Category: Alfred Hitchcock

Introduction

The word vertigo refers to a medical condition that is characterized by lack of a balance in an individual’s body system. A person with vertigo experiences some form of unsteadiness. The person feels a spinning or whirling movement. This feeling occurs when the person is stationary. A common symptom of a person with vertigo is dizziness. The movie title Vertigo indicates the condition suffered by the protagonist John Scottie.

John Scottie was a former police officer. In one of the operations, he happened to chase a suspect on a rooftop together with his colleague. The experience was traumatizing and caused him discomfort after running on the high height up the rooftop. He developed acrophobia which is some extreme fear of heights. His colleague died in the operation of chasing the suspect. The movie, Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock is characterized by twists and turns of events.

This could have been indicated by the spirals and swirls that appear at the top cover of the movie. This is illustrated by Scottie’s deep possession for Madeleine. After the tragic death of Madeleine, he searched for his lost love by trying to recreate it. In the process, he discovered that Madeleine’s death had been a hoax. When he tried to relive the traumatic incident that had led to Madeleine’s “death”, her real death occurred.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the moral of the story in the movie Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock. A look at love, trust, understanding, irony and real life experiences are some of the highlights that review the movie Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock.

The role of beliefs in the society

Every person is entitled to some form of belief. Beliefs control a person’s behavior. They guide the actions that any particular person is likely to undertake. They are the foundation towards a person’s way of life and his attitudes. Gavin Elster believed that people can be possessed by spirits of the dead.

When his wife started to portray questionable behavior, he began to believe that she had been possessed by the spirit of Carlota Valdes. By hiring John Scottie to investigate his wife’s actions, it was a clear indication that he had related all that the wife had done to the possession of an evil spirit. Madeleine’s actions like laying a wreath on Carlota’s grave and visiting the museum to watch Carlota’s portrait confirmed her husband’s fears.

Love

The movie illustrated a tragic love story. After John Scotties resigned from the police force, he decided to concentrate on his former fiancée. When Gavin hired him as a private detective for his wife Madeleine, Scotties fell in love with the wife of Gavin. After the death of Madeleine, Scotties met Judy who resembled Madeleine and fell in love with her too. Love is natural and plays a significant role in a person’s life.

Love offers companionship. When nurtured with integrity and trust, it brings fulfillment. It is important to limit love and create some boundaries for it may end up ruining other activities which could also be important like careers. From the movie, Scottie was obsessed with love for Madeleine. He did not accomplish his mission as a detective because of love.

Self control and maturity should be exercised in relationships. Love cares for one another. Additionally, love deserves mutual respect between those involved in it. When Madeleine wanted to commit suicide by jumping into the ocean, Scottie saved her. This is an indication of true love and care. On the other hand Madeleine may have felt disrespected after that incidence for she woke up to find herself nude.

This could have caused the tension that followed thereafter. After the death of Madeleine, John Scottie went to an extent of recreating Judy to fit his perception of Madeleine. It is an indication that he had not accepted that his love for Madeleine had been disrupted by her death. Love has boundaries. Love that is exercised beyond certain societal and religious boundaries is considered immoral. The love between Madeleine and Scottie was immoral. Madeleine was married to Gavin and John Scottie also had a fiancée.

Trust and understanding

Several incidents in the movie portray lack of trust for one another. Gavin’s family lacked trust for one another. If proper communication existed in the family, he could have tried to find out the problem that had been affecting his wife before employing a detective.

Employing a detective signified lack of trust for his wife. Judy on the other hand knew very well that she was the “real Madeleine”. She knew that she was cheating Scottie. At one time she wanted to disclose the truth. She wrote a note stating the facts intending to give it to Scottie but later changed her mind and did not give the note to him.

Deceit may not last forever. Scottie sported jewelry from Judy. He recognized it as Madeleine’s. He discovered that Judy’s personality was a hoax and she was the real Madeleine. This also illustrated confusion in the love story and in John’s life for he was not able to distinguish between reality and dream.

Irony

Scottie forced Madeleine’s character in to Judy’s. He wanted the latter’s speech to be similar to Madeleine’s. He bought her clothes similar to Madeleine’s. Judy changed her hair style to blonde so that it appeared similar to Madeleine’s. Judy acted all that with full knowledge that she was the real Madeleine.

Real life experience

With the challenges encountered in real life today, many people find themselves in similar situations like the ones experienced by John Scottie. Some difficult situations may arise in one’s job making him to quit. The person may find himself constantly in difficult situations and possibly due to frustrations, he may find himself relating to people he may have loathed before.

Scottie found himself rejuvenating his former love with his no nonsense fiancée. Scottie ended up acquiring the same belief that Gavin had acquired regarding possession of an evil spirit. Many people end up moving from one love relationship to the other just as Scottie did. This may end up making life more complex. Scottie went down into depression because of frustrations of love.

This is also a reality today. Most depression cases are usually as a result of complications in love affairs. Others may completely change their way of live because of love. This is well exhibited by the character of Judy in the movie Vertigo. Some moral and immoral love affairs end up tragically. In cases of infidelity, the aggrieved partner may end up harming the other. Some end up committing suicide. An example of a love affair that ended up tragically was the case of Princess Diana of Wales in August, 1998.

Conclusion

It is important to deal with all forms of fear. People can take advantage of another person if they realize that he or she lives in fear. Gavin had realized that Scottie had acrophobia and decided to use him to conceal his wife’s murder by feigning Madeleine’s suicide. People who live in fear may have the strength to get out of it. Scottie illustrated this by conquering his acrophobia when he went up to the tower to relive Madeleine’s death.

Alfred Hitchcock’s innovative and seminal contributions to cinema are visible all through his films, as evidenced by the fact that his name is associated with at least one zoom technique. The murder sequence in Sabotage is a clear example of this creativity. This segment of the film, which could be merely sensational, nonetheless reveals several profound characteristics of the relationship between Sylvia and her husband Verloc, and with her dead brother.

Hitchcock accomplishes this using a simple vocabulary of shots and angles, a few crucial sound effects, and no special effects. In addition to masterful acting by the protagonists, Hitchcock uses the objects in the scene almost as characters. To allow the actors to communicate the maximum content with the least amount of dialogue and overt violence, Hitchcock targets his application of the modest range of shot types in this section of the film.

