

Train, to sci‐fi tinged nature gone wild speculation of The Birds to the most

powerfully shocking thriller ever, Psycho.

He justly gained reputation for plot twists where you'd least expect them. Additionally, the British

film auteur would become known consistently for captivating leading ladies. Nearly always blonde,

undeniably sexy and never only attractive window dressing or prop, these female leads helped drive

the action.

His movies delight as engaging, visually stimulating and a first time viewed film brings one back for

numerous looks. Much the same can be said about Hitchcock's Blondes.

Grace Kelly ‐ Rear Window, To Catch A Thief & Dial M For Murder

Grace Kelly represents a classic Alfred Hitchcock leading lady. She personifies Hitchcock's signature

of beauty, brains and a kind of mystical, royal elegance in female leads. When she marred Prince

Rainier of Monaco, it was Hollywood's loss, but the royal aura she convincingly projected was now

fully confirmed for all time.

Kelly and Gary Grant make a dynamic pair in To Catch A Thief , she's excellent as Ray Milland's wife

in Dial M For Murder , but my favorite remains Rear Window . The new hit film Disturbia, a Rear

Window update proves the story is irresistible and Jimmy Stewart and Kelly's on screen chemistry

keep us interested in between the murderous shenanigans of Raymond Burr. The film is often

regarded as one of Hitchcock's best and well known ‐ even The Simpsons produced a parody where

Bart breaks his leg, then watches life transpire around him from his bedroom window.

Kim Novak

‐Vertigo

Jimmy Stewart is paired again with a gorgeous co‐star here in Kim Novak and she's more mysterious

than perhaps any other Hitchcock leading lady ‐ or is that ladies?

Hitchcock not only layered on mystery and suspense, but by afflicting his lead with the Achilles' heel

of vertigo, it gave Stewart a three dimensionality rarely found in movie heroes of any era. Kim

Novak's presence becomes more and more complex, until we become as dizzy as Stewart's detective

character. Maybe more than any other Hitchcock Blonde, Novak burns a sultry quality amid her

tortured character's persona.

Eva Marie Saint ‐North By Northwest


18/62

Cary Grant co‐stars with Eva Marie Saint in Hitchcock's comic thriller that takes us on a journey both

physical and metaphorically. As a snobbish, almost spoiled blue blood ad executive, Grant's

character is almost unlikable at the movie's start. By the time he meets the intriguing, Eve Kendall,

not only are we rooting for him, but we'd follow him nearly anywhere.

Eva Marie Saint's Ms. Kendall walks a fine line herself. As a woman whose loyalty at times is unclear,

we're not sure what to make of her initially. Hollywood insiders were surprised at Hitchcock casting

Saint for the role, however her prim, no nonsense look coupled with her steely beauty were perfect

for the memorable double agent Kendall.

Tippi Hedren ‐The Birds & Marnie

The woman who fought birds off later become one of the most vocal defenders of wild life. Marnie

with Sean

Connery

was

interesting,

however

The

Birds is

Hedren's

signature

film.

Hedren's character Melanie Daniels starts the film full of energetic confidence, which by the end has

her reduced to a catatonic state. It's this emotional range which critics praised Hedren for, although

a deception by Hitchcock may have helped her attain it. Told that harmless mechanical birds would

be used for the attic attack scene, Hedren was expecting to have to summon fear. Instead, bird

wranglers tossed real birds at Tippi and the actress nearly had her eye gouged out by one.

Hedren is mother to actress Melanie Griffith and runs the Shambala Preserve, an 80 acre wildlife

animal preserve.

Janet Leigh ‐ Psycho

There's little chance for a spoiler. We know Marion Crane doesn't survive to see the end credits.

For a Hitchcock lead, it's a departure. Janet Leigh's portrayal of the afternoon delight loving Crane

and her crafty theft of the then astronomical sum of 40K, makes for a unique Hitchcock Blonde.

Anthony Perkins and Leigh's scene as they dine amongst Norman Bates stuffed birds foreshadows in

such a chilling manner is almost creepier than the fabled shower scene.

Leigh's daughter

Jamie

Lee

Curtis

went

on

to

become

a legendary

scream

queen

in

her

own

right

with John Carpenter's Halloween, currently being re‐imagined by movie director Rob Zombie for a

Summer 2007 release.

