Alfred Hitchcock
is among the few directors to combine a strong reputation for high-art
film-making with great audience popularity.
Throughout his career he gave his audiences more pleasure than could be
asked for. The consistency of quality
plot-lines and technical ingenuity earned him the recognition of being one of
the greatest filmmakers of all time. His
films earned him the reputation of being the 'master of suspense', and after
viewing two of his more popular films, Psycho and The Birds, it is evident
why. There is a distinction between surprise,
which lasts only a few seconds, and suspense which captivates one's attention
the entire length of a film. This is
something that Hitchcock realized early on, and applied into his movies. He is one of the few directors whose name on
a marquee is as important, if not more so, than any actor who appears in the
film itself. Both his style of
directing, and that of the movies that he has directed are very unique, making
him stand out in the film industry. He
pioneered the art of cinematography and special effects, which along with his
cameos, are what he is most often associated with. Hitchcock led a long and prosperous life in
the movie industry, starting as a teenager and making movies up until his death
in 1980, while working on the 54th of his career (Sterrit 3).
Alfred Joseph
Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1889 in London, England. As a child his parents were very strict with
him and they imposed severe and unusual punishments upon him, as what they
considered to be discipline. One of
these incidents scarred him for life. As
punishment for arriving home late one night, young Alfred's father had a
policeman friend lock the boy up in a cell for five minutes, 'in order to teach
him where naughty little boys who come home after 9 o'clock would eventually
end up.' (Phillips 27). Throughout his
career he used the innocent man being arrested and imprisoned in his films, and
claimed that forever after he had a fear of the police (Spoto 16). Fear was also a big part of his childhood,
which later was evident in many of his movies.
'Fear? It has influenced my life and my career.' (18) explains
Hitchcock, he also had a fear of being alone and of darkness which once again
appeared in many of his movies. '...fear
you see is an emotion that
people like to
feel when they know they are safe.' (39).
Hitchcock led a
life of fantasy, and spent much of his time alone, entertaining himself because
he did not have many friends growing up.
He lived life as if he was on the outside looking in. Much like a person watching television or a
director directing a picture. Reading
was also a part of Hitchcock's life from a young age. The novels
Bleak House and Robinson Crusoe were two that stuck with him over the
years. He also really enjoyed Edgar
Allan Poe, stating that 'Very likely it's because I was so taken by the Poe
stories that I later made suspense films.' (39). In 1915 he started work for the Henley
Telegraphy Company. He soon began to
study art at the University of London, which led to being promoted to Henley's
advertising department to design cable ads.
But Hitchcock's true love was the movies. He hunted all over the famous Wardour Street
trying to obtain a position in film-making.
In 1920 a co-worker at Henley's helped him put together a portfolio and
he was hired instantly by The Famous Players-Lasky as a title designer for
silent films. For two years Hitchcock
wrote and designed for popular British movie directors. The hard working Hitchcock was recognized by
his employers as well as leading actors of the day. In 1922 the director of Always Tell Your
Wife, a film in progress, got very sick and had to leave the movie. The lead actor Seymore Hicks had to take over
the duties of direction, but was stumped on ideas. The young Hitchcock assisted him with the
rest of production, and a legacy had been born (Rohmer 4).
Hitchcock's solo
directorial debut, The Pleasure Garden was released in January of 1927, but it
was not until three weeks later that the illustrious career of Alfred J.
Hitchcock really took off. In February
of 1927 The Lodger was released and it attracted mass audiences because of the
rave reviews it received early on. It
marked the first time in British film history that a director got more praise
than did any of his stars (Kapsis 20). Besides being Hitchcock's first acclaimed
motion picture, The Lodger is also note worthy because it was the movie in
which one of the greatest movie traditions of all time would begin; the famous
Hitchcock cameo appearance, a unique trademark of his films for the next fifty
years. In April of 1926, Michael Balcon
told Hitchcock he wanted to make a movie of the 1913 mystery novel The Lodger,
and felt that Hitchcock's sense of character and narrative would be perfect (Spoto
84). So early in his career, Hitchcock
already had a reputation for the true art of film-making.
Hitchcock always
prided himself as being the total film-maker, planning and having total control
over every aspect of his films, from casting to publicity. Hitchcock loved to be publicized, and some
critics feel that the original intent of his unusual camera shots were no more
than a publicity stunt at first.