At the outset of this sequence, Hitchcock uses an element in the environment; Disney cartoon; to demonstrate that, in spite of her apparent equanimity, Sylvia is catastrophically devastated by her brother’s death. On the movie screen, the innocent and charming Cock Robin bird, shot dead senselessly by an unidentified assailant, comes all too close to her brother’s death by explosion through no fault of his own. She telegraphs her inner distress as her facial expression collapses.

If she had simply broken down and cried, it would not have led the audience along with her. The audience is led with her to her own realization of her loss and her growing uncertainties about her husband.

Another element of the environment, the dinner set up with cutlery by the cook, serves to signal Sylvia’s increasing distress with her husband and recent events.

Verloc’s complete obliviousness to the effect of Stevie’s murder is signaled by his interaction with the table setting. He demonstrates his unconcern over her loss through his self-centered attention to fiddling with the covered dishes. He samples the food and complains about the greens; reminding both of them of Stevie’s death by suggesting that fresh greens be sent for. This task was allocated to Stevie in life, and the camera shot on the chair draws the viewer’s attention to his absence.

Near the end of the segment, Hitchcock assigns to another element in the mise-en-scene a crucial part. The caged birds chirp and hop with apparent unconcern. They remain bonded in a way that Sylvia and Verloc are no more, and perhaps never were.

Hitchcock uses a relatively restrained repertoire of shots to telegraph the interior processes of his characters. Hitchcock focuses the camera closely on the knife, and then her face, and then shows us how disturbing Sylvia’s own thoughts are to her by drawing the focus back into a more distant shot, to let us see her push the knife away from her in horror. We see the train of thoughts as clearly as if she had mused on murder aloud.

Verloc’s gaze, captured in close-up, fixes on the same cutlery, and his expression almost makes the viewer forget that the cutlery itself is not what can kill, but the bereaved and betrayed sister. When she takes up the knife too swiftly for him to get it, Sylvia has taken yet another step in her journey of preparing herself to avenge her brother. Thus, when, close to the end of this clip, after Sylvia has, apparently without completely intending to at that moment, plunged the knife into Verloc’s innards, we are not entirely surprised.

The segment is also characterized by a paucity of notable sounds. After Sylvia is out of range of the theatre, there is near silence. Hitchcock combines the few sounds he does use with careful camera use to further emphasize the internal thought processes of the characters. The viewer hears Verloc’s petulant and critical complaints, the clatter of cutlery as Sylvia thrusts it from her, the creaking of shoes and the expostulations of both Verloc and his wife as he comes to grips with her.

However, the camera cuts between Sylvia’s face, Verloc’s face, and the knife to draw the eye first to the knife cutting meat, then impaling the potato, then pushed away with a rare burst of sound, then, finally, Sylvia’s hands. Hitchcock gives the viewer Verloc’s point of view at this point, focusing on her folded hands, her wedding ring prominently visible right across the table from him.

As the viewer sees realization of his risk of reprisal dawning on Verloc, the camera follows him as he rises and circles the table. This demonstrates the deliberateness of Hitchcock’s austere choices elsewhere in this segment. Verloc’s murder is up close, but his death is shot from a greater distance, allowing us to infer Sylvia’s almost immediate abandonment of resuscitation. The bizarre floor-level final angle reprises Verloc’s point of view.

Hitchcock’s use of mise-en-scene and sparing use of special angles, shots, and sound all work together. They help us to understand Sylvia’s gradual approach to her murder of her husband.

The usage of mise en scene is a powerful method that could be explored by a filmmaker to achieve a certain effect or attract publics attention to a certain issue. The term means a set of design aspects of a film that incorporate the visual theme, gestures, characters positions, etc. Therefore, there are many other crucial elements that could be related to this very aspect.

Besides, cogitating about the great power of this very tool, we could analyze scenes from Psycho. The movie is taken as a unique example of how the appropriate usage of different techniques could help to achieve the needed effect.

The scene We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes could be considered a powerful episode that has a great impact on viewers. First of all, it is monochromatic, and all colors are indicated by different shades of black and white. The prevalence of these tints contributes to a specific atmosphere of depression and anxiety. Marion and Norman speak in a usual manner; they do not have any conflict. However, when the characters discuss the madness of Normans mother, first signs of threat could be noticed. Norman changes. He becomes excited and nervous. He speaks about a madhouse with great pain and understanding. There is even something ill in his words.

Marion obviously notices the change, and we could see that she is scared for a while; however, relaxed atmosphere calms her down; she apologizes and relaxes, having no idea that Norman is sick and dangerous. The mise en scene perfectly fits the context. Grey color prevails, and it becomes the main motif of the whole narration. The characters communicate at night which makes the scene even more thrilling. Finally, stuffed birds and lack other tiny details of the interior contribute to the improved understanding of the great tension that exists.

The scene A Boy’s Best Friend is characterized by the same mise en scene. However, here we could also see a lamp, telephone, sandwiches, and some other objects that contribute to the creation of the less tensed atmosphere. The scene is not so dark as the previous one as the lamp gives light and gray shades are blended with white ones. At the first gaze, the difference between mise en scenes of these episodes is not significant; however, it contributes to the creation of opposite effects and results in the appearance of different feelings.

Psycho is considered the earliest slasher movie as well as one of the best films ever created. Wood calls it “perhaps the most terrifying film ever made” (142), describing it as a movie that takes viewers into the darkness of themselves. Based on a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch, Psycho was made against the wishes of Paramount, which Hitchcock was working with at the time using his resources. As a result, the movie was shot on a low budget, using Hitchcock’s television show crew, and being filmed in black and white.

The Plot of the Movie

The film begins with Marion Crane, a secretary, stealing a significant sum of money and attempting to drive to her boyfriend’s house in a different state. On the way, she stops at a motel and is invited to dinner by the owner Norman Bates. She then overhears an argument between Bates and his mother about bringing Marion into the house to eat, which ends with Norman deciding to eat with her in the motel parlor. There, Norman tells Marion about his difficult life under his controlling and obsessive mother. After hearing the story, Marion has an epiphany and decides to go back and return the money the next morning.

