Alfred
Hitchcock, Director
Alfred was the
third and youngest child in the family. He might have gone on to follow in his
father's footsteps as a grocer or develop a career of less notoriety except,
perhaps, for a chilling incident in his early youth. Alfred was just five years old the day he
committed some misdeed that convinced his father he needed a lesson in
discipline. His father sent him down to
see the chief of police, with a note about what should be done to teach Alfred
the error of this ways. The police chief
promptly put him into a cell and slammed the door shut. Later, Alfred recalled that "the sound
and solidity of that closing cell door and the bolt" never left his
memory. He was really only abandoned
behind bars for five minutes. Upon his
release, the officer made sure to impress him with the chilling words
"that's what we do to naughty boys".
(Shepler, August 15, 1999)
Alfred's fear of
authority and punishment was reinforced during his years at the Jesuit school,
St. Ignatius College. At that time,
corporal punishment was meted out by ritual beatings on the hands with a hard
rubber strap. Alfred Hitchcock would
later recall that those incidents felt to him much like "going to the
gallows." Punishment, and terror of
it being unfairly administered by the police to someone undeserving would later
emerge in Hitchcock's movies, particularly "The Thirty-Nine Steps",
"I confess", "The Wrong Man" and "North by
Northwest".
Every director
makes the choices of what to emphasize and what to play down in a given
screenplay. Hitchcock, throughout his
career, always chose to highlight irony, surprises, moral ambiguity, and the
uncertainties of life. I will attempt to
illustrate what I think are Hitchcock's best attributes and supreme techniques
as a director; specifically his use of camera angles, sound and ability to use
the audience's imagination.
Hitchcock
possessed a deliberate directorial style and vast technical knowledge. The director was known for his meticulous
planning of every shot - before filming, he would sketch each scene with a list
of every possible camera angle.
Hitchcock used a full array of cinematic techniques in addition to
montage to manipulate his audience, including unusual camera angles and
carefully placed sound effects. He
meticulously planned each shot in his films and treated the actor as just
another object on the set, leaving the impression that nothing on the screen
had arrived there by chance.
Indeed, what
makes many of Alfred Hitchcock's movies so compelling is his focus on ordinary
people being drawn into extraordinary and frightening events. There are no great beasts or extraterrestrial
beings. The monsters may well be the
neighbors across the way, as in "Rear Window," or inside the
psychotic mind of an otherwise likeable young man, namely Norman Bates in
"Psycho". Espionage, terrorism
and military sabotage, genuine fears during the years leading up to World War
II and throughout the Cold War, formed the basis for "North by Northwest,"
"Secret Agent" and "Saboteur".
A technique that
Hitchcock used to build suspense was to get the audience in on the real danger
early in the movies, but leave the characters in the dark. In "Sabotage," he has a delivery
boy carrying a package that contains a bomb set to go off at 1:45pm. The audience knows this but the delivery boy
only knows he's been told to deliver the package to an address in London by
1:30. As he dawdles down the street,
distracted by this and that, tension builds as the clocks keep ticking off the
minutes. Finally, he boards a bus to
make up time.
When moviegoers
refer to Alfred Hitchcock's style, they are usually thinking of his camera work
and editing. Hitchcock's use of
language, sound effects, and music is just as essential, distinctive, and
masterly. Hitchcock was an important
pioneer of sound techniques: he experimented with expressionistic sound in
"Blackmail" with the interior monologue in "Murder", with
subliminal sound in "The Secret Agent" and with computer-generated
effects in "The Birds".
Hitchcock has had an abiding interest in finding ways to incorporate
music into the heart of his plot.
Indeed, music is an essential component of the story in over half of his
sound films, and eight of his protagonists are musicians. He thus can manipulate the audience's familiarity
with and expectations about popular music as a way of defining character and
controlling our responses without having to introduce any extraneous
element. During a Hitchcock film we are
typically looking at one thing or person while listening to another. By separating sound and image Hitchcock can
thus achieve, denseness, tension and on occasion, irony. In three films where Hitchcock eliminates
scoring, for example, he uses sound effects to much the same atmospheric
effect: wind in the "Jamaica Inn", waves in "Lifeboat",
bird caws in "The Birds".
