...The movie “Psycho” directed by Alfred Hitchcock is initially a horror/thriller film, but it can also be looked at from a religious standpoint. Psycho has religious themes such as the finality of death, coexistence of different religions, and the meaning of sacrifice. The movie “Psycho” plays with the idea of finality of death and shows how there can be exceptions. After Norman’s Father died Norman became half a person, his mother having filling in the other half, but when he killed his mother the tried to compensate for that missing half. Even though Norman’s mother was dead, she was still alive in his mind, and he spoke for her and acted for her. In this way the movie “Psycho” contradicts the finality of death because Norman’s mother isn’t...
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...Introduction Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest horror film directors of his era, was born on August 13, 1899 in Leytonstone, England. Alfred Hitchcock was considered by many people the “master of suspense and thriller” as he virtually invented it. Hitchcock told his stories through “intelligent plots witty dialogue and a spoonful of mystery and murder. In doing so, he inspired a new generation of filmmakers and revolutionized the thriller genre, making him a legend around the world”. (http://www.hitchcock.nl/eng.htm) What do you guys think suspense is? What do you believe Thriller is? Alfred Hitchcock loved suspense; it is defined as the feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. Normally in Alfred’s movies the audience is feeling anxious not too excited. One lady did complain about Hitchcock’s movie scene from the movie Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock replied and said “To a woman who complained that the shower scene so frightened her daughter that the girl would no longer shower: "Then Madam I suggest you have her dry cleaned”. This quote also illustrates the bizarre and abnormal side of Alfred Hitchcock as he craves for the petrified and uncertainty of his audience. "To me Psycho was a big comedy. Had to be” said Alfred Hitchcock. Another famous and strange quote from Alfred himself, as “psycho” was no comedy but described as a horrific and daunting movie that even viewer’s who have seen the movie before cringed in despair. “Always make...
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...Ezekiel Mascuilli Comp 1 Dr. Poznar November 25, 2014 Psycho If the title hasn’t given a sense of mystery, then maybe an analysis could help shed light on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror film Psycho. The movie had many characteristics that could be defined as classic horror. From the beginning of the first conflict that arose Marion it’s possible that the use of variety gave a feeling of mystery. The movies elements include Alfred’s use of plot change. However it can be a better argument to say that Alfred Hitchcock’s use of setting change has helped give an emotion that could horrify viewers. In the beginning of the movie we take a view at Marion’s first conflict. The setting of the movie changes from Marion’s work, giving the viewer an in depth look at her surroundings, to a scene of illegal fleeing. The problem arose when Marion’s stress caused rational thoughts over stealing personal cliental money. Marion has committed an illegal act which caused her to adapt to her choices and change locations. Alfred has caused a break in the conflict by having Marion stop at a small hotel called the Bates Motel. The transition from locations has helped Hitchcock with his depict of a feeling of alertness. The setting of the Bates Mansion is given a style that depicts an old Victorian view. From the staircase to the cellar, Hitchcock still gave unsure feelings when it came to safety inside the Bates house. The interior has a look that doesn’t give off too much emphasis. The idea...
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...long-lasting project through to the end. One of the most reputable directors in the world is the late Alfred Hitchcock. He is well known in every part of the world because of his impressive directing skills. He is also one of those directors who have a trademark when it comes to their works. Alfred Hitchcock is a very phenomenal director who has a unique and remarkable style when it comes to his film creations. Alfred Hitchcock has his own unique trademarks that can be grasped on his films. These trademarks can be seen by viewers in many ways; for instance, theme, place, and selection of characters. Alfred Hitchcock showed a lot of these unique trademarks on his films particularly in Psycho, released in 1960 and the Birds, released in 1963. Although they are two different films with two different plots, these films have a lot of similarities when it comes to the usage of technique of Alfred Hitchcock. First, Psycho started by centering the viewers’ attention on a blonde woman, Marion Crane. She is on the bed only wearing her bra. The hotel room is dim and her underclothes are white, making a contrast that carries the focus on her. Just like Psycho, the Birds emphases the viewers’ attention on its blonde female lead, Melanie Daniels. This is actually the very first visible stamp of Alfred Hitchcock on both his films. Both movies portray strong blonde haired women lead characters. Alfred Hitchcock has also few more films that have blonde main characters. Another noticeable signature...