Soon after, she is suddenly stabbed in the shower by an unknown assailant, with Bates discovering the body and hiding it along with the evidence. Marion’s relatives become alarmed at her disappearance and hire a private investigator, who is also murdered at the motel. Finally, Marion’s sister Lila and her boyfriend Sam arrive in the town themselves. There they learn that Norman’s mother, Mrs. Bates, has been dead for ten years. Deciding that Norman is the killer who wanted the money Marion was hiding, they head to the hotel.

While Sam distracts Norman, Lila manages to sneak into Bates’s house and discovers the mummified corpse of Mrs. Bates However, Norman discovers her soon after and tries to kill her, but Sam manages to subdue him. They give Norman over to the police to have him tried for his crimes. At court, a psychiatrist explains that Bates has developed dissociative identity disorder, with the violent and possessive “mother” personality completely taking charge of him. The “mother” personality protests to the viewer that Norman himself performed the murders.

Production and Development

Paramount disliked the idea of Hitchcock producing an experimental movie such as Psycho and refused to provide support for the filming. Hitchcock decided to fund the film with his resources, not using his usual filming crew and convincing the actors to work for less than their usual fee. The Paramount executives agreed to the proposal, as they would still be the distributors of the movie, even though Hitchcock secured a 60% stake in the earnings for himself, according to Smith (14).

Hitchcock decided to shoot the movie at the studios where he produced his television show, using the show’s crew. The movie’s budget was relatively small, but despite that, numerous locations were shot for reconstruction at the studio, and well-known, talented actors were hired (Kolker 48). There was a need to do retakes for some scenes, which is unusual for Hitchcock who is famous for only needing one attempt to film a shot successfully.

The actors were allowed to improvise freely, which accounts for some of the small details in the movie, such as Norman’s candy corn eating habit. There were rumors that Janet Leigh who played Marion was abused during the shower scene’s filming via the use of cold water to produce more realistic screams, but the actress has since publicly denied the statement. She did, however, only receive a quarter of her usual fee for her work, which was explained by a combination of Hitchcock’s reputation, her contract, and her agreement without reading the salary details.

The Shower Scene

The shower scene is the most well-known part of the movie, as it is masterfully shot and displays a level of violence that was unprecedented at the time of its shooting. According to Philippe, it consists of 78 camera set-ups and 52 edits in a three-minute sequence. Some of the angles are innovative for the time, such as the shot of the shower head spraying water onto the camera without blurring the lens. This effect was achieved through the blocking of the head’s inner ring of holes, which made the water spray around the camera without getting on the lens.

A significant part of the scene’s appeal is its meaning, which was unusual for the time and revolutionized the concept of storytelling in films. The perception that Marion is the protagonist increases the impact of the scene, as up to that point in time the viewer has been observing her actions and thoughts. However, she dies and is never relevant again, as the focus of the story shifts to the actual centerpiece, namely the unknown killer and the people who try to expose him. The approach has become standard for slasher movies, which tend to avoid showing the killer’s activity until the first murder occurs.

The scene’s use of matters that were previously considered unapproachable, such as displaying a flushing toilet, expanded the possibilities for future horror film creators, which they capitalized on. However, the scene still attempts to avoid on-screen displays of violence. While there is a shot of a knife stabbing Marion, it is so short that people often do not notice it without a freeze-frame analysis. The use of the music also serves to amplify the scene, despite Hitchcock’s original intention is not to have any.

The scene is said to contain numerous subtexts, some of which Hitchcock openly discussed after the movie’s release. The director compared Marion’s decision to shower to baptism, as she decided to confess her crime and face her punishment. Norman’s attack is also founded on deep sexual frustration, as his possessive “mother” personality refuses to let him express anything but hostility to women, and the knife Bates favors is a strongly phallic instrument.

Notable Works

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho: A Casebook edited by Robert Kolker approaches the movie from different sides and viewpoints by gathering the opinions of numerous analysts, such as Robin Wood and Stephen Rebello. The topics of the book cover Psycho’s production, reception, music, and other aspects. The book can be considered a collection of informed and influential opinions on the movie and its effect on the industry.

Robin Wood wrote an entire book on the famous director, which is named Hitchcock’s Films Revisited. The author describes his impressions of the various movies directed by Hitchcock as an individual and as a critic who has been strongly influenced by his works. The combination of objective insights and memories of how the works affected Wood when they were first displayed provides a valuable view of the intents and circumstances behind them.

For a detailed analysis of the movie’s plot from every aspect, Joseph W. Smith, III, offers a helpful guide. The book’s structure follows the movie’s progression, describing the events while noting matters that deserve attention, such as technical specifics or subtexts behind particular scenes. The book provides a detailed analysis of the motifs of the film and the ideas Hitchcock wanted to express with each scene as well as the whole story.

Alexandre O. Philippe devotes an entire feature-length documentary to analyzing the shower scene. 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene makes a statement that there are still secrets hidden in the 78 camera shots that have not been discovered yet. The documentary describes the shocking, but also beautiful nature of the scene with its tragic and yet irresistibly attractive visuals. Philippe states that one could explore the shower scene for a lifetime and still not get to the bottom of its numerous subtexts.

David Thomson analyses Psycho as a work that has influenced the cinematographic industry for years and decades to come. His book The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder describes how the film plays with the viewers and how it breaks the norms and establishes new ones. The author covers both the individual qualities of the movie and the battle Hitchcock had fought behind the scenes to secure acceptance of his masterpiece.

Reception

Critics did not receive Psycho positively when it premiered, denouncing it for its violence and disturbing departure from the norms. Thomson describes how a similar movie Peeping Tom by another highly talented director Michael Powell had received a strong negative response three months before Psycho’s opening and halted Powell’s career due to poor critical reception (156). Nevertheless, the film opened with great aplomb and attracted a large amount of attention from audiences despite the negative reviews.

Hitchcock’s move produced results when audiences greatly enjoyed Psycho and began spreading the fame of the picture by word of mouth. Faced with this unexpected reaction, critics were forced to watch the movie again and evaluate it with a fresh perspective. Once they did that, the tone of the reviews dramatically improved, and Psycho was hailed as a masterpiece, according to Kolker (167). A similar situation occurred in the other countries as the movie premiered there, leading to universal recognition and a theatrical re-release of the film in 1969.

