ipl-logo

The Role Of Villains In Hitchcock's Film

496 Words2 Pages

Apart from Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Psycho (1960) is the only picture where the central figure is a villain. Hitchcock delineates the memorable villain Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton) in such a way that he demands public sympathy as he is never shown in the act of killing the widows. Uncle Charlie, a killer with an ideal feels that his mission is to destroy. Even though the widows might have deserved such a punishment but he was not to undertake it. The film has the moral judgement that the killer ultimately gets killed here in the form of his own niece having the same name. Hitchcock in his interview with Truffaut says that “villains are not all black and heroes are not white; there are grays everywhere” (153). Even though Uncle Charlie …show more content…

Villains are human, vulnerable, frightening and at the same time they are afraid observes Truffuat in the context of the film Notorious which is applicable for the rest of Hitchcock’s films too. Notorious, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train remain three great movies due to the presence of three best villains namely Claude Rains, Joseph Cotton and Robert Walker. Hitchcock’s film Stage Fright (1950) breaks the cardinal rule that the more successful the villain, the more successful the picture. This seems to be the great weakness of the film where Richard Todd the cowardly villain is a flop and so the film. Rope (1948) follows two wealthy bachelors as they plan and execute “a murder for murder’s sake”. One of the villains Granger is appealing in Rope but not in Strangers on a Train. This seems intentional by Hitchcock as he wanted Granger to be seen as an opportunistic playboy. Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) in the film gives us the distinct impression that Hitchcock preferred the villain. The more attractive and poetic portrayal is suggestive of Hitchcock’s adroitness in casting villains. In Vertigo (1958), Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) who worked with Hitchcock in the film The Ring (1927) played a challenger to the hero Scottie (James Stewart) and

Show More
Related

Effective Use Of Macguffins In Alfred Hitchcock's Film

222 Words | 1 Pages

Hitchcock utilizes sound, camera work, MacGuffins, and plot twists to tell the storylines of the movies. Hitchcock understood the importance of camera work and sound because he began his career making silent films.12 It is why he uses many close up shots so the audience can pay attention to specific details and the emotions on the character’s face. He does not rely on dialogue to tell the story. He uses sound to help convey the message of a scene.

Read More

Comparing Hitchcock's Psycho And The Birds

506 Words | 3 Pages

The Wrong Man was a film of Alfred Hitchcock 's that I had never seen before until the screening. The Wrong Man, although an anti-suspense film, is arguably thrilling by "chance itself" (Godard 1). The way the viewer thinks and reacts to the film echoes what would really be occurring in Manny 's head as he wonders what will happen next. When comparing The Wrong Man to Hitchcock 's Psycho and The Birds, the type of suspense Hitchcock employed within it is a very fearful kind. The audience will be on the edge of their seats, awaiting fright.

Read More

Shadow Of A Doubt Film Analysis

1842 Words | 8 Pages

In fact, this was Hitchcock’s first major American film, and he was able to explore the true American family of the time. Thornton Wilder was chosen to expand the treatment into a screenplay, and he was the one who proposed the opening of Shadow of a Doubt, which was a nod to Hemingway’s well-known story “The Killers.” Together, Wilder and Hitchcock meticulously crafted the plot and how each piece of information in the story would be revealed to the audience. Later, Hitchcock believed that the structure of the intense story was solid but that the characters and dialogue needed to be improved. Sally Benson was recruited for this task to add humor, modern touches, and freshness to the family

Read More

Archetypal And Marxist Criticism In The Rear Window By Alfred Hitchcock

925 Words | 4 Pages

Analyzing the film, “The Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock, as it progresses through both the Archetypal and Marxist Criticisms, the use of archetypes adds deeper meaning and the lack of Marxism in the portrayed society prove that money and social connections are not needed to achieve something. The archetypal characters and images are portrayed in order to hint at further meanings and cause certain tones include the character archetypes used and the archetypal imagery of darkness. Moreover, the lack of Marxist values is also expressed in the film as each time a Marxist value is expressed, the notion is turned down by another character, including attempts to impress, use networking for self-benefit, and using money to stop someone from digging

Read More

Charlie's Presentation Of Psychological Disorders In The Film Charlie

442 Words | 2 Pages

It isn’t arguable that she was a big part of his life and impacted it greatly; it was just all for the wrong reasons. Because of this abuse Charlie suffers from other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Aunt Helen dies from a car accident on Christmas Eve; she was on her way to pick up Charlie’s birthday present.

Read More

The Effect Of Fear And Stigma In Due On Maple Street

489 Words | 2 Pages

The stigma of the situation caused mass overreaction. The residents made rash decisions without much thought. Charlie, a normal man with no bad intentions, shot Pete Van Horn, an average man that walked to the next neighborhood, because he thought he was the monster. Charlie couldn’t see Pete and let the overwhelming fear of the situation get to him. He immediately regretted this, having had no intention of doing this horrible

Read More

The Use Of Suspense In Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

425 Words | 2 Pages

Alfred Hitchcock is remembered as the "master of suspense", most notably in one of his cinemas, "Psycho". Hitchcock used a variety of sensory details, to shock moreover frighten his audience. Three sensory details that he used, is when we notice a cop following Marion, we see that Norman is stalking Marion, and when a shadowy figure shows up while Marion is taking a shower. The first sensory detail that creates suspense is when we see the cop following Marion. We believe that the cop recognizes something is up furthermore, is going to assert Marion for stealing the money.