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...the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho, which also can be linked to the themes in the infamous William Faulkner short story, “A Rose for Emily”. Psycho is a film created by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960, which tells the story of a young woman who steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor, Norman Bates, who had be under the domination of his mother for too long. On the other hand, “A Rose for Emily” is a short story by William Faulkner, published in 1930. This short story by Faulkner was about an elder woman by the name of Emily. Faulkner wrote about Emily, how she abandoned herself from the outside and kept her deepest darkest secret hidden from others. Not only do they share similar underlying themes; they also share a very gloomy and unique setting. The film Psycho and the short story “A Rose for Emily” can easily be related, in the respect of their similar settings and themes. In literature, setting is an essential part of creating a storyline. Setting is the locale and period in which the story or film takes place (“Setting”). The setting plays a special role in Psycho and in “A Rose for Emily,” because it creates a mood or feeling in the story. In Hitchcock’s Psycho, the film takes place in the Bates Hotel, which is a dark and dreary place, not well-kept, and placed in front of an enormous, equally dark, house on a hill that seems to be looking down on the little hotel (Psycho). In “A Rose...
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...Hitchcock’s Mothers In watching a collection of Hitchcock’s works, we can begin to see that the mother role is an important factor in most of Hitchcock’s work. In retrospect, we can see that the mother is a convention used by Hitchcock to enhance embedded meanings in his work. The mother figure becomes salient in his works Notorious, Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Shadow of a Doubt. Many critics argue that the image of the mother that Hitchcock creates in Psycho and Notorious are representations of his own upbringing. However, Hitchcock remained a somewhat private person and it is impossible to depict these statements as true. The mother figures may actually be a projection of Hitchcock’s world and the times that he lived in. In this paper I investigate the meanings behind the maternal characters in some of his most successful films as they are hardly the same, but they do function as a way to advance the plot and add depth to the complexities of the characters’ minds Alfred Hitchcock never said anything negative about his mother. In fact, most quotes of Hitchcock regarding his mother have been nothing but positive. There is a story that claims Hitchcock having to report to the foot of his mother’s bed, confessing his daily activities to his mother. This would seem a little twisted in the eyes of today’s society - being forced to list off his sins to his mother’s ears. Nonetheless, the period in which his mother brought up Hitch retained a very common Catholic tradition...
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...Alfred Hitchcock directed many great movies; Psycho (1960) and the Birds (1963). As it shown in almost all of his movies, Alfred Hitchcock adds in a very prominents aspects of the dysfunctional of family in his work. Relationships with “mothers” are always problematic in Hitchcock movie. This is clear and most apparent in mothers and sons relationship. I believe this all derives from Hitchcock own odds relationship with his mother. He is also not a big fan of fathers relationship with sons, and this clear in his movies, for example, in both movies show that fathers dead before the movie and story start. Also, his relationship with birds is weird in both of these movies. This paper will discuss “Hitchcock’s dysfunctional family” in both The...
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...long-lasting project through to the end. One of the most reputable directors in the world is the late Alfred Hitchcock. He is well known in every part of the world because of his impressive directing skills. He is also one of those directors who have a trademark when it comes to their works. Alfred Hitchcock is a very phenomenal director who has a unique and remarkable style when it comes to his film creations. Alfred Hitchcock has his own unique trademarks that can be grasped on his films. These trademarks can be seen by viewers in many ways; for instance, theme, place, and selection of characters. Alfred Hitchcock showed a lot of these unique trademarks on his films particularly in Psycho, released in 1960 and the Birds, released in 1963. Although they are two different films with two different plots, these films have a lot of similarities when it comes to the usage of technique of Alfred Hitchcock. First, Psycho started by centering the viewers’ attention on a blonde woman, Marion Crane. She is on the bed only wearing her bra. The hotel room is dim and her underclothes are white, making a contrast that carries the focus on her. Just like Psycho, the Birds emphases the viewers’ attention on its blonde female lead, Melanie Daniels. This is actually the very first visible stamp of Alfred Hitchcock on both his films. Both movies portray strong blonde haired women lead characters. Alfred Hitchcock has also few more films that have blonde main characters. Another noticeable signature...