Regardless, Hitchcock brought cinematography to new levels, pioneering
the point-of-view shot, which among other things was recognized for its ability
to bring about viewer-character identification (Sterrit 11). Hitchcock's cameos, which he admitted to have
borrowed from Charles Chaplin in A Woman of
Paris (Kapsis 21), was just another example of Hitchcock's
personalization and perhaps little 'gimmicks' of his films. He did not just become characters like did
colleagues Orson Welles or Woody Allen,
but his presence and style was always recognized.
During the first
decade of his career Hitchcock toyed with a variety of formats including
theatrical adaptation, romance, musical, and of course, thrillers. It was not until 1934 when Hitchcock filmed
The Man Who Knew Too Much that Hitchcock started making thrillers on a regular
basis. That film marked the first is a
secession of six thrillers which would become known as the classic 'thriller
sextet'. Following the 1938 release of
The Lady Vanishes, Hitchcock was voted to be the best director of that year by
New York film critics (23).
Throughout the
1940's his reputation continued to flounder with the hit movies Spellbound
(1944 [in which artist Salvador Dali painted some scenery]), and Notorious
(1946). The 1950's was the beginning of
Hitchcock's most productive and popular era.
Movies like Dial 'M' for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who
Knew Too Much (1956), and North By Northwest (1959) were on the big screen and
the Hitchcock name was everywhere. In
1955 the television program 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' was also released. The style and reputation that came with the
Hitchcock name was visible in every movie, in every scene. North By Northwest to this point had gone
where no other film had gone before. The
airplane chase in the cornfield became one of the most famous sequences in
movie history, and really identified Hitchcock as a cinematographer and a
director. Well, it is only fitting that
the most famous murder-thriller movie of all time be the next released.
Psycho (1960)
became Hitchcock's biggest commercial hit ever. Produced at just over $800,000,
it grossed over $20 million (Bowers 1391).
Psycho is the story of murder and deception, but at the same time
(although slightly ambiguous) it is the story of split personality and not
letting go. Suspense (and in some cases
fear) is built up throughout the entire movie, making the viewer forget that
there are only two actual scenes of violence.
Psycho is a film that takes place more in the mind of the viewer than on
the screen. The movie is based on a
novel with the same name by Robert Bloch, which was a fictionalization of a
real event in Wisconsin (Bowers 1393).
Marion Crane is
the first character that is really introduced.
She is upset because her and her boyfriend Sam can not get married due
to financial difficulties. Marion's boss
entrusts her to deposit $40,000 of a client's money. The next time we see Marion she is packing a
bag and has the money with her, obviously planning to leave with it. Even though she is a thief, the audience is
still sympathetic towards her because of her situation. Marion trades in her car for a new one and
leaves Phoenix heading towards California, where her and Sam plan to get
married. When Marion pulls over for the
night, the first view of the now famous Bates motel and mansion. A figure of an old woman is visible in the
window. As Marion wanders around the
motel she meets Norman, the proprietor, and also sees his hobby of stuffing
birds. After she is taken to her room,
she is sitting on her bed (with the bathroom and shower clearly visible in the
background) and she hears an argument between Norman and his mother. Marion then decides to take a bath before
bed, and the most famous murder scene in movie history takes place. The infamous shower sequence, totally takes
the viewer by surprise. Marion who
appears to be the main character is killed off in the first third of the
movie. This scene required over 60 still
shots, 70 setups, and over a week of attempts; all for a less than a minute on
screen. True Hitchcock genius, you never
actually see the knife strike Marion, but the loud, high pitched screeching
music, and the close-ups of her face and the knife sends chills through the
body. An investigator comes out to the
motel, and becomes the next victim. Soon
the audience learns that there is no Mother Bates, when one of the other
investigators discovers her body in the basement, where she is attracted by
Norman, the split personality, dressed in his mother's clothing. The movie has foreshadowing and imagery
through out, such as the credits splitting apart, and all the use of mirrors,
implying that perhaps other characters are split also (Spoto 357), and the
presence of the shower and all the stuffed birds in the background. As
William Blowitz said 'The star of this picture is Alfred Hitchcock.'
(Kapasis 83).
'A blot on an
honorable career' is how New York Times (NYT) critic Bosley Crowther announced
the release of Psycho in 1960, and by the end of the year he had it on his list
of 10 best for the year (Sterrit 100).
In his original review Crowther says that Psycho is '...obviously a low
budget job.' and 'It does seem slowly paced for Mr. Hitchcock and given over to
a lot of small detail.' (NYT film review).
He also said that the stunts were exaggerated. 'The consequence in his denouement falls
quite flat for us. But the acting is
quite fair.' is how he describes the other aspects of this film; the film which
best describes the mastery of Alfred Hitchcock.
