Sir Alfred Hitchcock 1899-1980
Re-occurring Themes Throughout many of Hitchcock s films, there are a few themes that seem to repeat themselves, showing that he is truly an auteur of his work, and that he leaves his mark in some way on just about every film he has ever made. Regardless of if they were a huge box office hit or not.
Suspense > Surprise Hitchcock mastered suspense in many different areas, including the shower scene in Psycho, which uses dramatic irony to it s full effect to create heavy suspense instead of the usual surprise elements in horror. "There's two people having breakfast and there's a bomb under the table. If it explodes, that's a surprise. But if it doesn't..."
MacGuffin One of his most used techniques and something that defines a Hitchcockian film and it s also the thing that most of his films rotate around. The MacGuffin is a detail that sparks a curiosity and drives the storyline, however the actual specifics of this detail does not actually make a significant difference to how the film pans out.
Voyeur Theory Voyeur theory is used by Hitchcock throughout films such as Psycho and Rear Window It makes the audience feel as if they are spying on someone or watching something they shouldn t be watching; it makes them feel like they should turn away.
People Hitchcock used people to a larger extent is his films than just as normal characters. He had a few types that he re-used again and again, to create different responses from the audience has he seemed fit. First he has The ordinary person who is an average person that is thrown into unordinary circumstances, such as Janet Leigh in Psycho who plays an average female secretary, but winds up being brutally stabbed to death by a Psycho killer. Second is the wrong person. Many characters such as Henry Fonda in The wrong man are mistaken for another person or just seen in the wrong way. Thirdly is the likeable criminal, especially in Psycho. Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, steals a large sum of money and runs away, however due to her circumstances the audience is on her side at this point.
Blondes Blonde actresses are common in Hitchcockian films, he believed that it wasn t for attraction purposes but because of a linear pattern began by Mary Pickford who was seen in the very early 1900 s and who Hitchcock said made blondes A symbol of the heroine, which could be seen as quite ironic seeing as Marion in Psycho is blonde, but gets brutally murdered nonetheless.
Hitchcockian Style Much of the style in his films is commonly related back to his techniques. However it is important to note the influences on his films including Soviet Montage and German Expressionism which he adapts some of his techniques from, especially when you look at the way the camera moves and how they are distorted or manipulated to make the audience focus on certain people or objects.
A short history Alfred Hitchcock began work as a title card designer for a London branch of the company which developed into Paramount Pictures He then was offered a job at Islington studios who s successor would become Gainsborough Pictures where he designed the titles for silent movies. After 5 years in the job he became a film director where he would develop to create many films seen as landmarks to the industry.
Last Years Alfred Hitchcock suffered from ill health during the 1970 s, limiting his work. Just two weeks after being knighted by the queen he passed away. It is important to note that Hitchcock did not just revolutionize the film industry, but also infiltrated other areas of media including radio, television and literature, making his mark a permanent one.
Everything's perverted in a different way. Alfred Hitchcock
References "Alfred Hitchcock". Ken Mogg. Senses of Cinema. Sensesofcinema.com. Charles L.P. Silet Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of a Film Culture Wikipedia Sources Hitchcock/Truffaut - Interview