ipl-logo

Textual Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

893 Words4 Pages

Alfred’s Psycho was one to shift classic form of horror and lead to transformation of horror conventions. The horror genre used to involve “monster movies” where man battled with supernatural creatures. Hitchcock however portrayed the ‘monster’ as a soul living in the head of Norman bates. Psycho, taken from its name has psychological horror. The motivation of this production was to simply entertain people, giving them the fear experience they want. Although Psycho was solely crafted to entertain the intended audience of horror genre followers, it still indirectly condemned aspects of social norms from the 1960s of America such as how woman should be married before sexual activity which is explored in the opening scene. Hitchcock also deliberated …show more content…

In this textual analyses, I will be analyzing a 5-minute excerpt of Hitchcock’s Psycho. (Minutes 36:25 to 42:00) Cinematography (such as colour, composition, exposure, framing, focus scale, movement, shot type, and so on): Alfred Hitchcock once said; ‘The point is to draw the audience right inside the situation instead of leaving them to watch it from outside, from a distance.’ This was his style of film, visual storytelling whilst attaching the viewer to the film. Alfred liked visuals; he conveyed lots of emotion through the faces of characters and told the story through their expression, helping build the audiences interpretations of the given situation. His shots and angles help convey the emotion better. At the beginning, there is a point-of-view shot of Marion exploring Norman’s Parlour, and thus, his hobby of taxidermy. The exposure shot almost plays out as an establishing shot of the creepy

Show More
Related

Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Caddyshack

408 Words | 2 Pages

hurt with Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Bill Murray in the comedy Caddyshack, and see life from the eyes of mob henchmen, Tom Hanks, in the crime and gangster film Road to Perdition. American cinema has used Alfred Hitchcock to create fear for many years like it was displayed in the horror film Psycho, has allowed us to sing in dance with the cast in the musical Chicago, and check out, momentarily, from reality in many science fiction films. American cinema has taken us back in time as we rode horse-back with our western heroes John Wayne and Clint Eastwood or put on the badge with the brothers of the law in Tombstone. Some of the greatest impacts from the world of cinema have been from films that covered war.

Read More

Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's 'North By Northwest'

91 Words | 1 Pages

Through an in depth analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's ‘North by Northwest’ (NBNW), it becomes evident that in order for films to be able to entertain their audiences they must ‘weave’ or manipulate images, characters and issues. This is evident through two particular scene within the film, including: chapters 5 and 26 (clickview). Hitchcock's manipulation of issues and characters in NBNW to entertain the audience is exemplified through the severity of the issues faced by the protagonist, Roger O Thornhill (R.O.T) and his comical response and attitude towards the adversity he faces.

Read More

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

What Is Alfred Hitchcock's Impact On Psycho

75 Words | 1 Pages

Before Hitchcock’s film Psycho in 1960, many individuals watched the movies from beginning to end as if it were non important. Alfred Hitchcock grabbed the the audiences minds and created suspense, anxiety, horror, and leaving the viewers at the edge of their seats wanting more. Because of this newfound view of films, Alfred Hitchcock’s ideas inspired some of the scariest movies known today which you may know as The Exorcist, Halloween, The Shining, and more.

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

How Does Hitchcock Create Suspense

1351 Words | 6 Pages

The first way that Hitchcock makes his film more terrifying is through the lighting techniques he uses. The film starts off with Marion (the main protagonist) and Sam (boyfriend of Marion) in a hotel

Read More

Rear Window Mise En Scene Analysis

657 Words | 3 Pages

Both of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, North by Northwest and Rear Window, were great movies with lots of suspense. The suspense, however, would not have been created without the entire mise-en-scene of the movies. Hitchcock was a master at using the elements of lighting, sound, and cinematography to heighten the suspense in his movies. The first key element of mise-en-scene that played a significant role in both movies was lighting.

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

Insanity In Stephen King's Essay Why We Crave Horror Movies

265 Words | 2 Pages

In Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” King is conveying that because we are human, we are insane. We may not be in asylums, but that does not mean we are not insane, it just means we hide our insanity better than others. By watching horror movies we are just asking to have the constant nightmares. However, we watch horror movies to prove to others that we can watch them, and sometimes we watch them so that we feel normal compared to the people in the film. Other times we watch the movies for enjoyment, which is a very weird enjoyment since we are watching people get killed.

Read More

The Master Of Suspense In Rebecca By Alfred Hitchcock

1831 Words | 8 Pages

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

Read More

Gender Roles In The Man Who Knew Too Much By Alfred Hitchcock

653 Words | 3 Pages

Hollywood has always done a terrible job of depicting real women in film, and although his work has a somewhat misogynistic reputation, Alfred Hitchcock has done so much involving the progression of female roles in Hollywood cinema. Although many of his female victims wind up dead, the survivors have lots of power – and without reliance on their male counterparts. Women remain the central focus in many of Hitchcock’s films, not just because of their beauty, but because the narrative is dependent on them. When you look at his work in the context of this specific Hollywood era, Hitchcock’s female characters are very much out of the ordinary. Looking past the obvious presence of gender roles (male and female) that just so happened to be a part of the social norm during that time, Hitchcock sought to represent women with having more depth, realism, and independence than ever before in women in Hollywood.

Read More

Biographical Criticism Of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo

1148 Words | 5 Pages

The films, Vertigo and The Birds reflect elements from Hitchcock’s private and inner thought life. Hitchcock desires to have a beautiful blonde counterpart. He believes that the love he sought is unattainable, therefore he plays out his fantasies through fictional characters (Jhirad 31).

Read More

Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Film Psycho

842 Words | 4 Pages

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho redirected the entire horror genre, and in doing so dismantled the prudent 1950’s societal barriers of cinema. Although unseen for its potential by the large studios of the time, Psycho became one of the crowning achievements of film history. While based partially on a true story of murder and psychosis from Wisconsin, the widespread viewing of this tale made way for a new era of film and ushered in a new audience of movie goers. The use of violence, sexual explicitness, dramatic twists, sound, and cinematography throughout this film gave Hitchcock his reputable name and title as master of suspense.

Read More

Psychological Themes In Alfred Hitchcock's Horror Film Psycho

774 Words | 4 Pages

These were explored by the use of the motifs of birds, eyes, hands and mirrors (Filmsite.org, n.d.). Hitchcock skilfully guides the audiences through a tale

Read More

Psycho Movie Psychology

584 Words | 3 Pages

Psycho MPAA Rating: Restricted Directed by Alfred Hitchcock comes one of the best thrillers of all time Psycho. One of the first horrors to be released in theaters, Alfred Hitchcock keeps you on the edge of your seat, using over 30 different camera angles, dramatic music, black and white and a host of different characters such as Marion Crane a blond beauty who doesn't know the meaning of the work Risk, Norman Bates a socially awkward man who has a thing for birds, Sam Loomis a divorced man who has a thing with Marion Crane. Winning two awards for best motion picture, a Golden Globe for best supporting actress going to Janet Leigh, and having four different Oscar Nominations for -Actress in a Supporting Role (Janet Leigh) -Best Director (Alfred Hitchcock) -Best Cinematography, Black & White (John L. Russell)

Read More

More about Textual Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

Related Topics

Open Document