Philip T. Hartung who reviewed Psycho for Commonweal magazine in
September of 1960, had a different opinion of it; 'Hitchcock pushes everything
as far as he can go: the violence, the sex, the thrills and the gore.' All of the literature used in this report all
agree on one fact: Psycho is a movie beyond its years and is one of the best in
movie history. Although none of his
movies did or would ever compare to the success of Psycho, his next release The
Birds (1963), is another classic example of Hitchcock's true genius.
Inspired by a
unusual occurrence of 'crying' birds, who bit some residents along the San
Francisco coast, The Birds is another scary, and truly remarkable movie
(Discover 37). Again the use of special
effects and unique camera angles are found in this Hitchcock classic. This movie also comes from a novel by Daphne
du Maurier, who's storytelling abilities make a reader believe, much like
Hitchcock himself (DeWitt 249).
The Birds begins
in San Francisco where Mitch Brenner meets Melanie Daniels. She has a crush on him and decides to visit
him weekend house. Melanie arrives in
town, where all the birds have already begun to gather. The birds behave strangely, and cause the
people to be threatened. The birds
attack all over Bodega Bay, seemingly unprovoked. In one scene a flock of birds plunged down
upon a gas station where a worker is frightened and drops the gas pump. The gas continues to flow from it, and is set
on fire, when a passer-by drops a match on the ground causing a immense
damage. In a later scene the children
are trapped in the school, and as the teacher attempts to lead them to their
homes, believing the birds have flow away, they turn a corner and are suddenly
surrounded. The birds come together and
strike, while the children run and scream for their lives. Some of them trip and are either pecked to
death or trampled. Throughout the movie
the birds wreak havoc all along the coast of San Francisco. All the remaining people escape the town, and
the birds move in and seem to claim as their own, as though they were a
conquering army. The movie just ends
without any real idea of what happens next, something that Hitchcock had never
done before.
According to
Bosley Crowther who reviewed the movie in April, 1963 for NYT 'The cast is
appropriate and sufficient to this melodramatic intent. Tippi Hedren is pretty, bland and wholesome
as the disruptive girl. Rod Taylor is
stolid and sturdy as the mother-smothered son.' He goes on to say that the
narrative elements of this film are clear and naturalistic, and he thinks the
scenery is very well suited to the movie.
'Mr. Hitchcock and his associates have constructed a horror film that
should raise the hackles on the most carageous and put goose-pimps on the
toughest hide.' ( Crowther qtd NYT). It
is rather obvious that Mr. Crowther enjoyed this picture at first viewing more
than he did Psycho.
Hitchcock always
believed that developing an artistic reputation was far more important than
fame, and that as much as you put in, that is how much you get out. The remarkable life and career of Alfred
Hitchcock demonstrate truth in his words. He put everything he had into all his movies,
making sure that every detail, no matter how minute, was perfect. Alfred Joseph Hitchcock died in 1980 while
working on what would have been his 54th motion picture. His unique style and breakthrough ideas will
stand for all time, and he will always be remembered as one of the greatest
directors of all time.
Free Essay II:
Major Project -
Alfred Hitchcock Critical Analysis
Alfred Hitchcock
was and still is considered one of the best horror directors of all time. He is
considered the "Master of Suspense" for his very well written and
directed horror films, which have left his mark clearly and firmly on the
movie-making industry. With works such as Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and Rear
Window, Hitchcock told his stories through intelligent plots, witty dialogue
and just the right amount of mystery and murder. All these factors coincide to
revolutionise the filming industry, particularly the Horror/Thriller genre,
spawning a whole new line of filmmakers mimicking his recipe for a great
horror, making him a legend all over the world.
The fact that
Alfred Hitchcock is the "Master of Suspense" is what makes his horror
movies so great. It is the suspense that keeps the audience on the edge of
their seats in anticipation, fear and excitement. This sheer exposure and
incorporation of suspense into all of his films makes them so deep and
uncontrollably addictive. Not a single person who has ever experienced, the
full entirety of his films, as it is not something one merely watches, one
experiences it, can deny the great presence of suspense and the immense effect
it has on the film, itself. Hitchcock manages to turn a simple horror/thriller
into a film that is over whelmingly full of suspense and creates an aura and
sense of complete suspension throughout the movie, of pleasurable excitement
and anticipation that can not be simply let go and must be experienced in it's
entirety. It is this amazing creation of suspense that creates the link between
suspense and horror, which is why Hitchcock is not only the master of suspense
but also the master of all thrillers. Which is why, suspense is the glue that
holds the pieces of horror together. The best way to describe this was indeed,
presented by Hitchcock, when he said. "There is no terror in the bang,
only in the anticipation of it", this quote truly embodies the whole
factor of suspense, in that the 'bang' is quick and instantly over, whereas the
eventual and agonising climax to it is much more horrific.