The success of Psycho paved the way for other films that would previously be considered too dark or brutal. Lewis’s Blood Feast, released in 1963, became known as the first “splatter movie,” and numerous mystery thrillers took inspiration from Hitchcock’s film. After Hitchcock’s death, Universal Studios, who had acquired the rights to the franchise, began working on numerous related movies, including three sequels to Psycho. The film itself is preserved in the National Film Registry as significant.

Conclusion

Psycho is a brilliant film that challenged the norms of its times and emerged victoriously. It has established many standards and approaches that are being used even today. The combination of great direction, music, acting, and story creates a film that was revolutionary when it premiered but remains a highly recommended picture half a century later. With its outstanding list of achievements, Psycho is a strong contender for the title of the best movie ever filmed.

Works Cited

Kolker, Robert, editor. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho: A Casebook. Oxford University Press, 2004.

Lewis, Herschell Gordon, director. Blood Feast. Box Office Spectaculars, 1963.

Philippe, Alexandre O., director. 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene. IFC Films, 2017.

Psycho. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, performances by Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles, Paramount Pictures, 1960.

Smith, Joseph W., III. The Psycho File: A Comprehensive Guide to Hitchcock’s Classic Shocker. McFarland, 2009.

Thomson, David. The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder. Basic Books, 2009.

Wood, Robin. Hitchcock’s Films Revisited. Columbia University Press, 2002.

Introduction

The legend of the Bluebeard ascends to the early 15^th century, reciting the story of Gilles de Rais – a nobleman from Brittany, the late Marshal of the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. Accused of practicing occultism, demon summoning, and mass murder, de Rais was sentenced to death via hanging and burning by the secular court, the sentence executed on 26^th of October 1440. Although Gilles de Rais did not kill his wife, and his supposed crimes involved children murder rather than women, the presence of a real person behind the fairy tale continues to fascinate creators throughout history.

Exploring The Bloody Chamber

The grotesque motif of a middle-aged serial killer with a room full of his previous spouses’ bodies is a centerpiece of the short novel The Bloody Chamber. Written masterfully by Angela Carter, the story explores a traditional narrative of a young girl married to an older French Marquis against her direct will. Following her curiosity, the girl finds her husband’s pornography collection and, instead of recoiling in disgust, takes her pleasure in exploiting it. This creates an unusual juxtaposition of primordial innocence and primal temptation of lust, which greatly diverts the story from the stereotypic retelling of a children’s tale to the new grounds of “adult novel”. Supporting this claim, Lokke (1988) states that “This tale of the wealthy, seemingly chivalrous aristocrat who murders seven young brides and inters them in his cellar brings together violence and love, perversion and innocence, death and marriage in an unsettling combination” (p. 7). This approach to a well-known plot confuses the audience’s expectations, causing a clash between the supposed need for a happy-ending and the inherent tendency for violence in the mind of the reader.

Exploring Rebecca

Rebecca is claimed by critics worldwide to be one of the most brilliant works of Alfred Hitchcock. The grim atmosphere of a black-and-white film compliments the haunting presence of the main hero’s dead wife, Rebecca, creating a powerful psychological pressure on the characters on the screen and viewers alike. In contrast to the Bluebeard’s and The Bloody Chamber’s traditional setting of a male villain, the story concentrates on dissecting the hidden motivation of every character, including the ghost of Rebecca. Although at first, the narrative still hints at Maxim de Winter being the “Bluebeard” and killing his first wife in murderous anger. However, when his deeper self begins to unfold, the viewer can see that he is more of a victim rather than an abuser. The climax not only puts a point to the long story of betrayals and lies but it also becomes a first step in Maxim’s way to freedom. Relieved of all his burdens, he sets his mansion ablaze, burning all the bridges between him and Rebecca and finalizing the end of their tale.

Conclusion

The storyline and outcomes of The Bloody Chamber and Rebecca seem to strongly differ from each other, creating two independent morals. The first one concerns the justification of curiosity and its consequences, while the second one sets off into a more ethical ground, creating in Rebecca a metaphor for an unclosed gestalt. However, both narratives carry an uncanny resemblance in their ways of revealing controversial aspects of human nature through absurdity and grotesque, without creating any unnatural situations, which one would dismiss as “unbelievable”. An accurate and vivid portrayal of different characters interacting in complicated patterns of love, hate, obsession, and misguided loyalty lays bare the ever-present inner conflict of a man and a monster in each and every move, word, and line.

References

Lokke, K. E. (1988). “Bluebeard” and “The Bloody Chamber”: The Grotesque of self-parody and self-assertion.Frontiers: a Journal of Women Studies, 10(1), 7–12. Web.

The film ‘Rear Window’ was made and directed in 1954 by Alfred Hitchcock. He was British-born but had his main success in America. His most famous film is Psycho. He tended to make and direct films of a mystery, thriller, genre.

The film ‘Rear Window’ is about a man Jeffries, who is a photographer. He has broken his leg and is forced to stay in his apartment for 8 weeks. To relieve his boredom he starts looking out the window at his neighbors. One night he thinks he hears a murder in one of the other apartments, which he can see from his window. With the help of his girlfriend, Lisa, and his nurse, Stella, he tries to uncover the murder. The central character in ‘Rear Window’ is L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart). He is a photographer and uses his camera equipment to spy on his neighbors, especially Thorwald, the suspected murderer. Thorwald is a traveling salesman, who lives across the courtyard opposite Jeffries’s apartment.

The other main character is Lisa (Grace Kelly). She is Jeffries girlfriend, and she works for a glossy magazine. The film is shot mainly with only a couple of cameras, which tend to be stationary and do lots of point of view, panning, close-ups, tilting, zoom, and medium shots. (Fawell, 56) They also do some shoulder, and special effect shots. The film is meant to be from Jeffries’ point of view.

Hitchcock has made the film in such a way that the audience only sees and hears things from Jeffries’ point of view. When Jeffries hears the murder of Mrs. Thorwald, Hitchcock has made it so that we only hear the scream and the glass breaking, just as Jeffries did. The screen is dark so we don’t see the murder; we just hear it, as Jeffries does. (Fawell, 73) He gets suspicious because Mr. Thorwald starts doing odd things like going out in the rain in the middle of the night with a big case.

