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Opening Credits: Black Screen title crawls in from the left Superimposed: Is Alfred Hitchcock a true auteur?
Still photo of Hitchcock
(0:15 0:40) Montage from films from the French New Wave and influential people (Breathless, Francois Truffaut, etc)
Still shots of Hitchcock Disolves Stills shots of Chaplin, Welles and Hitchcock
Video clip of Breathless
Talking head (Charles Barr)
Video clip from a rollercoaster. Post production grainy texture
Video clip of Hitchcock saying that “80% of my audience are women”
Video clip from The 39 Steps
Video clip from Psycho. Scene where Marion is at the shower and the killer comes and kills her
Scene on North by Northwest were they leave Townsend’s house but as they leave the camera focuses on the gardener who was also the kidnapper
Montage of posters from Psycho, Rope and North by Northwest.
Scene from North by Northwest were Roger Thornhill meets Eve at the train
Scene from Psycho were Marion is being followed on the car
Video clip from a gun being fired but not shown its target
Video clip of Olive Berry in Studio giving interview on Hitchcock’s style of film making
Video scene were Marion is packing and we see the shot of the money in the envelope
Video clip from Psycho Scene where Marion is driving her car and imagines what would happen when they discovered what she had done. Superimposed: Psycho
Video clip from North by Northwest when he is being persecuted by an airplane Superimposed: North by Northwest
Montage of Hitchcock’s pictures
Montage of Hitchcock’s pictures at the studio directing films
Picture of Fracois Truffaut Superimposed: Francois Truffaut
Montage of Hitchcock’s most famous movies (Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rope, etc)
Montage of Hitchcock different pictures on a set of movie Superimposed: Alfred Hitchcock.
Video clip from Hitchcock saying satisfaction of temporary pain”
Montage of films considered to be from Auteur Directors E.g. Breathless
Montage of Hitchcock’s films
Video Clip of ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents’ opening scene, profile shadow
| Music (fades) Narrator (VO): many people consider Alfred Hitchcock to be one of the greatest directors in history, in fact some people call him an auteur director. Narrator (VO): The auteur theory was originated in France as a result of the French New Wave in the 1950’s, and it believes that the director’s films reflect the director’s personal creative mission. The concept defines a film director as having consistency on films in terms of thematic and stylistic consistency. It was advocated by film director and critic Francois Truffaut. In auteur films the director is who controls the artistic statement and takes credit for the film, elevating film to a work of art. The Auteur Theory was created during the French New Wave which was a reaction against the movies of the times because they were purely narrative and directors were simply overly paid technicians. Famous directors who influenced the French New Wave were Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock himself. Some characteristics about the French New Wave were the use of heavy editing, use of black and white, low budgets and the constant pursuit of the avant garde.
Narrator (VO): One of the obvious things that make Alfred Hitchcock special is that he always appeared in his films. Charles Barr: Hitchcock appeared on the first ten minutes because he did not want the audience to be looking for him during the entire film
Narrator (VO):For Hitchcock he created the films for the mind of the audience and he says it is like being on a rollercoaster where you feel the fear of the fall but on the same time you enjoy it. Sound effects: Girl screaming Narrator (VO): Hitchcock puts a lot of emotion in his scenes to put more emotion he focuses on facial expressions. He uses the cameras as if it was a person looking at what is happening. Hitchcock said: “People don’t always express their inner thoughts to one another” so he made actors transmit their thoughts through their actions and not through their words. He has also always used montage in his movies because he says “transferring the menace from the screen into the mind of the audience” For example in Psycho we do not see Marion being killed but the montage of images create the scene in our minds and this gives a better impact.
Narrator (VO): We can see that on Hitchcock films there is a high use of dramatic irony and builds tension around it. The use of soundtrack creates more suspense and this can be seen in movies such as Psycho, Rope and North by Northwest. (Background music from Psycho)
Narrator (VO) Another theme is framing innocent people, when a character is mistaken for a killer or a secret agent that does not actually exists like in North by Northwest. The theme of sex and guilt is also very important as in North by Northwest as well as crime and punishment in Psycho.
Narrator (VO): Hitchcock uses heavy editing and many different types of shots per scene. As Hitchcock himself said “there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it”. Hitchcock does not show things actually happening; the audience can imagine them like Marion being killed. He does not show the audience that she is being killed we can imagine it.
Olive Berry on Hitchcock: “Hitchcock’s monsters were not creatures of the imagination, but the characters that might occupy the next-door seat on the bus, or rent us a backwater motel room”
Narrator (VO): Hitchcock also uses the “McGuffin” which is an object part of the cause and effect logic however has no significance after the plot has happened. Like in Psycho, the money Marion steals.
Narrator (VO): Hitchcock is known to be the suspense master. He creates effects of suspense and terror over the audience and Hitchcock uses many cinematic techniques and elaborate editing as well as soundtrack to do this. For Hitchcock dialogue is not as important as image and visual effects as he expresses his ideas purely in visual terms. His films are mainly based on the cause and effect logic like in Psycho and the chronology of his films is linear and the logic is of equilibrium, disruption of equilibrium and return to equilibrium. Alfred Hitchcock uses both restricted and omniscient narration to create dramatic irony in North by Northwest as well as in Psycho. His recurrent theme of suspense as well as psychological thriller gets the audience focused and there is high use of panning and close ups.
Narrator (VO) Hitchcock has a consistent style of film making which is of creating suspense and making the audience stay attached and involved in the film. He creates the film so people can appreciate the art of cinema. Not because he wants to make a point. Alfred Hitchcock had a say in every aspect of the film making process to show it exactly as he imagines it in his head and as he himself said about the other people involved in the film making process as “little other than elves in the master carpenters workshop”
As Fracois Truffaut, the creator of the Auteur theory, said about Hitchcock “He exercises such complete control over all the elements of his films and imprints his personal concepts at each step of the way, Hitchcock has a distinctive style of his own” However, at the same time, film is a collaborative medium, in which it is impossible for one single person to manage it all. The director has to work with a lot of other people such as actors, editors, scriptwriters, camera operators and many other people who help in the film making process. Hitchcock himself said one “People embrace the auteur theory but it is difficult to know what someone means by it. Very often the director is no better than his script” However it is difficult to talk about Hitchcock without referencing the auteur theory as he is a clear example of an auteur director. He shows consistency in his pieces of work and his films are works of art. He creates masterpieces of suspense which give the audience “satisfaction of temporary pain”. His works all show heavy use of editing, different camera angles and image is the main part of the film, not “pictures of people talking” as he himself says.
It is important to consider Hitchcock as un auteur as we give not only his films, but any auteur director’s films a new level as a piece of art making film industry more respectable. By considering Hitchcock as an auteur we recognize that he is the mastermind behind the films and that the final credit is given to him as he is the one who decides on everything. Without his decisions film would be completely different. Furthermore this makes his name become a brand as people know his style and the themes treated in his films and they can almost predict how they are going to feel on his movies. |