Hitchcock once
stated "Always make the audience suffer as much as possible" This
quote would possibly be one of the greatest pieces of advice Hitchcock could
give. Not only that, it also analyses his horror and suspense methods at the
same time. Keeping the audience in agony longer keeps them more and more
involved in the film, intensifying the suspense to an unbearable degree, where
they won't be able to watch any more but have to, this is what Hitchcock wanted
to achieve; putting his audience in a position of unbearable excitement. This
quote is also linked to the previous quote, whereby a long and agonising
feature of suspense adds far more to the film than a quick 'bang'.
There are
numerous ways in which a writer/director can create suspense. This can include;
building expectation, increasing tension, using surprise, creating immediacy,
establishing consequences, limiting time, maintaining doubt, camera angles and
the use of music and sound effects. Incorporated together these nine ways of
suspense are all identifiable in many of Hitchcock's works and all greatly add
to the horror of the movie with it's own method of suspense.
The first method
that Alfred Hitchcock uses in creating suspense is to build expectation. This
may be expectation of danger, for instance where the audience knows of an
imminent danger that is going to occur and are 'suspended' into the fate of
that person. This is an excellent way to captivate the viewer as, once a
character has been identified to the audience, the viewer holds a greater
expectation that events will more-likely revolve around that character and
therefore have a greater suspension in the acts and submissions of that
character. This is a great way to grip the audience into a theatre of imminent
danger to that character, creating suspense. Hitchcock uses this method to his
advantage in his film, Psycho. After establishing the Private Investigator in
the movie, he decides to investigate the motel, at which she was supposedly
staying. The audience at this point is thinking that the deranged mother of the
owner has killed the person and a great expectation of danger occurs when he
goes into the house where the mother is, the audience is on the edge of their
seats waiting to see what will happen to the investigator. Everything was set
up for a major event and the expectation for this was openly apparent. That
being said, Hitchcock can't and doesn't rely so heavily on music and sound
effects. As he once said, "If it's a good movie, the sound could go off
and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going
on" This shows that even though sound is a great asset, nothing can go
past a good visual, that can incorporate several methods of suspense, not
merely one. This is another measure of Hitchcock's great talents, in that he
believes so heavily in his work and knows what makes it so great.
Another method
used copiously in the horror genre is that of creating tension. Similar to
building expectation, increasing tension uses information to manipulate the
audience. In this technique, the audience is given information and is informed
of the impending fate of the character, while the character is left in the
dark. The whole fate is not yet known, however they are aware of imminent
danger and what could possibly happen to that character. This creates a lot of
tension in the audience, as they are aware of what is going to happen, while
they watch the identified character walk straight into a trap. For instance, it
makes the viewer just want to scream out 'Don't do it!' It also suspends the
audience into whether the character will survive or not. Hitchcock uses this
technique in rear Window. While looking through Jeff's camera we can see a
whole set of events pan out. We see Jeff's girlfriend, Lisa enter Thuwald's,
the killer's apartment through the window. The tension continues to build as we
see Thornwald enter his apartment while Lisa is still inside. Since Lisa is an
identified character that the audience cares about, nobody really wants to see
the next bit where it is imminent that the killer will find her. However at the
point where she does not know that the killer is returning, the viewers tension
increases, aware of the jeopardy she is in, especially since she does not know
and we, the audience can't do any thing about it.
Another
technique used by Hitchcock to manipulate his audience is the use of surprise.
When there is a sudden surprise or twist in the story or plot the audience
begins expecting more violence and mystery etc. An excellent example of this
technique is in the movie Psycho. Hitchcock kills off the star early in the
movie in the classic shower scene. This surprise twist creates an expectation
for more of it and therefore more suspense. Hitchcock's remarks to this were
"At this point I transferred the horror from the screens into the minds of
the audience. And although there is only one more violent act in the whole
movie, the audience is held in suspense throughout" This is a perfect
example of Hitchcock using different ways to create suspense which make his
horrors so unpredictable, the ending of this movie only has to be seen to
explain why. This technique, just like all the others is almost unique or
always modified by Hitchcock so that the audience never knows what to expect in
any aspect of horror, increasing the suspense and therefore, horror.