Hitchcock's Psycho: His "Little Joke"

Say "shower" and "movie" to anyone and the response is invariably the same: Psycho. It is a movie

that has

become

larger

than

its

infamous

parts

by

outgrowing

the

confines

of

the

horror

genre

to

become a part of our cultural language" (Hunt 1). The fact is that, despite being as successful as


19/62

Hitchock was, the studio gave him a hard time for this particular film. Hitchcock liked to call his 47th

movie "my little joke." (Hunt 2). He said that what intrigued him was the fact that the heroine was

killed off so early in the original novel. When the major studios refused to put up financing,

Hitchcock waived his original director's fee ($250,000 or so) in return for 60% of the ownership of

the negative. He obviously made a fortune.

Of course, there are really two key scenes: the infamous shower scene, and then the revelation of

Norman Bates' "mother." One of the reasons the shower scene was so effective was its very

carefully planned out sequence. It is said that Hitchcock literally drew up a frame by frame

storyboard of what he wanted and how he wanted some close‐ups of blood, of the knife, of the

shower curtain, but never the horror of seeing the body during this attack. There is no doubt that

the music by Bernard Herrmann helped make this scene as memorable and truly chilling. Of course,

there was a careful, character build‐=up that made the audience identify with what it thought would

be the heroine of the entire movie. "It ignores the fact that the scene would not have been as

effective if

Hitchcock

had

not

developed

the

audience's

fascinating

ambiguous/sympathetic

identification with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh)." (Hull 4).

Of course, the audiences were not really ready for the movie, which seemed to be made on the

cheap‐ much unlike his previous success, North by Northwest. Except for Leigh (who obviously didn't

last very long) there was no major bankable star in the film (Neither Martin Balsam not Anthony

Perkins were stars that could sell a movie) it depended on the Hitchcock name. And, at first it was a

real disappointment, receiving fairly lukewarm notices from critics.

Hitchcock, despite some psychologists' trying to make a name for themselves by psychoanalyzing

him along

with

his

films,

was

a very

careful

craftsman.

There

was

absolutely

not

a single

"ad

lib"

type

scene shot. He carefully sketched everything out in all his movies, and Psycho was no exception. He

was the creative innovator, not merely the director of a number of takes of each scene. "There are

two technical aspects of Hitchcock's film that need to be introduced. First, thanks to François

Truffaut and other directors and movie critics associated with the French film magazine Les Cahiers

du Cinema, the so‐called auteur theory of film making has been much discussed in connection with

Hitchcock's work. What this perspective boils down to is that certain films ‐‐good films, Hitchcock

films‐‐ are to be conceived as manifestations of the creative talent and vision of the director. The

director is the author of the wor" (Dellem 2).

The author

then

goes

on

to

explain

the

significance

of

this

auteur

theory:

"The

auteur

perspective

has unfortunately led some observers to view every little detail in Hitchcock's movies as highly

significant and as somehow reflective of some presumed aspect of Hitchcock's temperament and

personality. I part with this excessive form of interpretive self ‐pleasure. However, it is important to

remain aware that a film is not a natural phenomenon. A film is a purposely constructed reality. In

Hitchcock's case, the control and command of the director in assembling the various pieces that

make up the movie are famous. The vision of Hitchcock is achieved not only through the actual

directing of scenes, but also through his choice of the script, his choice of actors, his choice of set

decorations, and, most clearly, his use of story board" (Dellem 4‐5).

The audience is so captivated by the shower scene sequence‐ and there are many people who see


20/62

the film over and over again‐= that it is hard to realize that the entire scene takes a few short

minutes. It seems longer, because Hitchcock's careful editing draws out the suspense and then

magnifies the horror without really showing it to us in full. Whereas so many more recent films

delight in bloody corpses and dismembered bodies and blood running into gutters, Psycho is horror

through careful editing not through actual camera intrusion that shows everything. We don't need

to see everything, because we know‐ from the minute we can see Norman at the peephole, that

disaster is going to strike, and we wait‐ and then it happens! And not seeing everything all at once

makes it so much more horrifying with that screaming of the violins as counterpoint to the blood

dripping into the shower floor.

What sets Psycho apart, therefore, is that the film becomes its own carrier of entertainment, thrills,

horror and redemption. "Hitchcock's form of film making is called pure cinema (Truffaut 1984). The

concept of pure cinema conveys the notion that film should not refer to any other art form but itself.

A film is not a novel, not a painting, not music, though it contains literary, visual, musical and other

elements. The typical method of creating pure cinema is montage through edits and dissolves. Edits

shift abruptly from one image to the next to indicate continuity in motion. Dissolves gradually move

one image to another to indicate a passage of time or move to another space" (Dellum 6).

