Major Project - Alfred Hitchcock Critical Analysis

Alfred Hitchcock was and still is considered one of the best horror directors of all time. He is considered
the "Master of Suspense" for his very well written and directed horror films, which have left his mark
clearly and firmly on the movie-making industry. With works such as Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and Rear
Window, Hitchcock told his stories through intelligent plots, witty dialogue and just the right amount of
mystery and murder. All these factors coincide to revolutionise the filming industry, particularly the
Horror/Thriller genre, spawning a whole new line of filmmakers mimicking his recipe for a great horror,
making him a legend all over the world.

The fact that Alfred Hitchcock is the "Master of Suspense" is what makes his horror movies so great. It is
the suspense that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation, fear and excitement. This
sheer exposure and incorporation of suspense into all of his films makes them so deep and uncontrollably
addictive. Not a single person who has ever experienced, the full entirety of his films, as it is not something
one merely watches, one experiences it, can deny the great presence of suspense and the immense effect it
has on the film, itself. Hitchcock manages to turn a simple horror/thriller into a film that is over
whelmingly full of suspense and creates an aura and sense of complete suspension throughout the movie, of
pleasurable excitement and anticipation that can not be simply let go and must be experienced in it's
entirety. It is this amazing creation of suspense that creates the link between suspense and horror, which is
why Hitchcock is not only the master of suspense but also the master of all thrillers. Which is why,
suspense is the glue that holds the pieces of horror together. The best way to describe this was indeed,
presented by Hitchcock, when he said. "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it", this
quote truly embodies the whole factor of suspense, in that the 'bang' is quick and instantly over, whereas the
eventual and agonising climax to it is much more horrific.

Hitchcock once stated "Always make the audience suffer as much as possible" This quote would possibly
be one of the greatest pieces of advice Hitchcock could give. Not only that, it also analyses his horror and
suspense methods at the same time. Keeping the audience in agony longer keeps them more and more
involved in the film, intensifying the suspense to an unbearable degree, where they won't be able to watch
any more but have to, this is what Hitchcock wanted to achieve; putting his audience in a position of
unbearable excitement. This quote is also linked to the previous quote, whereby a long and agonising
feature of suspense adds far more to the film than a quick 'bang'.

There are numerous ways in which a writer/director can create suspense. This can include; building
expectation, increasing tension, using surprise, creating immediacy, establishing consequences, limiting
time, maintaining doubt, camera angles and the use of music and sound effects. Incorporated together these
nine ways of suspense are all identifiable in many of Hitchcock's works and all greatly add to the horror of
the movie with it's own method of suspense.

The first method that Alfred Hitchcock uses in creating suspense is to build expectation. This may be
expectation of danger, for instance where the audience knows of an imminent danger that is going to occur
and are 'suspended' into the fate of that person. This is an excellent way to captivate the viewer as, once a
character has been identified to the audience, the viewer holds a greater expectation that events will more-
likely revolve around that character and therefore have a greater suspension in the acts and submissions of
that character. This is a great way to grip the audience into a theatre of imminent danger to that character,
creating suspense. Hitchcock uses this method to his advantage in his film, Psycho. After establishing the
Private Investigator in the movie, he decides to investigate the motel, at which she was supposedly staying.
The audience at this point is thinking that the deranged mother of the owner has killed the person and a
great expectation of danger occurs when he goes into the house where the mother is, the audience is on the
edge of their seats waiting to see what will happen to the investigator. Everything was set up for a major
event and the expectation for this was openly apparent. That being said, Hitchcock can't and doesn't rely so
heavily on music and sound effects. As he once said, "If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the
audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on" This shows that even though sound
is a great asset, nothing can go past a good visual, that can incorporate several methods of suspense, not
merely one. This is another measure of Hitchcock's great talents, in that he believes so heavily in his work
and knows what makes it so great.

Another method used copiously in the horror genre is that of creating tension. Similar to building
expectation, increasing tension uses information to manipulate the audience. In this technique, the audience
is given information and is informed of the impending fate of the character, while the character is left in the
dark. The whole fate is not yet known, however they are aware of imminent danger and what could
possibly happen to that character. This creates a lot of tension in the audience, as they are aware of what is
going to happen, while they watch the identified character walk straight into a trap. For instance, it makes
the viewer just want to scream out 'Don't do it!' It also suspends the audience into whether the character
will survive or not. Hitchcock uses this technique in rear Window. While looking through Jeff's camera we
can see a whole set of events pan out. We see Jeff's girlfriend, Lisa enter Thuwald's, the killer's apartment
through the window. The tension continues to build as we see Thornwald enter his apartment while Lisa is
still inside. Since Lisa is an identified character that the audience cares about, nobody really wants to see
the next bit where it is imminent that the killer will find her. However at the point where she does not know
that the killer is returning, the viewers tension increases, aware of the jeopardy she is in, especially since
she does not know and we, the audience can't do any thing about it.