When something
vital is at stake immediate suspense is created to house the fears for that
something. This is called creating immediacy and is very effective in all
movies to manipulate the audience into caring for something that is vital to
one of the characters, which otherwise may have been less involving. This
technique is also used to create suspense in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. In
this movie, someone very vital to the lead character, his girlfriend has her
life put in jeopardy in a very intense scene in the movie. The audience feels
for the main character and the emotions he must be going through, watching his
girlfriend, seemingly moments away from imminent death, especially when there
is nothing he could do. This technique is very useful as the suspense created,
not only captivates the audience into the events but also influences their
feelings for the boyfriend and how he is powerless over something that is so
vital to him and thus, the audience feels in the same manner.
In most of his
movies Hitchcock establishes consequences for the main character to achieve and
if he didn't he would have to suffer the ramifications. This creates a great
sense of suspense, as the entire audience watches in anticipation, will he or
wont's he? It keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, as Hitchcock does,
it brings alive the plot of the movie, and thoroughly engages the audience.
This is shown in Vertigo, where a Private Investigator is hired to follow the
wife of a rich businessman. After following her around for a few days he
believes she became somewhat possessed by a ghost of her grandmother and became
suicidal to fulfil her husbands wishes to kill her. The consequences of failure
to help her, leads to her death and the ramifications and implications that
occur in court. However throughout his time on this case the audience feels
suspense because they sit in indecisiveness over what will happen. On one hand
they would like to see him save her but on the other they don't want a boring
or uneventful movie. This is what possible consequences do; however it also
increases urgency to get it done.
Yet, another
method that Alfred Hitchcock has mastered is that of maintaining doubt. If
there is doubt in the minds of the audience as to the outcome of certain
events, the suspense is intensified. When something is know there is no
interest, no captivity, no suspense. For instance if somebody told you the
ending to a classic whodunit such as Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient
Express then you would most likely not even watch it and even if you did there
would be far less thrill and suspense when you did. This is why keeping the
audience in the dark about certain events or people works so well for
Hitchcock, captivating the audience into curiosity and intensifying the
suspense further. In Psycho, Hitchcock puts huge doubt in the minds of the
audience when he kills off the star half way through the movie. If anyone knew
what was going to happen, they can think again and this method suspended the
audience in a far greater way than if it were what they had predicted.
Nevertheless, this difference makes the audience guessing until the very end,
not knowing if or when he will do something this different again.
Limiting time is
another method used that captivates the audience in another will he or won't he
escapade. This technique adds urgency to the scene, captivating the audience
and intensifying their viewing. This urgency adds suspense by adding a further
enemy, time. This begins a race against the clock and incorporated with this
technique can be many others, such as building expectation, increasing tension
or creating immediacy. One example of all of these techniques coming into
effect in the same scene could be if the hero, for instance Superman had to
defeat his arch nemesis and stop the bomb from going off (limiting time) save
his girlfriend (immediacy) and to save the world from an asteroid (establishing
consequences) all after the disappearance of his side-kick (maintaining doubt).
It is Hitchcock's measure as a director to choose different variables and
combinations that create the best suspense and therefore the greatest
thrillers. Time is of the essence in Hitchcock's Vertigo. A time limit is
created as Johnny rushes to save Madeline from committing suicide.
Unfortunately he is too late, however the suspense as he staggers up the stairs
to try and reach her in time is unbearable.
Another method
of establishing suspense and creating horror is that of incorporating different
camera angles, from different perspectives, angles and types of shots.
Manipulating the camera angle can do so much for the movie, as it affects the
audience so greatly, it is almost like helping them see from Hitchcock's mind
of what the movie should express. This may be elevating the camera to show who
is in charge and establishing power or from a characters perspective to add perspective
and greater insight into that character, i.e. their feelings, emotion and most
importantly what they perceive through their eyes. This is shown very well in
two movies, Psycho and Vertigo. Firstly, in Psycho, Hitchcock uses camera
angles alternatively to give the viewer and idea of what the would-be victim is
experience. It adds, a more eerie feeling, creating greater suspense, as there
is no better way to tell a story than through the eyes of those who experienced
it. Again, in Psycho, camera angles are adapted to bring fear into the minds of
the audience. When the victim is about to be attacked, the camera angle depicts
the murderer, launching himself directly at the victim. The camera is placed
just under the killer to create the feeling that we, the audience are under
attack. Thirdly, in Vertigo the main character is afraid of heights due to a
terrifying incident where he was hanging off a ledge 15 stories above the
ground. This would not look nearly as frightening from an upward looking view as
it would from the perspective of the man hanging at a perilous height. These
examples are just a few that allow Hitchcock to create suspense just with the
camera.
