Alfred Hitchcock Suspense

Fourth, Robin Wood tells us, "A Hitchcock film is an organism, with the whole implied in every detail and every detail related to the whole" (Boyd 6). Through these four aspects, we can see that Hitchcock typically opts to show unsettling scenarios that can be seen as much in the intricacies of the film as in the entire premise. So, this sets the stage so that we, the audience, may know to look deeper into his films than just what is portrayed on the surface.

Hitchcock often created film masterpieces, these films always have similar themes that Hitchcock himself was personally fascinated with. Two of these themes happen to be his most notable are the theme of voyeurism and the theme of sexuaily. Hitchcock has always created his films to reflect his own ideas of how he has perceived these ideas, these themes were almost seemly an obsession to him as they are so prevalent. Voyeurism is the one theme that people associate him with the most, as it is Hitchcock 's film techniques that bring it to life to the audience, Sexuaily, is something that Hitchcock almost always adds in his films because they bring the characters together and he draws on that aspect to fulfill a set

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980), the “Master of Suspense”, was a English film director, who was well known for his use of suspense and psychological elements to shock and surprise his audience. Hitchcock was known for his use of recurring themes, motifs and plot devices, such as the use of birds, hand motifs, the audience as a voyeur, mothers, blonde women, and sexuality. He was also very technical in his editing, using filming techniques such as deep focus, point of view, close up and wide, tracking shots. Montage was also a technique he used frequently in his films. He believed that by using visuals, he could convey thoughts and emotions just as well as dialogue could.

What makes Hitchcock an Auteur is that he uses styles in his films in which in that if it was found in another movie the watchers would in a split second realize that he made it since he generally adheres to his one of a kind styles.

How do the formalistic and ideological patterns found in Orson Welles’s movies; Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, and Othello, make him a great auteur?

Francois Truffaut, when referring to Hitchcock said that “he exercises such complete control over all the elements of his films and imprints his personal concepts at each step of the way, Hitchcock has a distinctive style of his own. He is undoubtedly one of the few film-makers on the horizon today whose screen signature can be identified as soon as the picture begins.” Many people have used Hitchcock as the ultimate example of an auteur as there are many common themes and techniques found amongst his films. Even between the two films “Shadow of a Doubt” and “Vertigo,” many commonalities occur.

Hitchcock explained the reason for filming a woman wearing only her under garments in the opening sequence of Psycho: "Audiences are changing....The straightforward kissing scene would be looked down at by the younger viewers....Nowadays you have to show them as they themselves behave" (Hitchcock 1). The director was keenly aware of how audiences responded to his films (Rebello 163) and sought to maintain their interest. He was among a handful of Hollywood filmmakers who deliberately sought out innovative composers (Nowell-Smith 258); for Psycho, Hitchcock hired Bernard Hermann who wrote a modern score which challenged the norm. The title itself, fifties and sixties slang for the violently psychotic, suggested the imminence of a new generation (Brill 200).

Alfred Hitchcock also used cinematography in a uniquely stylizing way. Hitchcock not only uses the camera to create dramatic irony, but he also uses the camera to lie to the audience and create anxious suspense. For example, in his film Psycho, when Marion is in the shower Hitchcock frames the scenes very tightly. Marion is in a confined and very personal space. This makes her incredibly vulnerable. Then Hitchcock heightens the suspense by creating dramatic irony with the reveal of a shadowy figure closing in on Marion, unbeknownst to her. This creates a lot of anxiety for the audience, knowing the protagonist is vulnerable and in danger with no way of altering the inevitable. Hitchcock then manipulates the audience by “revealing” a brief silhouette of an old lady as our shower killer. Hitchcock uses this “reveal” to lie to the audience, he makes the audience think they have more inside knowledge confirming their already growing suspicions, when in reality the audience is misled entirely and the murderer was Norman all along. The way Hitchcock uses the camera to reveal both inside information and misleading information truly keeps the viewer engaged and not knowing what to believe until the truth is finally revealed. By using this unique technique of controlling the audience by only showing what he wants you to see, Hitchcock masterfully defies expectations and creates suspense.

Citizen Kane, a movie that was nominated for nine academy awards and won the Academy award for best writing is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. In order to understand why Citizen Kane has been so beloved in the world of film because of how realistic it felt although being a work of fiction or as the French call it a film à clef (French for Film with a Key) one must pick apart the all the parts that make a movie successful from its actors, lighting, plot, etc.

Adair states, “The visual emphasis that became Hitchcock’s hallmark was not something that arose spontaneously on the set during filming. Instead, it was the result of careful planning” (Adair, 40-41). This quote clearly demonstrated Hitchcock’s loyalty towards his career and the fact that he had put lots of effort and training into his passion. In addition, Hitchcock had always ingeniously figured out a way around any situation that could cause a dilemma and hold on the film-making process. For example, in one of his films, Hitchcock didn’t have enough “extras” to play angels. To prevent any hold in creation of the film, Hitchcock used the power of illusions to make it appear as if hundreds and hundreds of angels were lined up when, in reality, there were only about fifty extras used. He decided to place the extras in rows of height order, tallest in the front and shortest in the back. As the “angels” diminished in height, behind the shortest row of extras, Hitchcock placed dolls in angel costumes, making it appear that there were more angels than there really were. This supports the idea that Alfred Hitchcock was extremely loyal towards his career due to his enduring training, hard-work, and determination to succeed when faced with a

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born August 13th, 1989 and passed away on April 29th, 1980. Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director and producer; at times he was referred to as "The Master of Suspense". He leads many elements of the suspense and psychological thriller genres. The genre for Psycho is suspense and thriller which keeps viewers thinking and watching. The film Psycho was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released on September 8, 1960 staring a Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who was on the run after embezzling $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her mate, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). Marion is then overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid

Alfred Hitchcock was a renowned film director known for his elements of suspense and psychological thrillers. His most popular work Psycho is adapted from a novel of the same name written by Robert Bloch. The story of a phoenix secretary (Marion Crane) who embezzled money from a client is used to unveil the psycho in the male character (Norman Bates). The success of the film is greatly relied on Hitchcock’s unique techniques in creating tension and suspense. Elements that contributed to the success of the film include motifs, and narrative perspective used.

Alfred Hitchcock is arguably the greatest director of all time. Many of his films are considered standards of American cinema and inspired many of today’s directors. Even though Hitchcock is known as timeless director, he had an understanding of philosophy that was beyond his time. Hitchcock had a brilliant perception as to how the mind works and human reaction. Hitchcock’s understanding of philosophy can be seen in his film Vertigo and illustrates how many theories can be debilitating in everyday life.

Whenever we become “blind” to Jeff’s surroundings it adds much more suspense to the scene. The way Hitchcock filmed this movie was absolutely

Orson Welles had a long career full of unexpected rises and falls that was marked by his personal desire to wow audiences and habitual straying from conventional means of entertainment. From his The War of Worlds broad cast that caused audiences to fear for their lives, to his performance in The Third Man, Welles strove to be memorable and invite audiences to rise to his standards of entertainment. He fancied himself a magician; a theme that helped progress his 1973 film F for Fake. Starting with his explosive youth into his last years, Welles accumulated several habitual stylistic and narrative devices. Even as his films diversified his stylistic themes continued to be common throughout, and the release of his questionable documentary in last portion of life proved to continue this trend.