Another technique used by Hitchcock to manipulate his audience is the use of surprise. When there is a
sudden surprise or twist in the story or plot the audience begins expecting more violence and mystery etc.
An excellent example of this technique is in the movie Psycho. Hitchcock kills off the star early in the
movie in the classic shower scene. This surprise twist creates an expectation for more of it and therefore
more suspense. Hitchcock's remarks to this were "At this point I transferred the horror from the screens into
the minds of the audience. And although there is only one more violent act in the whole movie, the
audience is held in suspense throughout" This is a perfect example of Hitchcock using different ways to
create suspense which make his horrors so unpredictable, the ending of this movie only has to be seen to
explain why. This technique, just like all the others is almost unique or always modified by Hitchcock so
that the audience never knows what to expect in any aspect of horror, increasing the suspense and therefore,
horror.

When something vital is at stake immediate suspense is created to house the fears for that something. This
is called creating immediacy and is very effective in all movies to manipulate the audience into caring for
something that is vital to one of the characters, which otherwise may have been less involving. This
technique is also used to create suspense in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. In this movie, someone very
vital to the lead character, his girlfriend has her life put in jeopardy in a very intense scene in the movie.
The audience feels for the main character and the emotions he must be going through, watching his
girlfriend, seemingly moments away from imminent death, especially when there is nothing he could do.
This technique is very useful as the suspense created, not only captivates the audience into the events but
also influences their feelings for the boyfriend and how he is powerless over something that is so vital to
him and thus, the audience feels in the same manner.

In most of his movies Hitchcock establishes consequences for the main character to achieve and if he didn't
he would have to suffer the ramifications. This creates a great sense of suspense, as the entire audience
watches in anticipation, will he or wont's he? It keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, as Hitchcock
does, it brings alive the plot of the movie, and thoroughly engages the audience. This is shown in Vertigo,
where a Private Investigator is hired to follow the wife of a rich businessman. After following her around
for a few days he believes she became somewhat possessed by a ghost of her grandmother and became
suicidal to fulfil her husbands wishes to kill her. The consequences of failure to help her, leads to her death
and the ramifications and implications that occur in court. However throughout his time on this case the
audience feels suspense because they sit in indecisiveness over what will happen. On one hand they would
like to see him save her but on the other they don't want a boring or uneventful movie. This is what possible
consequences do; however it also increases urgency to get it done.

Yet, another method that Alfred Hitchcock has mastered is that of maintaining doubt. If there is doubt in the
minds of the audience as to the outcome of certain events, the suspense is intensified. When something is
know there is no interest, no captivity, no suspense. For instance if somebody told you the ending to a
classic whodunit such as Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express then you would most likely not
even watch it and even if you did there would be far less thrill and suspense when you did. This is why
keeping the audience in the dark about certain events or people works so well for Hitchcock, captivating
the audience into curiosity and intensifying the suspense further. In Psycho, Hitchcock puts huge doubt in
the minds of the audience when he kills off the star half way through the movie. If anyone knew what was
going to happen, they can think again and this method suspended the audience in a far greater way than if it
were what they had predicted. Nevertheless, this difference makes the audience guessing until the very end,
not knowing if or when he will do something this different again.

Limiting time is another method used that captivates the audience in another will he or won't he escapade.
This technique adds urgency to the scene, captivating the audience and intensifying their viewing. This
urgency adds suspense by adding a further enemy, time. This begins a race against the clock and
incorporated with this technique can be many others, such as building expectation, increasing tension or
creating immediacy. One example of all of these techniques coming into effect in the same scene could be
if the hero, for instance Superman had to defeat his arch nemesis and stop the bomb from going off
(limiting time) save his girlfriend (immediacy) and to save the world from an asteroid (establishing
consequences) all after the disappearance of his side-kick (maintaining doubt). It is Hitchcock's measure as
a director to choose different variables and combinations that create the best suspense and therefore the
greatest thrillers. Time is of the essence in Hitchcock's Vertigo. A time limit is created as Johnny rushes to
save Madeline from committing suicide. Unfortunately he is too late, however the suspense as he staggers
up the stairs to try and reach her in time is unbearable.