The final, but
possibly the greatest creator/amplifier of suspense is music and sound effects.
Sound is 50% of the whole impression of the movie so it isn't hard to see why
Hitchcock puts it to such great effect. Firstly, the sound and music coincide
with the scene that is taking place; the music always fits the mood. For
example during parts of intrigue and mystery taking place the music fits
appropriately, such as a quick 3 beats with a trumpet and drums, Da Da Da and
zooming into the characters face to see their expression, to signify the
previous statement. This also shows the intertwining of music and different
filming techniques used by directors, especially Hitchcock to better their
films. However, more importantly in a horror scene, the music is always very
quiet or not present just before imminent danger. This quietness is used to put
the audience into a false sense of security, before a sudden incident, which is
made much more unexpected and therefore more horrifying, catching the audience
off guard. This then escalates to coincide with the positioning of the
killer/victim, as when one approaches the music intensifies into a loud playing
of violins to catch your attention. For example in the classic shower scene in
Psycho, as the killer slowly approaches, suspense is created through the
uprising of the music, just like Jaws, with the approaching shark. The classic
violins play their high-strung and high-pitched tune, at the climax of the
music is always the murder, or in this case stabbing of the victim, which
coincides with the blood curling scream. Without a doubt, music is half the
movie and Hitchcock uses it to great effect in elaborating even more suspense
into the minds of the audience.
Another
technique that Hitchcock manipulates to his advantage is that of using symbolism.
Symbolism
creates subliminal backdrops or themes that add to the overall mis-en-scene.
Paini described Hitchcock as "one of the greatest inventors of images in
the 20th century, and the only filmmaker whose work reflects the impact of each
of its major art trends: classicism, symbolism, mannerism and modernism".
Symbolism is shown in all of Hitchcock's movies, but especially in Psycho.
Symbolism in this movie involve the stuffed birds in Norman's office and the
'peeking' conversation that highlight the impending chaos of the film and the
double image of Norman Bates reflected in the hotel window. Norman's dead
mother in the basement is also a symbol of the mental psychosis of Norman that
sends him into thinking she never really left and that she is always with him,
inside of him.
However, if
criticism could be laid from a personal viewpoint, it would be the lack of
excitement felt by today's audiences. However, this factor may not contribute
to criticism but rather acts as an appraisal of Hitchcock's abilities as a
director. This is due to the sheer amount of violence, action, blood, deaths,
and gruesome and vulgar acts of insane and neurotic characters in horror movies
today. This is basically the method used these days for great horror. Sure it appeals
to the current generation but it also shows that the directors of these films
simply don't measure up to Hitchcock's standards, they go for a simple intense
moment every now and again, not incorporating as much variation of suspense as
Hitchcock did so many years before. This enhanced Hitchcock's abilities as a
director, relying on his own skill, rather than that of the special
effects-guy.
Of course, it
would not be fair to praise Hitchcock for the entire success of his movies. It
was also the actors, producers, writers, cinematographer and sound technicians,
all of whom won or were nominated for academy awards in Rear Window. This
either means one of two things that the association and work with Hitchcock
aided them or that Hitchcock relied on others. Either way led to an end product
of brilliance, placed together and put into place by Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock
is so much more adaptable and accommodating to the changing faces of cinemas.
With a career that spanned 57 movies over 50 years, Hitchcock produced movies
throughout the history of the popular medium, from the silent era to stereo
sound, black-and white to Technicolor, wide screen to television, and from
Europe to Hollywood. This shows how adaptable he was to changing circumstances,
audience and cinema paraphernalia. While he progressed with each movie he got
better and better until the continual success of several movies were hailed as
'masterpieces'. No director is ever without fault, and Hitchcock was no
exception, from million-dollar blunders to little-known movies produced in
Japan. Although these were minor 'character building' mistakes, just like a
craftsmen making a wooden sculpture, he kept chiselling away until a final,
desired or 'perfect' result has been made.
Beyond doubt,
Hitchcock was the master of suspense and by combining these techniques in any
desired order he has established himself and his movies as classics. Along with
his ability to adapt, his versatility and love of directing, Hitchcock and his
movies are to be remembered and benchmarked for a long time to come.
Throughout
history there have been many directors who have made their impact on the world
of movies but few of them have had the same impact that Alfred Hitchcock has
had. Hitchcock has been seen as a very complex yet important figure in the
history of film making. He has directed some of the best suspense films known
to man. He also had his own television show in the 50's known as Alfred
Hitchcock Presents.