Indeed, in "The Birds" avian noises imitate the functions of
music (instead of musical cues, bird cries maintain the tension), in Psycho
music (screeching violins) imitates birds at various points. Hitchcock's incorporation of musical ideas
into the thematic conception of his films is yet another example of how he uses
the traditional elements of the soundtrack in unorthodox ways. (Weis, Elizabeth, 1982)
When it comes to
on-screen murder Hitchcock deliberately plays on the creativity of the
audience's imagination and this can be seen in his attempts to partially
conceal murders. In
"Blackmail" the murder takes place behind the curtains that surround
Crewe's bed. A more interesting case of
concealment comes in the murder of Miriam in "Strangers on a
Train". When Miriam ditches her
escorts in hope of talking to Bruno, he surprises her. His hands swiftly find her throat. Miriam's glasses fall off. Hitchcock cuts to a close-up of the
glasses. Reflected in one of the lenses,
we can make out two struggling figures.
Hitchcock denies us a clear view of what is happening as Bruno strangles
Miriam. The view in the glasses is distorted
and provides a carnivalesque, fun-house perspective, yet we can tell that Bruno
is completely overpowering her. The
murder is also hidden from us aurally by the jangle of the carnival organ. The camera angle, the reflected, distorted
image, the absence of editing, the absence of the sounds of the struggle, and
the lighting all function to conceal the violence of the attack while
simultaneously implying Bruno's strength and the inevitability of her
death. Cinematic concealment is used to
multiply the power of the killer.
Hitchcock takes up the task of concealment again in Psycho.
Forty minutes
into Psycho, Marion is murdered. When
Marion gets into the shower at the Bates Motel and the water starts to flow, we
see she is cleansing herself. She ahs
decided to give back the money that she embezzled. Everything has returned to normal until the
bathroom door opens and a shadowy figure approaches the curtain. When the figure throws open the curtain, we
see a knife raised at shoulder height.
The first strike comes at forty seconds after the shower has been turned
on. Over the course of the next twenty
seconds there are twenty-eight cuts.
There are no shots of the knife penetrating skin, there are no shots of
open knife wounds, and finally, there are no shots of blood spurting. Hitchcock manages to make twenty-eight cuts
without once showing either a fatal blow or a fatal wound. Hitchcock hides the actual violence by
employing severe editing techniques. The
violence that takes place is put together by our imaginations, since it remains
mostly hidden from our direct view.
Astoundingly,
the man considered by many the finest director who ever lived never won an
Oscar for Best Director.
Works Cited
"Hitchcock,
Sir Alfred Joseph," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2002
http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
© 1999 - 2002 by
John E. Shepler. Linking to this article is welcome, but no online
republication is permitted.
http://www.execpc.com/~shepler/
Weis, Elisabeth.
The Silent Scream: Alfred Hitchcock's Sound Track. London: Associated
University Press, 1982.
Free Essay 2
Alfred
Hitchcock, also known as "Master of Suspense," was a director who
loves to manipulate the audience through his films. As a director, he always stayed in touch with
his childish fears. Ever since his
father taught him a lesson about what happens to "naughty boys," he
always feared police. Hitchcock recalled that "the sound of that closing
cell door and the bolt" never left his memory. Director of such works as Psycho and Dial
"M" for Murder, Hitchcock told his stories through suspense.
In the documentary,
"Film on Film," Hitchcock lets us know his secrets in successfully
making a great film. In all of his films, the Hitchcock villain is a person
you'd never suspect. The most everyday character is really the murderer. In Hitchcock's eyes, no one is ever truly
innocent. Everyone in his films is
guilty of something. For example, in
Dial M for Murder, Margot is not really the innocent victim because she was
cheating on her husband. The second
technique Hitchcock uses is to have places familiar to the audience as settings
for danger. He sometimes uses landmarks
to show complete order and have disorder happen there. Other times he uses places that everyday
people go to. For example, in Psycho,
danger happened in a hotel that the audience is familiar with as a place where
you can safely rest. This is to allow
the audience to think that danger can happen anywhere and that it can happen to
anyone. Another technique that Hitchcock used to build suspense was to let the
audience know more about the plot than characters. This is to leave the audience helpless when
they know that something is going to happen. This is known as the bomb
theory. But must not happen with the
bomb theory is that the bomb must not go off.
This is so that it won't ruin the suspense from the audience.
Psycho is one of
the most famous and well-known films in the history of American cinema. It was shot in black in white even though the
technology of color movies was around. For many reasons it was a great
achievement. The film tricked the audience into believing it was telling one
story, then shifted to tell another by killing off its leading lady halfway
through the film. He did it perfectly
without disappointing or losing its audience. A strange figure enters and
repeatedly stabs Marion with a knife to shrieking music. The music adds a lot of tension and suspense
to the audience. This adds tension and
also keeps the audience in suspense because the audience knows that something
will happen in that part. The audience
is then terrified and wants to know more. Another scene that was brilliant was
when the detective is stabbed at the top of the stairs and he falls down. That
placement of the camera makes u feel like you are falling with him. Suspense in Psycho arises from wondering who
is going to be killed next. Alfred
Hitchcock gives an image that Norman Bates' mother is alive. He does this by describing Norman Bates as
being controlled by his mother. He does
not tell the truth about the mother being dead, but does not lie either. Norman's mother is dead, but is alive in the
mind of Norman. The audience thinks that
the mother is alive and they think she can be the killer in the film. This
makes the audience want to see what really happens in the film.
