Paper Example on Alfred Hitchcock as an Auteur

Introduciton

Alfred Hitchcock is a very well know name in the film and cinema industry. He is celebrated as being an innovative director with a unique and distinct style which enabled him to leave his mark as an auteur. His career lasted for over six decades during which he was responsible for the creation of over 60 films. He had consistency, which was not very common for many directors, and his work could be easily identified and associated with him. The consistency could be attributed to the fact that he often collaborated with the same people in the making of his films. He utilized a psychological connection with the audience in his movies which allowed him to manipulate their emotions and reaction to the movie (McGillian, 56). As a director, Hitchcock had mastered superior technical skills compared to his counterparts, and he had the ability to prolong suspense (Lee, 225). His superior skills are very evident in a number of his films such as Psycho, Vertigo, and suspicion. He also gained the reputation of delivering dark subject matter. Hitchcock's need to be acknowledged for his work led to his numerous appearances in his films as cameos (McGillian, 57). His work continues to be imitated and re-enacted with scenes such as his bathroom scene in Psycho being parodied in several later films. He played a very critical role in the monumental innovations in the cinema. His directorial style still influences the headway made in modern cinema. He is praised for pioneering numerous camera and editing techniques that have been utilized by his peers ("Alfred Hitchcock"). Alfred Hitchcock was born in 1899 in England to strict Roman Catholic parents. Some of his movies are seen to have a relation to his strict upbringing such as Psycho. His career in the film industry began as a set designer in 1920 after which he joined the British cinema. Later, he moved on to Hollywood.

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Even though the cinema of Hitchcock is not essentially exalting, it enriches the audience by denouncing man's desecrations of beauty and purity (Truffaut et al. 20). Hitchcock could be described as a master of suspense, which involves expert manipulation of the plot in complex narratives. He is also recognized as an artist who was struggling to bring to life his intellectual and religious obsession (Barton, 4). The public and critics continue to be fascinated with his work which is shown by the recent successful revival of his films, some of which are as old as 30 years. Most of Hitchcock's work can be characterized as suspenseful, humorous, witty and sophisticated (Lee, 225). His character was depicted in his films which invariably portrayed the theme of voyeurism and his preference of male dominance over women to mold them into his desired woman.

Alfred Hitchcock can be described as an auteur because his style was so distinctive it could be easily identified and associated with him. He believed that imitation was the best form of flattery. His unique style hugely contributed to his success in the film industry with many movies receiving recognition for their high quality.

Rebecca 1940

Rebecca is a classic gothic thriller/ Mystery film. It revolves around the tortured romance between an innocent, naive young woman, Joan Fontaine, and a widower Laurence Olivier. Laurence lives in Manderley estate. He is moody and overburdened. The young bride is tormented by the "existence" of Laurence's first wife, Rebecca. She remains fearful and guilty as she is psychologically dominated. Rebecca's housekeeper relentlessly torments her using her recollections of the dead wife. Eventually, Rebecca's death becomes demystified with the destruction of the estate (Waldman, 35). With this film, Hitchcock won the Best Picture Oscar (Rebecca).

Suspicion 1941

Suspicion is a romantic psychological thriller. The main characters are Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant who play the roles of Lina McLaidlaw and Johnnie Aysgarth. Johnnie, who is the typical playboy, charms Lina into eloping with him. Lina does so despite her father's disapproval. After the honeymoon, the couple returns to live in a lavish house. Lina soon realizes that Johnnie lives off borrowed money and that he had no job. She convinces him to look for a job, which he does and is employed by his cousin. With time, Lina realizes that Johnnie is a pathological liar and has been lying to her about his job. When one of his friends dies, Lina strongly suspects that Johnnie killed him and even goes to the extent of suspecting that he is plotting to murder her for her life insurance. Eventually, all suspicions are dealt with, and Lina promises to stay with him and go through their challenges together.

Saboteur 1942

Saboteur is a spy thriller film. The movie was among Hitchcock's most notable thriller. The two main characters are Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane who play the roles of Barry Kane and Pat Martin. Barry Kane, who works at an aircraft factory in California, is accused of being responsible for sabotage that leads to the death of his friend. When Kane claims that the murderer is a German spy who goes by the name Frank Fry, played by Norman Lloyd, the authorities refuse to believe him. Kane then escapes from police custody and goes on the hunt to catch Fry. He is joined by a young Pat. The two are shocked to realize police officers are part of the plot. They discover that Fry plans to bomb US naval vessels at a shipyard. Eventually, Fry dies as he is confronted by Kane. The film was very significant in its depiction of terrorism and spies in line with World War II. Its plot surrounding German infiltration in America was very timely and significantly drew the interest of many Americans who were obsessed with spies (Boggs, 337). It sensitized the American population on spies and was also used as an artistic outlet for the main issues being faced.