Alfred Joseph
Hitchcock was born in England in a little town outside of London on the
thirteenth of August in eighteen ninety-nine, to William and Emma Hitchcock. He
had two older siblings, William and Nellie. The family was a lower middle class
family living in Leytonstone, England. William Hitchcock was a dealer of fruit
and poultry, and his business did quite well. According to John Russell Taylor,
in his tell-all biography, Hitch (1978); Hitchcock was a child who kept to
himself because of the fact that his older siblings were so much older than him
(Taylor, 1978).
Hitchcock was
educated at many different schools. His first school was a school which was
located directly behind his house, operated by the Faithful Companions of
Jesus. Hitchcock did not stay there long because, according to Taylor (1978),
"Father Flanagan came and gave his parents hell for sending him to a
secular school" (29). Following the secular school was the Selesian
College in Battersea in which Hitchcock was sent to board at the tender age of
nine. Finally Hitchcock ended up at St. Ignatius College where he stayed until
he was fourteen years old. Hitchcock only left school after his father died in
1914. After he left school he decided to enroll in the School of Engineering
and Navigation because he was interested in becoming an engineer. While at
school he became interested in the arts and so he then decided to go to school
for the arts and he ended up at London University where he studied fine arts
(Perry, 1965).
In George
Perry's book, The Films of Alfred Hitchcock, from the years of 1921 to 1929,
Hitchcock worked on silent films, first as the title card designer and then as
the director. But he did not start out at the production studio he actually
started out in this business at a small advertising firm getting about fifteen
shillings a week (Perry, 1965).
According to George Perry (1965), "From there he went to W.T.
Henley, the cable company, as a layout man" (7). This firm was very
embracing of Hitchcock's artistic demeanor. Henley had a newspaper which their
social club published and Hitchcock regularly had drawings and stories in them
(Taylor, 1975). During this time Hitchcock was introduced to the idea of
drawing title cards, which he took in stride. Very soon after starting his
title card drawing he was hired by the Famous Players-Lasky production company.
While working at this company he had his first directing experience which he
was talked into by Anita Ross, the publicity woman (Perry, 1965 and Taylor,
1978). The movie was called Mrs. Peabody, but Hitchcock referred to it as
Number Thirteen, probably because no one had ever really decided on a name
(Taylor, 1978). This film was never completed because of money problems. The
next chance Hitchcock was given was as a co-director of the film, Always Tell
Your Wife (Perry, 1965). Always Tell Your Wife was followed by Woman to Woman
which he was the assistant director.
Alfred
Hitchcock's first talkie was not done until 1929 and it was called Blackmail.
This movie was also Britain's first talkie movie. Blackmail featured Anny
Ondra, a German actress who can be called the first of Hitchcock's blonde
prototypes. Following Blackmail was Juno and the Paycock which was a musical
screenplay. This was not a thriller in any sense and Hitchcock's next film went
back to the thriller genre called, Enter Sir John (Perry, 1965). The movie Hitchcock
considers his first movie is The Lodger because it had such a big response when
it came out. "Still whether or not critics and audiences picked up on
everything in the film, they pick up on enough to make it and Hitch an
overnight sensation" (Taylor, 1965).
All during this
time Hitchcock had been working on his own family. He had married a woman named
Alma Reville, whom he met when filming Woman to Woman in 1922. Alma was the
editor on this film and she had a higher job than Hitchcock did and in those days
a man could not acknowledge the fact that a woman had a higher job than him so
Alfred waited until he had a higher position than her to speak to her. When
they did speak they took a liking to each other and then after a long
engagement they were married. Their wedding was small and took place on
December 2, 1926. Alma and Alfred had a small wedding with immediate family and
a couple close friends. After the wedding they cut the cake in their new
apartment and left for their honeymoon in France. Their married life was just
fine and then Alma became pregnant and on July 7th, 1928 she gave birth to
Patricia Hitchcock (Taylor, 1978).
In 1940, Alfred
Hitchcock and his family came to Hollywood. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he
and his family moved into an apartment on Wilshire Boulevard. Almost
immediately after arriving in America Hitchcock threw himself into working on a
new project, a movie titled Rebecca. Rebecca turned out to be a very expensive
and successful movie. Even though the movie was a success Hitchcock still
wondered whether it would have been even better had it been filmed in England.
In the years following Hitchcock directed many movies for instance Foreign
Correspondence, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Strangers on a Train, Spellbound, Rope and
many others.
In the 1950's
Hitchcock was told he should be on air, meaning he should be on television.
