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Alfred Hitchcock

The Master of Suspense. Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980). British Started in small films in England, always relying on his wife, Alma, for help with screenplays and other artistic issues

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Alfred Hitchcock

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  1. The Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock

  2. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) • British • Started in small films in England, always relying on his wife, Alma, for help with screenplays and other artistic issues • Was lured to America by the Hollywood producer David O. Selznick after the success of The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Jamaica Inn (1939). • Selznick wanted him to direct the film Rebecca, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture (the only of Hitchcock’s films to do so)

  3. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) • His experience with Selznick was not good (due to Selznick’s micromanaging nature and Hitchcock’s failure to relinquish control of his films), so he made certain to maintain control of his films at all costs (editing, music, casting, etc…) • Each scene was meticulously planned in advance. • Many special effects were achieved through common household items

  4. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • Suspense vs. Surprise: - Surprise = assaulting the viewer with frightening things - Suspense = showing the viewer things the characters do not know, therefore creating tension • “There’s two people having breakfast and there’s a bomb under the table. If it explodes, that’s surprise. If it doesn’t, that’s suspense.” • “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”

  5. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • Audience as Voyeur: - blurring the moral lines between the innocent and the guilty, Hitchcock made voyeurs of his audience. - Voyeur = a Peeping Tom Watch for this theme as we view Rear Window and Psycho

  6. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • MacGuffin - a detail which, by inciting curiosity and desire, drives the plot and motivates the actions of characters within the story, but whose specific identity and nature is unimportant to the spectator of the film • Notorious = Uranium 235 • North by Northwest = “government secrets” • Vertigo = the reasons behind Carlotta’s death

  7. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • The ordinary person or the wrong man: - an innocent bystander who gets caught up in extraordinary events - James Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much; Cary Grant in North by Northwest • The charming psychopath: - villain may appear as charming or urbane - Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train; Joseph Cotton in Shadow of a Doubt

  8. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films STAIRCASES Psycho; Vertigo Rear Window; Frenzy; The Birds

  9. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • Blonde women - Hitchcock felt that audiences would be suspicious of a brunette • Blonde women = “symbolic of the heroine” • He also felt they photographed better in black and white

  10. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • Reflection (in mirrors, car windows, etc…) - each person had two sides to their nature - also to show the similarity between good and evil

  11. Themes & Motifs in Hitchcock’s Films • The perfect murder • Falling from great heights

  12. Relationship with actors • “When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?, ' I say, 'Your salary.' “ • Notorious for not deviating from the script nor allowing actors to improvise • “I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.” • Despite this, many actors clamored to work with him, with several working him multiple times throughout their careers: James Stewart, Cary Grant, and Grace Kelly, to name a few

  13. TITLE OF 'NORTH BY NORTHWEST' ne The assignment • You and a partner will be assigned a film by Hitchcock to view, analyze, and report on. • See the handout for further instructions.

  14. The assignment • The 39 Steps (1939) Rebecca (1940) • Suspicion (1941) Shadow of a Doubt(1943) • Lifeboat (1944) Spellbound (1945) • Notorious (1946) Strangers on a Train (1951) • The Trouble with Harry (1955) • The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) • Vertigo (1958) • North by Northwest (1959) • The Birds (1963) • Family Plot (1976)

  15. On to the movie… • To get started, we will begin viewing Rear Window tomorrow in class. You are to take note of any of the themes or motifs mentioned in the presentation. This will take us through to next Wednesday, at which point we will begin our in-depth study of Psycho.

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