Analysis Of Bred In England And Nourished By America Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock

How auteur theory can be applied to the study of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Vertigo

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899 in London. He worked in engineering for a few years before he entered the film industry 1920. In 1939 he won an Oscar for his first American film, Rebecca, and therefore moved to Hollywood. He’s made over 50 movies, including Psycho, The Birds, and Vertigo. These films were the first to really introduce and combine suspense with sex and violence. This was essentially the reason that he was coined the term “Master of Suspense” because no other director had explored these themes previously (bio.com). Many of his movies allude to moments and scenarios not only from when he was growing up, but also have similarities within each other – most notably Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963).

Stirring and innovative, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest is a meticulous and mysterious tale of mistaken identity. Starring one of the most prominent and suave leading actors in classic Hollywood, North by Northwest depicts Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill – a New York hot shot mistaken for the enigmatic ‘George Kaplan’. Furthermore, the film follows his quest to clear his name and intercept the devious plan of a secret consortium that aims to discredit the US Government. The shot from 14:25 to 14:45 makes use of lighting and camera techniques to foreshadow Thornhill’s involvement with the law, the enigmatic Vandamm and his devious cronies. Ultimately, this evaluation proposes that the shot is one of the most pivotal and integral

Alfred Hitchcock is widely regarded as a prime example of an auteur, a theory that emerged in the 1950s by Truffaut, in the ‘politique des auteurs’ of Cahiers du Cinema (Tudor 121). The auteur theory, as defined by Andrew Tudor, is premised on the assumption that “any director creates his films on the basis of a central structure”(140) and thus, if you consider their films in relation to each other, commonalities can be found within them. These commonalities work to demonstrate the view of the director as “the true creator of the film” (Tudor 122). Evidence of an auteur can be found in examining a director’s creative tendencies, in their distinctive themes and motifs, stylistic choices,

The first half of this course focused on Alfred Hitchcock and how his techniques are now recognized as iconic. From class discussions and film screenings, it is clear that Hitchcock pays every attention to detail when he crafts a scene. Many Hitchcock films we have seen this semester highlight how he builds suspense through cinematic elements such as shadow, dialogue, and composition. While many of his suspenseful scenes stir feelings of intensity and uncertainty, Alfred Hitchcock builds a more romantic suspense in his 1955 film To Catch a Thief in the fireworks scene (1:06:35-1:11:00).

The Alfred Hitchcock film; Vertigo is a narrative film that is a perfect example of a Hollywood Classical Film. I will be examining the following characteristics of the film Vertigo: 1)individual characters who act as casual agents, the main characters in Vertigo, 2)desire to reach to goals, 3)conflicts, 4)appointments, 5)deadlines, 6)James Stewart’s focus shifts and 7)Kim Novak’s characters drives the action in the film. Most of the film is viewed in the 3rd person, except for the reaction shots (point of view shot) which are seen through the eyes of the main character.(1st person) The film has a strong closure and uses continuity editing(180 degree rule). The stylistic (technical) film form of Vertigo makes the film much more

Alfred Hitchcock is arguably the greatest director of all time. Many of his films are considered standards of American cinema and inspired many of today’s directors. Even though Hitchcock is known as timeless director, he had an understanding of philosophy that was beyond his time. Hitchcock had a brilliant perception as to how the mind works and human reaction. Hitchcock’s understanding of philosophy can be seen in his film Vertigo and illustrates how many theories can be debilitating in everyday life.

The occasional evenings out with the family provided Hitchcock an early experience with plays and variety shows before schooling and thus he developed a deep love for theatre and its glamorous, attractive make believe world. In future this led to his interest and career in movies. Playgoing also influenced the contents of his movies such as theatrical settings and role playing. Hitchcock was enrolled in St.Ignatious College London run by Jesuit Priests after briefly attending a couple of other catholic schools. Noted for rigorous approach to education and discipline, Jesuits routinely administered corporal punishment that strengthened Hitchcock’s fear of authority. The contact with Jesuits brought orderliness and control in his life about

Chaplin affirms that one of the main reasons for his success is that he makes films that portray what an audience wants to see. “Even the most inoffensive of us has sometime or other conceived the grotesque idea of pulling those millionaire whiskers––just a fleeting, absurd idea” (Chaplin 6), states Chaplin. As the audience has an innate desire to see a high-class business man lose their composure and status, they also have a desire to see hope in dire situations. The same

Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, Americans have idealized the journey towards economic success. One thing people do not realize, however, is that that journey is not the same for every individual. For Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), the main character of Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, the path towards riches and a fulfilled life is being well liked. He serves to please others. He strives for that attention. This view cost him his happiness in the end. In this man’s rise and fall through prosperity, Welles shows the futility of striving solely for likeability.

Famously known as “The Master of Suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock knew how to keep an audience on the edge of their chair, just waiting to see what happens next. Hitchcock’s career started in the silent era of films, gained increased success through talking pictures, and soared into infamy when color film became common. Hitchcock’s famous cinematography, editing, directing of his thoughtfully selected actors, and extraordinary attention to detail, are obvious reasons why there is no denying that he is one of the greatest directors the film industry has ever seen. OSU Media student, Joseph Ford, confirms why Hitchcock is his favorite directors, “Hitchcock’s lighting and shot sequences are unmatched, he was the ultimate perfectionist and, in my opinion, there is hardly a flaw in any of his films” (Ford). There are endless lists and debates about which Alfred Hitchcock film is the greatest, and each one of his movies deserves serious consideration. It could be contested that with the unique story, intriguing characters portrayed by great actors, and the extraordinary cinematography, that Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope is potentially his greatest film.

The absolutely stunning film, Citizen Kane (1941), is one of the world’s most famous and highly renowned films. The film contains many remarkable scenes and cinematic techniques as well as innovations. Within this well-known film, Orson Welles (director) portrays many stylistic features and fundamentals of cinematography. The scene of Charles Foster Kane and his wife, Susan, at Xanadu shows the dominance that Kane bears over people in general as well as Susan specifically. Throughout the film, Orson Welles continues to convey the message of Susan’s inferiority to Mr. Kane. Also, Welles furthers the image of how demanding Kane is of Susan and many others. Mr. Welles conveys the message that Kane has suffered a hard life, and will

conclusion, Alfred Hitchcock’s style did not evolve from his first American movie Rebecca, to I Confess, to his final American film, Family Plot. Hitchcock continue to use blondes for his main characters because of his attraction for blondes. He also uses sound, camera work, MacGuffins, and plot twists to convey the movie’s plotline and to capture the audience’s attention. His storylines also feature themed based on his past or problems that occurred during the decade. For instance, he displays the wrongfully convicted criminal or fugitive due to being punished for an incident he did not do as a child.

Citizen Kane brought the aspects of a newspaper tycoon in the 1940’s to life in a form of a dramatic narrative. This film is based on a true story of a newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst and based off of some aspects of Orson Welles(Writer and Director). This filmed has been named, “The best American film of all time” due to the fact that, during the time of its making, it was the first film to take on many new techniques of cinematography. Citizen Kane is a revolutionary film not only in the drama genre, but in filmmaking of all forms.

When it comes to movies, many directors are good at their jobs. However, other directors are great in the art of film making. There is no doubt such statement is considered utterly subjective, but what would life be without subjectivity, for it is our differences that make us thrive against a monotonic existence. By the same token, Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan utilize their singularities to create films that for decades have impacted the movie making universe. In fact, it is their differences that provide us with a high contrast to compare and scrutinize their job and find what made them great at it.