Television was a new medium in that time and many of the Hollywood people
looked down on it. Hitchcock was thrilled by the idea of being on television
and he jumped at the chance. With great haste he set up a company called
Shamley Productions. He then called up an old business partner and asked her to
produce the show, Joan Harrison agreed and they had a show. The show has the
same cynical dark humor that is often found with Alfred Hitchcock. The
television show was a success, "but the television shows were just the
beginning of what was to turn into a whole industry. They spawned a lengthy
series of short story anthologies with titles like "Stories They Wouldn't Let
me Do on TV" and "Tales My Mother Never Told Me", collections of
the kind of funny/macabre story made familiar and permanently associated with
Hitch's name as a result of the television show" (231). This venture
eventually made him independently wealthy.
In 1957,
Hitchcock began making the movie Vertigo starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and
Barbara Bel Geddes. This movie showed many shots which were very innovative for
the time. For example in the beginning of the film when James Stewart's
character John "Scottie" Ferguson, is in the studio of his friend,
Midge Wood, he is talking about his illness which is vertigo. He is telling
Midge how he thinks he is getting better and to prove it he steps up on a step
stool and climbs to the top of it. Then he looks out the window and sees how
far above the ground he is and he gets dizzy and begins to fall. When the
camera shows the shot of what he sees out the window it looks as if he is about
30 stories up, when in fact the was not close to being that high up, it was all
the camera angle. The scenes in this movie are also very well shot throughout
the movie. It is a well known fact that most of the backdrops in Hitchcock's
movies where painted and most people cannot even tell this because of the
expert shots taken by the camera man.
After the
television show Hitchcock returned to making movies. The one movie he is most
known for is Psycho staring Janet Leigh. Psycho had the biggest opening
Hitchcock had ever seen in his time as a director. Then after a brief two year
hiatus out came The Birds, which turned out to be another Hitchcock
masterpiece. Hitchcock's last movie came out in 1976. The movie was called
Family Plot.
Most of
Hitchcock's work was done in black and white which gave the work a certain
feeling of suspense. Also the fact that he did not show most of the violence in
the movies also helped to add the need for the audience to use their
imaginations. When a movie is in black and white it is up to the viewer to use
their imagination about the colors. The shades of black, white and grey make
the whole aura of the film seem a lot more sinister and slightly leering. Even
when films where being made in color Hitchcock stayed with the black and white;
if his movies had been done in color the audience would not have had the same
feeling of unease.
A lot of people
found Alfred Hitchcock to be a very complex as well as eccentric man. One of
the things that stood out about him was the fact that he started the tradition
of appearing in all of his movies. He never had a very large role, but he would
have one none the less. For instance he would be a random person sitting on a
train or he would just causally walk by on the street. Finding him in his
movies became a hobby held by many of his fans. Some other eccentric features
of him were the fact that he would fall asleep at random times like, at dinner
parties or when he was out with friends. It became an expected habit from him.
Another strange fact about him was found in the book, The Men Who Made the
Movies, in which the author Robert Schickel (1975) says that Hitchcock never
drove a car because he did not have his license. Meanwhile in the book Hitch,
by John Russell Taylor (1978) it says that he was just pretending not to ever
drive. Taylor also says that Hitchcock used to drive Pat, his daughter to
church every Sunday. The last really strange fact about Hitchcock was his love
for blondes. He had a certain type of blond in mind at all times, for a while
it was Tippi Hedren and then it became Janet Leigh. Hitchcock became synonymous
for his blondes.
I believe that
Hitchcock had a very positive influence on society because without him I really
do not think we would have such a good sense of real suspense. Psycho had such
a profound touch on our lives. Many people who saw the film left the theater
and were petrified of taking a shower. There is no way a person can say that
Alfred Hitchcock had a negative influence on the film industry, all he did was
help it. He helped to make television an okay medium even after Hollywood shunned
it. His use of black and white and his lack of gore made suspense movies what
they are today. Today many directors feel that they have to show the brutal
murder of their characters in order to scare their viewers, when in all
actuality the brutal murder just shocks the viewers. Hitchcock knew the secret
was to let the audience imagine how horrific the murder would have been, that
what would really scare someone. If one were to try and imagine suspense movies
without Hitchcock, one would be horribly disappointed. Alfred Hitchcock is in
my opinion the master of all suspense and thriller movies.
Perry, G.
(1965). The Films of Alfred Hitchcock. London: Studio Vista Limited.
Schickel, R.
(1975). The Men who made the movies. New York: Atheneum.
Taylor, J.R.
(1978). Hitch: The life and times of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Pantheon Books.
Vertigo. Dir.
Alfred Hitchcock. Per. James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes.
Universal, 1999.
No comments:
Post a Comment