In this ‘Rear Window,’ Hitchcock appears in one of the windows, winding up a clock. He only appears for about 10 seconds. This is a very unusual thing to do, appear in your film. This is one of the reasons why Hitchcock films are so famous. All the scenes in ‘Rear Window’ are shot exultantly and Hitchcock has made and directed them very well. One of the best scenes in the film is the scene where it starts raining and a couple is sleeping outside and they have to quickly take their mattress inside before it gets wet. (Richard, 140) While directing this scene Hitchcock was very clever. When he was filming this, to make it look more real both the actors had earpieces in, so Hitchcock could speak to them. He would speak to one actor and tell them to move and pull in one direction, then it would tell the other actor to move and pull in the other direction. Hitchcock has done this to make it look more realistic, which it does. It is a bit funny because the actors are pulling in different directions, the husband managers to fall through the open window with the mattress. (Richard, 128)

Hitchcock has made it very cleverly. It’s an unusual film because it is set all in one room and the courtyard. Some people would find it boring because there is no change in scenery. The only time the camera goes outside the flat is right at the end where Jeffries falls out of the window.

The best part of the film for me is towards the end, from when Lisa goes into the Thorwalds’ apartment and then Thorwald working out whom it is spying on him. It is very tense and exciting. I think the film maintains our interest and keeps us hooked. Hitchcock has done it very well. You would think that it would be a bit boring considering it is all set in the one place, but it is not, it is very interesting and it maintained my interest very well. This was one of the first new films of its type. I enjoyed the film and thought Hitchcock did it very well.

Works Cited

Fawell, John. Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Well-Made Film, Southern Illinois University Press, 2001.

Richard Allen, Sam Ishii-Gonzáles. Hitchcock: Past and Future, Routledge, 2004.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense, timing and irony. Spielberg is a master story teller with an eye for the dramatic and an understanding of cinematography. Hitchcock mastered image while Spielberg mastered scene. Hitchcock worked out perfect timing while Spielberg created lyrical transitions. Hitchcock investigated the underside of man while Spielberg looked inside. These two directors show equal talent separated mostly by time, technology and genre.

Alfred Hitchcock stuck mostly to one genre: suspense or horror, often called thrillers, because that is what they do to the audience. Over the many years of his career, Alfred Hitchcock carried on a dialogue with his audience about human nature, crime and justice. No other director has ever been so intimately connected with his or her audience. Hitchcock always appeared in his films, if not as director or story teller, as a cameo somewhere in the film. Timing was everything. Hitchcock never had to show up close blood and gore in any real manner. He was a master of suggestion. In Psycho, we never actually see the bloody body of the victim in the shower. We only see the knife come through the shower curtain and blood run down the drain. He often showed the results of violence, but seldom actually showed it in progress. He just staged extremely disturbing suggestive tableaus (Ken Mogg, 2008). Spielberg had much more technology at his disposal, so special effects were how he conveyed the very same type of information. In Jurassic park, we never actually see up close blood and gore either, but we are somewhat distracted by the huge animals and we see things like the rear half of the jeep after Rex munches on the fat guy.

One wonders what special effects Hitchcock might have used if he had them. He was always pushing the envelope. He used electronic sounds tracks in The Birds and the screeching strings in Psycho was totally new to film. He also used classical music to set the mood as did Spielberg. Jaws was probably the closest thing to Hitchcock that Spielberg ever did. He gave the shark a signature in the sound track that warned the audience and set up what Hitchcock called that anticipation which was better than the actual act. One particular scene in Jaws reminds us of Hitchcock by its subtlety. At the beginning when the first victim is killed, we never see anything. We only hear her as she is eaten by the shark, and the musical sound track is morose but powerful. It is a chilling scene.

Often Alfred Hitchcock tackled very difficult settings, such as The Lifeboat, which was shot entirely inside a small boat or Rear Window which shows only what the actor, Carey Grant, could see from his window. He used inventive camera techniques, even inventing a spinning zoom that is named after him. Both these directors could tell a story and involve the audience with subtle cues. One memorable scene in The Birds was simply some birds sitting on a wire, looking knowingly at the camera with rather evil looks. Spielberg shows us the gradual loss of control as the main character of Close Encounters of the Third Kind builds the replica of the mountain in his living room. Spielberg achieve one of his most memorable moments in the “feel-good” ET as we watch the silhouette of the ET and the boy on the bicycle against the full moon and the music grow to heroic proportions.

Conclusion

While these two directors were widely separated in time and by technology and genres they chose to explore, that had in common a vision which enabled them to tell the story with much fewer words, because they used visual and sound effects to lead the audience to the proper or desired conclusions. I wonder what it would be like if they could have collaborated. Hitchcock created masterful tableaus that communicated as instantly as a slap and as deeply as a poem. Spielberg created powerful panoramas of action, sound and visual effects that took use soaring into the worlds he created. It seems that all of Alfred Hitchcock’s films were rather dark while most of Steven Spielberg’s are uplifting. So I guess if the made ET together the little guy would grow sharp teeth and eat the family before he left.

References

1. IMDb on line, 2008, Spielberg, Steven, Filmography.
2. Mogg, Ken, 2008, Alfred Hitchcock – Master of Paradox, b. 1899, London, England
3. d. 1980, Los Angeles, USA.
4. ImDb on line, 2008, Hitchcock, Alfred, Media of Hitchcock. Web.

Introduction

During his forty-five years in the film industry, Alfred Hitchcock directed a total of 55 movies. This is besides his writing career. Most of the plots of his movies were a demonstration of the prevailing social conditions, at the time. While this may be of concern to us, it is actually the role that the mothers to his many films, along with the girlfriends of Hitchcock during his filming career, that requires to be addressed. As a child, Hitchcock was brought up by his catholic mother. It is alleged that she made him confess any sins that he might have committed in her absence. This action led Hitchcock to loathe his mother, perhaps a reflection of his loathing too, for the mothers in his films. On the other hand, Hitchcock had an obsession with blonde women (Giblin 2006), and it is not a wonder therefore that virtually all his heroines that graced the silver screen to his many films, were actually blondes. His obsession was combined with a domineering nature over the heroines, both at a personal land professional level.