Despite a rather anemic budget, compared to some of his other blockbuster films, Psycho still works

today. "Shock value might diminish with time, but artistry doesn't, which is why Psycho still works.

Hitchcock's direction is characteristically tightly controlled, and astonishingly inventive for a director

who had already been directing for thirty‐five years. Whereas most of the breakthrough modern

horror films (such as those mentioned above) were the works of young directors at the start of their

careers, Psycho was the work of an Oscar nominated studio veteran whose earliest films predated

sound. Working on a low budget ‐ necessitated by the risky subject ‐ Hitchcock's work is as

stylistically adventurous

and

technically

polished

as

anything

he

did.

(Interestingly,

it

is

his

bigger

budget features that usually seem more dated from a technical standpoint.) His crew supported him

with excellent work all round, from Bernard Herrman's classic score to Saul Bass's memorable titles"

(Rowley 3).

Of course, there was no one better to explain what he did and why than Hitchcock himself., In

referring to the last scene of Psycho, he wrote: "The reason for the high shot (at the end of Psycho)

when he is put into the cell ‐ that was deliberately chosen, that angle, so you can see the sides of the

cell. Otherwise you can never get on the screen the smallness of it, how small the cell is. To

photograph it you'd have to get outside it ‐ so the lens would be outside the walls of the cell and it

would look

much

bigger

than

it

really

is"

(Hitchcock

1).

It is sometimes difficult, even if necessary to dissect a film to appraise its value and technique. But,

you have to think of a film like Psycho sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. There are thousands of pieces that

have to be jointed together to make a whole. Again, Hitchcock defines his craft: "What is Cinema?

It's pieces of film ‐ joined together ‐ that create an idea, which in turn, creates an emotion in the

mind of the audience; not words spoken, mind you, it's the visuals, the visual medium, and montage

is the great thing in all moviemaking ‐ pure film, pieces of film"(Hitchcock 2).

Actually,

there

are

valid

critics

who

see

Psycho

as

a

surrealistic

film:

"The

ways

in

which

Alfred

Hitchcock's film 'Psycho' confounds the sense of understanding typically attached to seeing reflect


21/62

the influence of surrealism on his films. The film detaches the signifier from the object it is intended

to signify to undermine the viewer's assumption that what the viewer sees the viewer understands.

Impersonations, shadows and rapid cut editing are used to heighten the sense that all human visual

interpretation has a component of delusion and deception" (Morris 47).

My personal

reaction

to

the

film,

first,

as

just

someone

wanting

to

be

entertained

or

chilled

is

that

I

agree with the reviewer who stated that this film holds p so much better than some of the other

Technicolor extravaganzas Hitchcock directed. I knew that I needed to analyze the shower scene,

and that vivid scene where "Mother" is revealed. Even knowing the facts from previous viewing, I

was still chilled. There was that afterglow of both being horrified at the death of Janet Leigh's

character, and yet, since she was a thief, maybe it was retribution. One could even feel sorry for

Norman Bates. It is the common criminal defense that he didn't know right from wrong, or that

something had pushed him over the edge and he deserved treatment rather than punishment. What

finally struck me, after the film ended, was that there was really not a single likeable character in the

movie. There was no real hero, and no heroine, only victims of one sort or another‐ predators and

prey. One could say it was a "cheap" film, in the sense that no huge budgets were spent on sets or

décor or even the actors. But, the film depicts cheap people in cheap surroundings, so Hitchcock, as

usual, was right in the way he carefully laid out every scene and all the décor of the miserable Bates

Motel and the people who stayed there, on the road from nowhere to somewhere else.

One thing is clear: No one goes about making a "classic." That seldom works. Instead, you try to

create a world we recognize‐ either like or detest. "But more than just a few hours of striking

pictures, Hitchcock's films give us a world It is a deeply perverted world, admitted, where even

model citizens revel in voyeurism and vicarious vice. It is a powerfully moralistic world, too, where

everyone has

some

sort

of

original

sin,

and

no

one

escapes

punishment.

It

is

an

ugly

world,

and

a

hopeless one, and only the very young, or the very foolish, fail to see it" (Whitty 1).

WORKS CITED:

Dellem, Matthieu: "Visioons of Guilt and Innocence in Hitchcock Films"

Hitchockonline.org

Hitchcock, Alfred: "Visiting Film maker Quotes" www.uscsummerfilm.com/ classes/spw‐classes‐

production.cfm

Hunt, Paula: "Psycho Analysis" MovieMaker Magazine

Examining Camera Techniques in Hitchcock

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