Spell Bound 1945

This film can be described as a psychological mystery thriller. The lead roles are played by Ingrid Berman and Gregory Peck as Dr. Constance Petersen and Dr. Anthony Edwardes. Dr. Petersen is a psychiatrist at a mental asylum who works alongside Dr. Murchison. Dr. Murchison is about to retire, and so he is replaced by the famous Dr. Edwardes. With time, as the two work together, they fall in love and form a romantic relationship. However, as time goes by, Dr. Petersen starts to notice some strange behavior in Dr. Edwardes. She soon comes to realize that he is an imposter who might have killed the real Dr. Anthony Edwardes. The imposter is seen to be an amnesiac. Dr. Petersen then devotes herself to discover the truth which puts her and the rest of the employees at risk (Hitchcock). The film brought to light the psychological issues that are faced by a substantial fraction of the population and was able to open conversations about mental health and its effects.

Notorious 1946

Notorious is an American spy film. The story revolves around a young woman named Alicia Huberman played by Ingrid Bergman. She has a reputation of being promiscuous and a drunkard. This is what leads to her recruitment as a spy by an agent, Devlin played by Cary Grant. She is supposed to infiltrate a spy group led by her former lover. She agrees to do so because she is in love with Devlin. Devlin takes advantage of the love Alicia has for him to get what he wants. Hitchcock's attentiveness to visual detail and superior camera technique are evident in this film. Similar to the Spellbound film, 1945, Notorious' main theme is on the cold war which ensued after World War II. Hitchcock's obsession with dominating over women and training them to be what he desires is clearly shown in this film and his film Vertigo.

The Paradine Case 1947

The main characters in this film are Gregory Peck and Ann Todd who play the roles of Mrs. Paradine and Anthony Keane respectively. Mrs. Paradine is accused of poisoning her blind husband who was a military hero. She decides to engage a lawyer, Keane. As they work together, Keane who is a married man falls in love with Mrs. Paradine, therefore, risking the stability of his marriage. Keane, therefore, loses his impartiality and objectivity. He ignores the evidence showing that Mrs. Paradine may be guilty thus risking his reputation. The film was not well rated generally, but it still had excellent scenes and gave the audience a lot to think about. This movie was geometrically fluid in the rendering of power. It depicts the neurosis that is characteristic of influential people. Hitchcock cleverly brings out the theme of sexual resentment. It is shown by the perceived idea that class reduces our sexuality and thus men resent the inability to be women who they consider to be of a higher class ("The Paradine Case Blu-Ray").

Rear Widow 1954

This film was produced in 1954 and re-released in 1962 with Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart as the main characters. The story revolves around the suspected murder of Lars Thorwald's wife. The main character Jeff is convinced that Lars murdered his wife. His suspicion was aroused as he was spying on his neighbors. He goes on to investigate the murder by involving his girlfriend Lisa and a detective friend. Their investigation eventually led to Lars Thorwald confessing to the murder of his wife. Murder in the plot is seen to be insignificant in comparison to the relationships depicted in the film. The movie was commended for introducing the archetypal basis of most horror films that was imitated by films that followed its release. Hitchcock was able to satirize the audiences' neurosis and psychological inadequacies which enhanced the film's psychological effect. He thematizes the voyeurism involved in the film viewing experience thus bringing to light the dangers of the psychologically appealing activity (Stam et al., 194)

To Catch a Thief 1955

The film "To Catch a Thief" can be described as a romantic thriller. It was released in the year 1955 and was acted by Cary Grant and Grace Kelly as John Robie and Francie respectively. The plot revolves around the romance between the two characters. John is a retired cat burglar who tends vineyards in the French Riviera. After burglaries similar to John's style start coming up, he decides to get to the bottom of it and clear his name. He gets a list of the people with the most expensive jewelry determined to catch the thief himself, among them is Francie. In the course of the formation of a romantic alliance, Francie's jewels are stolen. Francie immediately suspects John to be the thief. John finally catches the thief who is a teenager named Danielle (A Thief). The film won an Academy Award for color cinematography, thus setting standards for the color films.

Psycho 1960

Psycho is a complex psychological thriller. The story revolves around a young woman called Marion who is a Phoenix Rea estate secretary. She is involved in a relationship with a man named Sam, although the relationship is strained due to lack of money and sufficient intimate time. When Marion's boss gives her 40,000$, she decides to take the many and leave with her boyfriend. She leaves her office to go see her boyfriend. On the way, Marion gets lost and decides to sleep at a motel. At the motel, she finds the friendly and lonely manager Norman Bates, and his mother, Mrs. Bates. She is eventually murdered in the motel bathroom. The film depicted a very gruesome murder scene. It set new standards for the level of acceptability of violence, deviant behavior and the idea of sexuality in American Films. Human vulnerabilities, victimization, and corruptibility are portrayed in the film (Kolker, 79).

Vertigo 1958

The film "Vertigo" could be described as a work of maturity that commented lyrical on the relation between love and death (Truffaut et al. 20). Vertigo is a mesmerizing romantic thriller. In this film, Hitchcock managed to study the common human romantic longing...