Suspense In Alfred Hitchcock's Films

Few Directors manage to cement themselves in cinema history and succeed at living on by inspiring other young film makers. Alfred Hitchcock accomplished this and much more in his career as a film director and producer. Having such a creative influence over his films and being well known for several distinct themes and motifs that are quite common in most of his films has earnt him the title of Auteur.

He was born Alfred Joseph Hitchcock on August 13th, 1899. He was born into a strict Catholic household under parents William and Emma. Hitchcock would often talk about his parents obscure punishments, the most well-known example of this would be when his mother would force him to stand at the foot of her bed for hours, these treatments as a child

This is achieved through many different plot devices and themes. One common element in Hitchcock’s films was the placement of an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances. Such key examples of this would be ‘The 39 steps’ (1935) and ‘North by Northwest’ (1959) which both involve very ordinary men being drawn into a world of espionage and intrigue. This creates suspense by lowering the protagonist to a more vulnerable level. They don’t have the plot armour of a usual hero or heroine. This instils a fear and suspense in the audience as they are unsure if their protagonist will survive their misadventure. This allows the audience to become more involved in the characters and relate to them on a deeper level. This practice would go on to influence other very significant Directors like Steven Spielberg who frequently uses the ordinary person, extraordinary circumstances plot device in many of his films. Another common theme in his movies that stemmed from his childhood was the mistaken identity plot device. After often feeling wrongfully accused and harshly treated by his parents he would go on to use this in many of his films. Often involving some sort of murder or illegal activity and a conspiracy much larger than the protagonist. An example of this being ‘North by Northwest’ (1959) where an advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for George Kaplan, a non-existent CIA

He is also an extremely talented artist with a very distinct creative method and identity. His mastery of technical elements, control of actors and skill with cinematic and narrative devices his why he has inspired so many film makers both professional and amateur. His legacy will live on in the enormous body of work he left behind and in those he has