Hitchcock's Dial
M for Murder is another example of pure and classic Hitchcock film. Hitchcock
proves in this version that you don't need fancy clothes and pretty sets to
make a film that keeps you in suspense the whole time. What you do need is good
actors, a well-planned plot, and a little case of attempted murder. One
difference between it and most typical mysteries is that we explore a perfect
crime knowing ahead of time what the plan is.
We watch in suspense to see if it is actually going to work and then in
dread that it actually might. Hitchcock seems to be the only director who can
make you feel more sorry for the conniving killer than the intended victim.
He's so clever and charming, you almost wish he's get away with it. Hitchcock
makes you root for the creep, which isn't easy to pull off. During the scene where Tony propositions the
would-be murderer in their apartment, the entire scene is shot from the
ceiling. The whole time it looked like
you were watching the scene through a security surveillance camera. The next remarkable point in this movie is
the way Hitchcock achieved the creation of a sort of involvement between
murderer, victim and viewer. The viewer is turned into the murderer as he
expects almost frantically Wendice's telephone call. When Tony was late in phoning
his wife and the murderer looked as if he might walk out of the apartment
without killing Margot. The audience as well as Tony was hoping he'd hang on
for another few minutes. Another point is when the murderer is waiting for the
right moment to strangle his "victim." It makes the audiences
"feel" Margot's surprise and desperation as well as the murderer's
brutal attack on her as it happens.
In conclusion,
Hitchcock was a director who planned each of his shots with great care and
detail. His artistry in lighting, camera
angle, etc. makes filming a form of art.
Free Essay 3
Alfred Hitchcock
is one of the most well known directors of all time, as he helped perfect the
murder and mystery genre. His started
his directing career in1925 with "The Pleasure Garden" and ended in
1976 with the film "Family Plot", and set a standard for all other
directors in the film industry. Many techniques used by Hitchcock, along with
some of the storylines have become common standards for the films of
today. Most Americans know Hitchcock
from several of his famous movies such as "Psycho" and "Vertigo",
but it was in England years before that he developed into an amazing director
and created films which set the tone for his later works. It is very interesting to analyze some of his
earlier works to see how he became such a prominent figure in modern History.
Hitchcock was
raised in England where he lived with his parents. He had a strong interest in filmmaking since
he was young, and when a new Paramount studio opened where he lived, he rushed
to get a job there. They hired Hitchcock
as a "Title designer" for silent films. Basically, he would write out the words which
are displayed after each shot in a particular film which helped move the story
along during the silent film era. From there, he worked his way up to become an
assistant director, and directed a small film which he was never finished, and
was never released (Philips 22).
Hitchcock's first real debut as a director took place in 1925 when he
released the film "The Pleasure Garden" (Giannetti 182). Just a year later he released a film that
really helped his career take off titled "The Lodger". "The Lodger" is a model example of
a typical Hitchcock plot. The basic idea
behind the plot is that an innocent man has been accused of a crime that he
didn't commit, and through mystery, danger, and love he must find the real
criminal (Philips 23).
It wasn't long
before Hitchcock became known as the "Master of Suspense", which is a
title he actually gave to himself. The
first talkie created by Hitchcock was the movie "Blackmail". The
film, which was released in 1929, had originally supposed to be a silent film,
and there are some people who think it should have stayed that way.
nevertheless, it was a incredible breakthrough for both Hitchcock and the
British film industry as it was their first film with sound (Giannetti
182). However, there were a few problems
that arose with the transition to sound.
A girl named Anna Ondra played the female character Alice, and had a
thick Eastern accent which came to be impossible to interpret in the film. This was obviously never a problem for her
prior to "Blackmail" since she had only starred in silent films. Hitchcock helped to fix this problem by
getting someone to dub over her voice which turned out to be the perfect
solution (Philips 23). This film features
a classic Hitchcock story where the character wants the police to understand
what happened, but decide it isn't a good idea.
They figure that the police would never believe them anyway, so they're
on their own (Philips 23).
Hitchcock loves
to return to the same themes time and time again, but he somehow manages to
never make the same movie twice. Each
movie has a certain characteristic that sets it apart from all the rest. In "Blackmail" for example, the
visuals and sounds set themselves apart, but do not detract from one another.