Different roles of women in Hitchcock film

Oftentimes, films by Alfred Hitchcock have featured characters that are trying hard to sustain the relationship that they share with their mothers. For example in the 1959 film North by Northwest, the character of Gary Grant. Played by Roger Thornhill, comes out like that of a man who is not only innocent, but also one who is on the receiving end of his mother, following his insistence that murderous and shadowy men could be trailing him (Giblin 2006). In the actual sense however, there are indeed men who are trailing him. The character of Rod Taylor, in the 1963 film The Birds, discovers that his world is surrounded by vicious birds. At the same time, Rod Taylor is also trying hard to become free of a mother who is clinging to him. (The mother character has been played by Jessica Tandy).

On the other hand, the killer who is featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1972 movie, Frenzy, is seen to idolize his mother, while at the same time harboring a loathing for the rest of the women. There is also the villain Bruno, who features in the film, “Strangers on a Train” (Giblin 2006). While Bruno is depicted as a character who hates his father with venom, nevertheless he has a soft spot for his mother (Marion Lorne plays this character), with who he shares a close relationship. Claude Rain as Sebastian in the film Notorious shares a relationship with his mother that at best, maybe described as being conflicting. In this case, his mother rightly harbors suspicion regarding Ingrid Bergman, who plays the character of Alicia Huberman, the new bride to Sebastian. In the film Psycho, it is obvious that Norman Bates has a lot of trouble with his mother (Haeffner 2005). Hitchcock has managed to bring out the characters of mothers that have graced his many films as being powerful characters.

According to critics, the mother figures that Hitchcock helps create are more sinister figures (Haeffner 2005). This is a further reflection of the impact that Freudianism may have been ingrained into the mind of Hitchcock. It is worthy of note there that Hitchcock was raised by his Catholic mother. In fact, she was so obsessed with him that oftentimes, he would prevail on him to confess every sin that he may have committed. This is a clear indication of the overprotective nature of a mother. Hitchcock later on in life goes on to portray the protective nature of a mother in the film, The Man Who Knew Too Much. Nevertheless, there are also those mother figures that are not sinister in any way. On the other hand, the film, Stage Fright, helps bring out the character of an English mother who is quite dotty, a character that Sybil Thorndike plays well to perfection.

There is also the character of Mme that is played by Lepoldine Konstantin, in the film, Notorious. Indeed, this may be said to be a film about the most ruthless mother that Hitchcock ever created. In the film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, we see a mother figure that is quite controlling. This is a role that is played by Doris Day, in this Hitchcock film of 1955, who takes on the character of this protective mother who is even seen holding a rifle. Then we have the character of Emma Newton that is played by Patricia Collinge in the film, Shadow of Doubt. This film was shot about the same year that Emma, the mother to Hitchcock, passed on. Emma Newton could perhaps be seen as “the most sympathetic mother figure” to have ever been created by Hitchcock (Haeffner 2005). Marian Lorne, who plays the role of the mother to Bruno Anthony in the film, Strangers on the Train, is seen rebuking her son due to his les-than satisfactory character. For example, we see her exclaiming thus, “Oh Bruno, you’re such a naughty boy!” (Gottleib 2003).

Hitchcock has also created the character of mothers that are quite loving and caring about their sons. For example, the mother of Ballestrero, played by Esther Miniciotti in the film, The Wrong Man, is quoted as saying this to Ballestrero, “My son, I beg you to pray” (Gottleib 2003). The heroines that Hitchcock creates have a tendency of being cool and lovely blondes. For example, the film, The Lodger, features its famous victims, all of whom are blondes. At face value, these characters appear to be quite proper in character. Nevertheless, when they get intrigued by a danger or passion, their response borders to that of animals, and they may be said to be sensual, criminal even, in a number of ways. Madeleine Carroll, the glamorous star blonde that Hitchcock cerates in the film, The 39 Steps, end up being in handcuffs. Tippi Hedren, who takes on the title character in the 1964 film, Marnie, is portrayed as a kleptomaniac.

Three of Hitchcock’s films during the early 1960s that as The Birds, Psych, as well as Manic, all lead to the emergence of a new configuration in terms of the heroine that gets involved. Previously, Hitchcock had sought to portray a compliment of gender, like in the case of the film, In The Wrong Man. This was during the 1950s. In the 1960s however, the character of the mother figure merges (Giblin 2006). Now, we see a plot of the film that is characterized by an antagonism between on the one hand, a hero and on the other hand, a heroine, thanks to the entry of the character of a mother. In all these films (save for The Man Who Knew Too Much), the mother figure appears to direct her mothering not to an adult, but to a child.

In the film, Rear Window, Lisa takes on the form of a mother figure who is quite badgering. Other films such as Stage Fright, Shadow of a Doubt and Strangers on a Train, bring out the heroines as women who are ” radically bereft of their children” (Haeffner 2005). The heroes in the films by Hitchcock appear to draw a certain level of hostility towards their mothers. Equally, Hitchcock is seen to have his venom directed at these mothers in quite an intense manner. This also includes to some extent, the female actresses. In this case, the hostility by Hitchcock takes on the form of a dominating obsession.

Nevertheless, there are those women who dodge the manipulative nature of Hitchcock. One such woman is Vera Miles, who decided to get pregnant, as opposed to taking a starring role in Hitchcock’s film, Vertigo. It has often been said that Hitchcock already had in her mind that this would have been the breakthrough role for this heroine. Vertigo comes out as the most autographical work by Hitchcock. The character of Scottie is taken up by James Stewart. The hero in this film appears to be quite obsessed with a haunted woman, Madeline, played by Kim Novak. Following the death of the haunted woman Scottie manages coerce Judy, whom she takes as a replacement to the dead Madeline, to copy the hairstyle and attires that were worn by the dead woman. Clearly, this plot is an echo of the dominion that Hitchcock often has over the females that stars in his (Haeffner 2005).

Hitchcock was known for subjecting his women characters in the movies that he created to despicable psychological and physical horrors that sought to ruin not just their otherwise elegant equilibrium, but also somewhat appear to expose how vulnerable these women are (Gottleib 2003). What may be of interest here is the fact that outside of the silver screen is the fact that Hitchcock had a soft spot for blondes, even in his old age. There are those critics that have depicted Hitchcock as being a manipulative sadist not just in his films, but also when it comes to real-life matters. For example, Hitchcock could not let go of Grace Kelly. This is the ice maiden blonde that Hitchcock lost when she was wed in a high-profile setting.