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...Hitchcock Footprint Comparison Essay Alfred Hitchcock’s ability to draw the viewer into an atmosphere where you feel completely immersed is parallel to none. His style of directing has made movies recognizable beyond that of even a modern day film. His movies have been able to transcend that of many scary movies of the time because of the footprints that he embedded into each movie. These trademarks or seen throughout all of his movies, and they all share a common ground. In two of his greatest films Psycho and Rear Window you can see that these footprints attribute to the overall mise en scène of the movie. Some of the footprints that Hitchcock leaves in these two movies are extraordinary situations occurring to ordinary people, voyeurism, sound leading to climax, dark lighting, and close up shots. In Psycho one of the main characters Marion Crane an ordinary realtor's office secretary is thrusts into a situation where she is on the run from the law as well as her won guilt from stealing 40,000 thousand dollars. The fact that she works a nine to five just like every other American of the time creates common ground. When she was eventually murdered in a motel, it made the viewer feel as if it can happen to anyone who stays at a motel. In Rear Window the main character L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies was a photographer, a job which seems pretty ordinary but when he his bed ridden due to a broken leg he is thrust into an extraordinary situation where he is watching a murder investigation...
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...lodger is the killer responsible for the killings. One of Hitchcock's earliest and most famous films, 'The Lodger' is regarded as one of the world's first thriller films, incorporating mysteriousness and terror but, notably, lacking the degree of violence which was first introduced by Hitchcock in 'Psycho' , and remains constant in most thrillers. Psycho - 1960 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 'Psycho' was initially received sceptically by audiences and critics, however it eventually received outstanding box office returns and is now regarded as a pioneer in the evolution and development of thriller films. The explicit nature of the film set new boundaries for violence and sexuality in film. A majority of this film's success has, however, come since the death of Hitchcock in 1980, with a TV show, multiple sequels and spin offs, and a remake of the original movie all stemming from the 1960 version. The dark and realist nature of the film was previously unexplored by film makers and directors alike, which optimized the effectiveness of 'Psycho' as its thrilling and horrific connotations attracted audiences. The production of 'Psycho', and its success among certain audiences, acted as a catalyst for thriller films' induction into the mainstream film industry. Following its success, several thriller films were produced, with varying degrees of success, many of which boasted aspects which strongly emulated aspects of 'Psycho'. Jaws - 1975 Directed by Steven Spielberg, 'Jaws'...
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...Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock was released in 1960. An important relationship in this text is the unusual relationship between Norman and ‘Mother’. This relationship is unusual because although they are two separate entities and Mother is actually dead, there is a constant struggle for control of Norman’s mind and in the end, ‘Mother’ wins. This relationship helped me understand the main idea of madness through the parlour scene, the fruit cellar scene and the police station scene. The relationship between Norman and ‘Mother’ helped me identify and understand the idea of madness through symbolism, lighting and dialogue techniques in the parlour scene. This symbolism includes the stuffed owls, which seem ready to attack that are placed in the background in a low-angle mid shot of Norman. At another point in the scene, Norman leans forward into a close up. This shot helps support the idea that even though Mother is physically dead, she is alive and threatening to take over Norman’s mind. This can be seen through the lighting of Norman’s face, half-light, half dark, and the dialogue. “It's not like my mother is a maniac... We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?” These techniques have been cleverly assembled by Hitchcock to subtly hint at the idea of madness and help us to get to know Norman, but is not yet prepared to reveal the extent of Norman’s madness due to Psycho being a horror film. The complex relationship helps us understand Norman as a character and the idea...