Read More

Alfred Hitchcock's Use Of Suspense In The 39 Steps

856 Words | 4 Pages

After watching The 39 Steps (1935), I realized that Alfred Hitchcock really did have a talent for establishing suspense through films. Even though suspense was the primary focus, Hitchcock managed to effectively and intelligently mix humor, romance, and thriller. He uses a variety of techniques to convey these feelings to the audience. According, to some of his interviews with Francois Truffaut, Hitchcock mentions his love for The 39 Steps, specifically about the techniques he uses to create a bewitching experience throughout the film. In this film, he uses a variety of themes that he continued to constantly use throughout his later films.

Read More

Hitchcock's Use Of Mise-En-Scene In Film

1506 Words | 7 Pages

To the unknown eye, Hitchcock has carefully and skillfully used Mise-en-scene to his advantage, causing the audience to feel fear and a sense of caution towards the character of Norman Bates. It isn’t until we reflect back on the scene and notice how intelligently Hitchcock uses the positioning of props and the characters, lighting, camera angle and staging, that we notice how he has added meaning to his characters but has also to the film, creating suspense and fear from one scene to the end of the film. Ultimately proving the point that Hitchcock “the master of suspense” uses Mise-en-scene to not only help make a brilliant film but also uses it as his disposal to add meaning in his

Read More

Why Horror Analysis

1506 Words | 7 Pages

Citing the article of Tudor's idea and concept the paranoid, pressure of horror films has been increased day by day and they have noted all the matters step by step. In some cases, horror is rooted in a rapidly changing situation yet with the unreliable world (Radner, 2003). If in this situation we try to understand the appeal of Horror then at first we will have to move through gratification where the horror movie’s presence in harbored repressions and space for fundamental bestial demands. Simply it can be told that it has become a place for repressed desires.

Read More

The Last Noir In Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo

719 Words | 3 Pages

Many argue when the Golden age of Film Noir ended. One on the most common arguments is that Orsons Wells A Touch of Evil was the last of the great Noirs. However, the real last true noir may actually be Alfred Hitchcock 's Vertigo which came out later the same year is the true last noir. The first evidence Vertigo gives us is the main character John "Scottie" Ferguson. Scottie is a ex-detective with a past that haunts him.

Read More

A Shadow Of A Doubt Scene Analysis

1213 Words | 5 Pages

Alfred Hitchcock was a wonderful director and producer who will continue to be remembered for his great creations in film. He used many different techniques, including Classical Hollywood style and structure, to develop this film into what it is, and can be used as a great example when learning about those

Read More

Theme Of Coming Of Age

126 Words | 1 Pages

Charlie also see’s his grandfather use to hit his mother and his aunt Helen. Charlie comes across this deep feeling of aggression he has that he tries to hide. Charlie has a hard time considering himself as a man after his aunt took advantage of him. Charlie has a hard time throughout the novel to find growth and adulthood in the

Read More

Macbeth And Citizen Kane Comparison

947 Words | 4 Pages

The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and 1941 film Citizen Kane possess many similarities in themes and characters, despite the completely different settings and plots. Both main characters are ambitious and determined to achieve a goal, even to a certain point where they lose everything truly meaningful to them. While Macbeth strives to become king of Scotland, Charles Foster Kane attempts to become popular and influential. Both Macbeth and Citizen Kane desire to be powerful members of their respective societies and receive respect and recognition from their acquaintances. In both works, they acquired everything they thought they wanted, yet realised they could not have what they truly desired, essentially ending up with “nothing of value”.

Read More

Psychological Themes In Alfred Hitchcock's Horror Film Psycho

774 Words | 4 Pages

However, film critic, Robin Wood, argues that ‘since Psycho, the Hollywood cinema has implicitly recognised horror as both American and familial’ he then goes on to connect this with Psycho by claiming that it is an “innovative and influential film because it supposedly presents its horror not as the produce of forces outside American society, bit a product of the patriarchal family which is the fundamental institution of American society” he goes on to discuss how our civilisation either represses or oppresses (Skal, 1994). Woods claim then suggests that in Psycho, it is the repressions and tensions within the normal American family which produces the monster, not some alien force which was seen and suggested throughout the 1950 horror films. At the beginning of the 60’s, feminisation was regarded as castration not humanization. In “Psycho” (1960) it is claimed that the film presents conservative “moral lessons about gender roles of that the strong male is healthy and normal and the sensitive male is a disturbed figure who suffers from gener confusion” (Skal, 1994). In this section of this chapter I will look closely at how “Psycho” (1960) has layers of non-hetro-conforming and gender-non conforming themes through the use of Norman Bates whose gender identitiy is portrayed as being somewhere between male and female

Read More

More about The Role Of Villains In Hitchcock's Film

Related Topics

Open Document