The film Psycho shows Hitchcock viciously treating his blonde, and in the end resulting in her death. This cruel act was seen by many then as one of the most shocking scenes to have graced the silver screen. Tippi Hedren is the blonde star in two of Hitchcock’s films; Marnie and The birds. Again, Hitchcock does not hide his obsession with this particular blonde. In the long run, he is unable to contain it, and eventually goes berserk about it, akin to the climax that his other film, Strangers On The Train, as regards the level of obsession of the heroes to his blonde heroine, Tippi Hedren. The screenwriter of Vertigo, Samuel Taylor, is quoted as having commented thus about how Hitchcock manipulated Hedren, “He was doing Vertigo with Tippi Hedren” (Gottleib 2003).

The life of Hitchcock may be said to be one that was characterized by an obsession with detail. During the working hours, he would not even dare to think of leaving the office. So as not to harbor any thoughts about dressing, Hitchcock is believed to have worn similar suits to his tie. In addition, Hitchcock always ensured that on his many global trips, he would always book into similar suites. According to him, this enabled him to feel comfortable around familiar territory (Freeman 1999). In a similar fashion, Hitchcock is seen to have a controlling effect on his many films. A case in point is the level of obsession to which Hitchcock has over the heroines of his films.

A majority of the critics of Hitchcock’s films have pointed out that he often took pride in performing acts of sadism while on screen, but in real life, a majority of the actresses in his films (except in the case of Tippi Hedren), have pointed out to the fact that Hitchcock may at best be said to have been a perfect gentleman, at least from their perspective. Although Hitchcock could oftentimes turn out to be quite overprotective, nevertheless his concerns towards the women in his life took on the form of a concerned father (Freeman 1999). Time and again, mothers in the films that Hitchcock has directed are portrayed as being domineering and intrusive, batty even, as is the case in the films Notorious, Rope, North by Northwest, The Birds, Strangers on a Train, and Psycho.

The domineering nature of Hitchcock again unfolds in the film Vertigo, in which we see the hero, James Stewart coercing a woman to have her hair dyed to blonde. This is a further testament to the fact that Hitchcock is extremely obsessed with blondes, and he will go to any level to see to it that his character resembles his personal obsessions. Hitchcock once attested to the fact that the main reason behind his choice for blonde to feature in his films was more of a tradition, as opposed to being attracted to these. This tradition, according to Hitchcock, commence with Mary Pickford. According to this famed film director, he saw blondes as “a symbol of the heroine” (Auiler 1999). Hitchcock also harbor the thought that blondes were better able to handle the camera in black and white, a trend that used to be popular with films for many years

Conclusion

Women occupy various roles in the films that Alfred Hitchcock helped to direct. On the one hand, there were the mothers to the heroes of the films. Some were quite controlling, and defensive of their sons against their suspicious girlfriends, an act that made their sons hate them with venom (Haeffner 2005). Then we had other mothers who cared for the plight of their sons. On the other hand, there were the female actresses, almost all of whom were blondes. Hitchcock is believed to have had a soft spot for blonde women, because of his belief that they were quite good with photography work. All the same, Hitchcock was quite domineering over these actresses, both at a personal and professional level. In real life, Hitchcock was known to have been obsessed with mode of dressing and working life. We may therefore insinuate here that he extended this obsession to his profession as well.

Bibliography

Auiler, D, 1999, Hitchcock’s notebooks: an authorized and illustrated look inside the creative mind of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Avon Books.

Freeman, D, 1999, The Last Days of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Overlook.

Giblin, G, 2006, Alfred Hitchcock’s London. London: Midnight Marquee Press.

Gottleib, S, 2003, Alfred Hitchcock: Interviews By Alfred Hitchcock. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2003).

Haeffner, N, 2005, Alfred Hitchcock. Oxford: Longman.

Successfully adapting a novel into a film is a hard task by default. This statement is especially true when the adapted literary work is popular. When reading a literary work the images and the characters are formed by the reader based on the description and the narration presented in the book.

The film on the other hand is formed mostly on the basis of the vision of the director who might edit certain elements of the plot in favor of hisher artistic ideas. Nevertheless, there are several examples of successful adaptations where the film might surpass the original literary source in popularity. One of such adaptations is Rear Window, a 1954 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story It Had to Be Murder.

This paper analyzes the differences between the story and the film as well as evaluating these changes in terms of effectiveness.

The strategy of adapting the story into a book used by Hitchcock is mostly the interweaving strategy which is the filmmakers keeping most of the elements of narrative from the story, dispersing them throughout the film (although not necessarily in their original order) and interweaving either new elements or expanding the existing ones.

The usage of such strategy is obvious throughout the whole film, as the short story is written completely in a first person perspective whereas the film is changing the perspectives of the narration most of the time. This can be seen in scenes where Hitchcock provides the perspective of Thorwald and switch back to Jeffries. This change of perspective could be seen as effective as it makes the viewer associate the perspective of the protagonist and the antagonist at the same time. The book provides only the Jefferies’ perspective, making the reader feel the thoughts of the protagonist.

Although the main plot of the story was the same, another difference could be seen in introducing some subplots in the movie. One of such subplots is the introduction of the character of Lisa, Jeffries’ girlfriend as well as changing the gender of the house keeper. While changing the housekeeper’s gender might not be of importance, the introduction of a love interest adds an additional aspect to the character of Jefferies.

Other subplots include the characters of the neighbors which lives Jeff was watching. The introduction of the additional subplots did not change the main line of the story, and at the same time introducing details of neighbors’ life can be associated with the viewer watching the film from hisher perspective.

Another difference can be seen in the overall development of the plot details. In the story the details of Jeffries background are revealed throughout the narration, whereas in the movie most of the details were told at the beginning of the film.

This was done by the director possibly to the fact that the story was short and had plenty of space for the director’s interpretation, and in that way Hitchcock by showing the background early in the film dedicated the rest of the running time for showing the characters development.

The success of the film’s interpretation was due to the fact that despite the changes, the main idea was transferred perfectly by Hitchcock which is the feel of suspense. In that sense the made changes affected the original script only from a positive side.

