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The Master Of Suspense In Rebecca By Alfred Hitchcock

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Known as the “master of suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most prominent and influential directors of the 20th century. His unique style, which utilizes situational irony as well as other cinematographic techniques, creates tension and discomfort in the audience and is seen in his psychological thriller, Rebecca. Though the movie lacks much of the modern technology seen today, it still effectively invokes feelings of unease due to Hitchcock’s masterful use of mise en scene, sound, and camera work. Firstly, the setting that Rebecca takes place in really adds to the sense of mystery that is felt throughout the movie and plays with the audience’s fear of the unknown. Taking place inside an isolated castle located far away from civilization …show more content…

Danvers, as well as the mysteriousness of Manderley, Hitchcock relies heavily on staging and camera work. For example, the presence of the “R” symbol which represents Rebecca’s post-mortem presence is a result of Hitchcock deliberately placing the symbol in locations that would appear next to Mrs. De Winters. In one of the scenes, Mrs. De Winters is crying on a bed and once she gets up, it is revealed she had been crying into a pillow with the “R” logo on it, emphasizing the feeling of entrapment she feels as the result of Rebecca’s influence even past her death. Furthermore, Hitchcock manipulates the stage in a way that creates worry in the audience by using objects to hide elements from the audience and the main protagonist, Mrs. De Winters. This is seen especially in the scene where Mrs. De Winters explores Rebecca’s room for the first time, where the clever use of curtains obscures parts of the room, leaving the viewer to feel nervous about what lies behind them. It amplifies the shock when it is revealed that the curtains hid a fully preserved makeup table that Rebecca used, with every item the way it was the day before she died. Moreover, this scene demonstrates one of Hitchcock’s common film tropes that he employs, where whenever one question seems to be about to be answered, another one arises as Mrs. De Winters seemingly discovers more about Rebecca, yet uncovers some more uncertainties about her as she explores Rebecca’s room (Falsafi et.al 2521). But beyond Rebecca’s symbol, Hitchcock also places a black dog in many scenes where tension might arise such as when Mrs. De Winters is exploring the old shack where Rebecca died and when she overhears Mrs. Danvers and Favell speaking about her. Since a black dog in media often represents death, the appearance of this dog in those scenes plays with the audience’s perception of the scene, making them worry about what is about to

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