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...The Master of Suspense Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was indeed one of the most iconic and influential film directors in the history of the medium as well as being internationally recognizable throughout his life. This paper delves into his earlier works, concentrating on his narrative elements such as the MacGuffin technique, the likeable antagonist, the innocent man or woman whom is falsely accused or misunderstood, and the act of balancing suspense and tragedy with humor and comedy. From a stylistic standpoint the paper conveys Hitchcock’s profound use of atmosphere and landscape, song as a suspense device, landscape of crowd caricatures, and point-of-view technique. Looking at The 39 Steps (1935), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Saboteur (1940), and Shadow of a Doubt (1943) we can see the styles and techniques these precursors pioneered and why they were implemented into Hitchcock’s greatest works in the coming decades. We take our first look at Hitchcock’s famed narrative technique, the MacGuffin. The MacGuffin was a plot device used by Hitchcock to hold the tension of the story without actually having any relevance to the plot itself. It was a gimmick that had the sole purpose of adding suspense to whatever situation the hero or heroine might have been in by motivating the characters to start the story. They do not know what it is but they will do anything to uncover its mystery, thus pushing the action and drama of the narrative forward. The initial use of this technique...
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...Film and Cinema Checkpoint Art 101 Kristal Gardner 6, October 2010 The distinction of film and popular cinema can be found in the reasons that each was “created.” Both can be used for documenting what one sees and feels however there is a difference in the way that people chose to use the different aspects. Film has been widely used as a documentation of events; wars, economic crisis, natural disasters, etc. Film has also been used over dramatize cinematic movies, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. This was done by Douglas Gordon in his 1993, 24 Hour Psycho where he drew out the original scenes to span only two frames per second, thus causing the movie to span an entire 24 hours. The Battleship Potemkin was a montage, a sequencing of disparate images used to create a multi faceted image, which was created to shock the audience by sequencing many different shots per frame. There were many new technologies developed in film to help intrigue the audience, the flashback (which is used in many movies with regularity), cross-cutting, where the director moves back and forth between two events in the film, and continues to do so in shorter and shorter sequences until the back and forth becomes furiously paced. Film may be considered by many to be more artistic than popular cinema. Popular cinema is used for entertainment purposes. Popular cinema movies will have a story to unfold before them so that they may be caught up in what is happening to the characters...
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...Psycho Psycho is a 60’s monochrome horror movie, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In Psycho, the conversation between Marion and Norman showed an extremely important scene to both the plot and the themes of the movie. Norman Bales is a hero, and is not a normal guy who lives at home with his mother. He is tall and has dark hair, representing a mysterious man. Norma Bales is his mom (word ending with A means spiritual). Marion Crane is the heroin, an attractive young woman with blonde hair, who steals $40,000 from her client and goes on the run. All characters possess varying levels of both good and bad, of moral and immoral behavior. This movie contains many symbols and techniques to construct who is the real culprit, until the climax. The camera moves through the window, into an apartment from the outside of a city and sits on the chair like a voyeurism. Instead, the beginning of this movie would have been a big scandal at that time. People see a shirtless Sam Loomis, who is standing next to the bed where a half-nude Marion Crane lies. At this time, Marion is wearing a white bra at the beginning, to signify that she is innocent. After she steals the money from the client, she is wearing a black bra, which represents she has a dark side. Hitchcock is very good at arrangement, to draw the action of Marion who has unstable mental condition, to create a disquieting atmosphere, and has the audience empathize with Marion’s emotion. For example, when Marion is running away with...
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...revenue. After the small infant industry saw the potential of creating films it took off. Moviemakers made sure films avoided controversial topics and offensive content fearing government regulations. The infancy of cinematography, a race of people thirsty for entertainment, mixed with a visual oriented guy with an interest in crime and a broad view of the world helped create a director to influence movies into countless generations. Born in London’s East End, on August 13, 1899, was Alfred Hitchcock. The beginnings of the world famous director were humble beginnings. His father worked tirelessly as a grocer, with long hours that paid very little. As a child, Hitchcock found himself interested in theater and the early beginnings of film. As a child, Hitchcock had an intense interest in crime, particularly British crime. After committing a minor crime, his father made him go to jail for....
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