Introduction

The film, Rear Window, by Alfred Hitchcock explores different themes such as voyeurism, symbolism, and characterization to reveal the life of the main protagonist, who is photographer called Jefferies. From his room after breaking his leg and being rendered immobile, Jefferies has time to observe the behavior of his neighbors for almost six weeks he spends on the wheelchair. This analytical treatise attempts to explore the American way of life in the 1950s as depicted in the film, Rear Window.

The Life in America in the 1950s

Hitchcock has created an interesting fictional premise that takes the route of a thought-provoking path of action to reveal the life in America in the 1950s frustrating. Reflectively, this creates a feeling of an imaginative casting, especially in the lives of the newlywed couple staying in an apartment adjacent to that of the main protagonist Jefferies. Factually, the storyline is fascinating as Hitchcock even goes ahead to include the daily challenges that this couple was facing in an attempt to find a balance in their marriage life. This adversely sustains the flow in its original, interesting, and provocative aspects.

For instance, in scene seven, where the couple is in their apartment, the audience is interrupted by the tension between them, which the director modified through arguments that seems to be revolving around the same issues. The frustrations result in violence, which eventually lead to the death of the young lady in the hands of her husband. The film captures the truly poetic orchestrations of the actions and coward display of the young man who is very frustrated and he ends up killing his wife.

The film has an intriguing premise on the theme of frustration: characters in the film are drunkards, smokers, bullies, and are involved in fights and even end up killing. From the third scene to the seventh scene, the young couple is drunk. The anomy in the story line seems to suggest a weak social system and failed family life. Across the film, a series of tragic events unfold and climax with the death of the young lady.

In the film, Hitchcock’s premise is really exploited and used as the framework for limp action set-pieces to portray the main character as equally frustrated with his immobile condition that has to depend on his girlfriend and the nurse. Fortunately, this approach seems to be able to convey the poetry and philosophical inclinations of the storyline of the film such as underlying fear and destabilizations of the imaginative explorations.

The main character looks entirely out of place as he is practically forced to “talk” to his own disassociated “self” amidst a neighborhood where there are very many activities going on. Jefferies is the only person who seems to notice them. The main character looks moderately concerned and a bit confused and hell-bent to try and track the events from his immobile position through visual observation. Visual communication relies on both the eyes that see the images and the brain that processes and makes sense of the information received. An active mind therefore is capable of remembering visual images; consequently having both text and images enables one to analyze the pictures.

The frame in the storyline of this film deals with factors that language is clearly ill-equipped to handle, to be precise the visually salient elements of the subject from the literary perspective. In the third scene, the frame picture of Jefferies invokes meaning by adding information to the words presented, for example, the story teaches on the importance of family values such as care and protection as a measure against deviant behavior, which seems as the norm in the American society at that time.

At the onset the film, the viewer is introduced to the class stratification in the society and the rivalry between economic and social classes, which results in frustrations. Its visual representational meaning conveys the relationship between Jefferies and the depicted structuring of subsequent scenes. The creation of a visual representational meaning proposed the space-based model for analysis centered on the placement of objects within the semiotic space as represented in the plot of the film (Monaco, 2009).

The relationship between the visual participant-interactive or represented- in this film is realized by elements defined as vectors or processes which correspond to a group of action in the surprise of fear. This frame of the film creates a conceptual process that is visually characterized by the absence of vector. This conceptual process defines, analyzes and classifies the place, people or things, including abstract ones in a symbolic and analytical parameter.

The classification categorizes people, things or places in a tree structure in which things are represented as belonging to a particular class or order. In the film, conceptual processes occur when Jefferies encounters a surprised fear of the unknown because of his disparate immobile state and the extremely beautiful girlfriend. As a matter of fact, irrespective of the level of knowledge and understanding of the events occurring within the neighborhood, Jefferies is frustrated that there is little he can do about them but just observe from a distance. Literature comparison is about enjoying the phrases, feeling the actor’s words in action, imagining, and placing oneself in the actor’s shoes.

Creation of scenes with consistent assumptions and symbolic insinuation adds comprehensiveness to film perception by the audience. The film shows how Jefferies’ sense of identity is vulnerable to manipulation from the girlfriend and events occurring within the apartment. The director relied heavily in a balance of irony, realism, and parody in the film to present a distinct literary style in depicting different societal setups, which was predominant in the American society in the 1950s.

The director artistically underscores the traditional position on triangulated frustrations as dependent on desire nurtured by pressure to form the underlying huddles. Reflectively, integrating in the theme of triangulated desires to overcome introduces physical and emotional insistent in the character of Jefferies, which is climaxed in momentous fulfillment achievement as perceived by the protagonist. The theme of hidden and recurring desires, as a result of frustration, controls the life of the main character as depicted in scene 7. This aspect is narrow and creates an essence of assuming a static plot setting.

This is a wise way to maintain the literature touch, making it simpler to understand as depicted in scene 9 where Jefferies had to engage his girlfriend in the extra surveillance. Thus, the director has created a quantifiable and intrinsic viewer understanding of what metaphoric use on a character was about and the resultant effect created. Furthermore, the film also elevates doubt of irony and actually misleads viewers with incorrect and strident imagery in depicting the theme of frustration.

Moreover, the film is a sarcastic declaration on the unrealistic obsession of Jefferies to observe the behavior of his neighbors. Actually, this aspect is informed by the perception that the film holds a solemn disposition on the decay in the society. Actually, the director attempted to suggest a swift change of imagery which entailed street rivalry and darkness. The director deliberately uses such metaphors to portray a practical and likely result of frustrations that the characters face in their daily lives. Reflectively, human soul acquires great experience and remains unhurt in the experience of maturity in expression and emotional display.

Human intellection is healthier when people lead the “life of nature” and are not troubled with societal challenges which in the real sense do not exist. Besides that, when people persistently build original intention, without conforming to recognized culture, they would never be confused in speculation. Instead, their intellection would have achieved significant reality that other individuals would learn from them.

As a matter of fact, these events indicate that the newlywed couple had themselves to blame for their unfortunate situations. Their arguments have not only affected their lives but also led to the death of the wife in the hands of her husband. In fact, their lives are consumed by series of sad events as it is apparent that the couple could not overcome their differences due to frustrations.

Conclusion

In summary, the theme of frustration has been presented across the film. The lives of the main protagonist Jefferies, his neighbors, and the beautiful girlfriend are tense due to relationship, immobility, economic, and social frustrations.