Hitchcock managed to keep a strong emphasis on the visuals when incorporating
sound into his films. The sound does not overwhelm in "Blackmail", so
the viewer is still able to pay attention to the fine details. For example, the image of hands continually
reaching for Alice is as evident as it should be. This also applies to the glove which is
forgotten in the studio, the setting of the murder (Thomson 28). The sound only works to improve on what is
already there.
The film that
really set off Hitchcock's career is the 1935 film "The 39 Steps",
which was based off a book written by John Buchan. "The 39 Steps" is a murder mystery
with a little bit of espionage. The
story is about a man named Richard who is new to London. After a fight breaks out at a nearby theater,
Richard is approached by a girl in distress who pleads to go home with him. He
agrees, and soon finds out that she is hiding from several men that are chasing
her. From then on he is involved in
chases, confrontations, and romance (Philips 24). There were several changes in
the story line that Hitchcock knew would work better on screen. The Professor in the novel is unique because
of his hooded eyes, not a missing finger as shown in the film. Hitchcock thought a missing finger would be
more dramatic to the film than someone with half shut eyes because it is much
more noticeable, and has a stronger effect (Rose 10).
This film is one
of the most popular early works of Hitchcock, because it derives Hitchcock's
distinct and unique style of directing. A lot of the ideas from this film are
reworked in later films such as "Saboteur", and "North by
Northwest" (Giannetti 183). This film also displayed his talent as being
able to make a novel's story line work in a movie with just a few adjustments.
The length of Hitchcock's movies are important to him, he was once quoted as
saying: "The length of the film should be directly related to the
endurance of the human bladder", a standard all directors should work by
in my opinion" (Anderson 56). He
was able to compress the novel to a length that would not only interest the
audience but improve upon it as well.
Hitchcock also
uses the technique of irony quite often which many viewers may not realize, but
it is part of what makes him so great.
As mentioned in "The 39 Steps", Richard allows the women to go
home with him, at which point she tries to explain to him what happened at the
theatre. Richard tells her that she
shouldn't bother telling him because he's a nobody. The real irony in this statement is that
throughout the movie Richard goes on to pose as a milkman, a mechanic, a parade
marcher, and a political speaker. This
strongly contradicts his statement because he is virtually everyone (Thomson
29).
"The 39
Steps" definitely had a large historical impact on movies. After this movie came out almost every chase
and spy thriller have copied its approach.
Directors discovered that movie-goers really enjoyed this type of
film. The movie gets the viewer so
involved in the suspense, action, and romance they almost forget about the
actual 39 Steps. Even more amazing, the
film contains minimal special effects, but it doesn't need them since the
suspensful plot and the staging of the shots make the audience stay in their
seats to find out what happens (Rose 101).
Hitchcock came
to America in 1939 as an already very established filmmaker. "Rebecca", released in 1940, was
Hitchcock's first American film and was a huge success, winning best picture. During this decade Hitchcock also created two
other Masterpieces: "Shadow of a
Doubt in 1943, and "Notorious" in 1946. It wasn't until the 1950s however, that
Hitchcock really took off in the US and became a household name. This era produced some of his best work such
"Strangers on a Train" in 1951, "To Catch a Thief" in 1955,
and "Vertigo" in 1958. 1960 is
arguably the pinnacle of Hitchcock's career when he released the hit
"Psycho", which generated over 18 times more money than was put into
it. His final work came in 1976 when he
released "Family Plot", putting an end to one of the most amazing
directing careers in the history of film (Giannetti 279-81).
There is no
denying that Hitchcock enjoyed the majority of his success here in America, but
he wouldn't have become the great director he was without his experience over
in England. It was there that he
developed into an amazing director, and began to show the world some of the
things he was capable of. The
consistency of quality plot lines and technical creativity earned him the
recognition of being one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time.
Works Cited:
Anderson,
Michael. "Alfred
Hitchcock". New York Times. 2001, Vol. 153 Issue
52669, p56,
2p. 16 Nov 2003. Academic Search Premier.
Giannetti, and
Scott Eyman. Flash-Back. 4th Ed.
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 2001.
Phillips, Louis.
"The Hitchcock Universe: Thirty
Nine Steps and then some".
Films in
Review. Mar/Apr95, Vol. 46 Issue 3/4,
p22, 6p. 18 Nov 2003
Academic Search
Premier.
Rose,
Lloyd. "Alfred Again". Atlantic Monthly. Oct 83, Vol. 252 Issue 4,
p100, 2p. 19 Nov 2003.
Academic Search Premier.
Thomson,
David. "Hitchcock". Sight & Sound. Jan 97, Vol. 7 Issue 1, p26, 4p, 6c.
16 Nov
2003. Academic Search Premier
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