Another method of establishing suspense and creating horror is that of incorporating different camera
angles, from different perspectives, angles and types of shots. Manipulating the camera angle can do so
much for the movie, as it affects the audience so greatly, it is almost like helping them see from Hitchcock's
mind of what the movie should express. This may be elevating the camera to show who is in charge and
establishing power or from a characters perspective to add perspective and greater insight into that
character, i.e. their feelings, emotion and most importantly what they perceive through their eyes. This is
shown very well in two movies, Psycho and Vertigo. Firstly, in Psycho, Hitchcock uses camera angles
alternatively to give the viewer and idea of what the would-be victim is experience. It adds, a more eerie
feeling, creating greater suspense, as there is no better way to tell a story than through the eyes of those
who experienced it. Again, in Psycho, camera angles are adapted to bring fear into the minds of the
audience. When the victim is about to be attacked, the camera angle depicts the murderer, launching
himself directly at the victim. The camera is placed just under the killer to create the feeling that we, the
audience are under attack. Thirdly, in Vertigo the main character is afraid of heights due to a terrifying
incident where he was hanging off a ledge 15 stories above the ground. This would not look nearly as
frightening from an upward looking view as it would from the perspective of the man hanging at a perilous
height. These examples are just a few that allow Hitchcock to create suspense just with the camera.

The final, but possibly the greatest creator/amplifier of suspense is music and sound effects. Sound is 50%
of the whole impression of the movie so it isn't hard to see why Hitchcock puts it to such great effect.
Firstly, the sound and music coincide with the scene that is taking place; the music always fits the mood.
For example during parts of intrigue and mystery taking place the music fits appropriately, such as a quick
3 beats with a trumpet and drums, Da Da Da and zooming into the characters face to see their expression,
to signify the previous statement. This also shows the intertwining of music and different filming
techniques used by directors, especially Hitchcock to better their films. However, more importantly in a
horror scene, the music is always very quiet or not present just before imminent danger. This quietness is
used to put the audience into a false sense of security, before a sudden incident, which is made much more
unexpected and therefore more horrifying, catching the audience off guard. This then escalates to coincide
with the positioning of the killer/victim, as when one approaches the music intensifies into a loud playing
of violins to catch your attention. For example in the classic shower scene in Psycho, as the killer slowly
approaches, suspense is created through the uprising of the music, just like Jaws, with the approaching
shark. The classic violins play their high-strung and high-pitched tune, at the climax of the music is always
the murder, or in this case stabbing of the victim, which coincides with the blood curling scream. Without a
doubt, music is half the movie and Hitchcock uses it to great effect in elaborating even more suspense into
the minds of the audience.

Another technique that Hitchcock manipulates to his advantage is that of using symbolism.
Symbolism creates subliminal backdrops or themes that add to the overall mis-en-scene. Paini described
Hitchcock as "one of the greatest inventors of images in the 20th century, and the only filmmaker whose
work reflects the impact of each of its major art trends: classicism, symbolism, mannerism and
modernism". Symbolism is shown in all of Hitchcock's movies, but especially in Psycho. Symbolism in this
movie involve the stuffed birds in Norman's office and the 'peeking' conversation that highlight the
impending chaos of the film and the double image of Norman Bates reflected in the hotel window.
Norman's dead mother in the basement is also a symbol of the mental psychosis of Norman that sends him
into thinking she never really left and that she is always with him, inside of him.

However, if criticism could be laid from a personal viewpoint, it would be the lack of excitement felt by
today's audiences. However, this factor may not contribute to criticism but rather acts as an appraisal of
Hitchcock's abilities as a director. This is due to the sheer amount of violence, action, blood, deaths, and
gruesome and vulgar acts of insane and neurotic characters in horror movies today. This is basically the
method used these days for great horror. Sure it appeals to the current generation but it also shows that the
directors of these films simply don't measure up to Hitchcock's standards, they go for a simple intense
moment every now and again, not incorporating as much variation of suspense as Hitchcock did so many
years before. This enhanced Hitchcock's abilities as a director, relying on his own skill, rather than that of
the special effects-guy.

Of course, it would not be fair to praise Hitchcock for the entire success of his movies. It was also the
actors, producers, writers, cinematographer and sound technicians, all of whom won or were nominated for
academy awards in Rear Window. This either means one of two things that the association and work with
Hitchcock aided them or that Hitchcock relied on others. Either way led to an end product of brilliance,
placed together and put into place by Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock is so much more adaptable and accommodating to the changing faces of cinemas. With a
career that spanned 57 movies over 50 years, Hitchcock produced movies throughout the history of the
popular medium, from the silent era to stereo sound, black-and white to Technicolor, wide screen to
television, and from Europe to Hollywood. This shows how adaptable he was to changing circumstances,
audience and cinema paraphernalia. While he progressed with each movie he got better and better until the
continual success of several movies were hailed as 'masterpieces'. No director is ever without fault, and
Hitchcock was no exception, from million-dollar blunders to little-known movies produced in Japan.
Although these were minor 'character building' mistakes, just like a craftsmen making a wooden sculpture,
he kept chiselling away until a final, desired or 'perfect' result has been made.

Beyond doubt, Hitchcock was the master of suspense and by combining these techniques in any desired
order he has established himself and his movies as classics. Along with his ability to adapt, his versatility
and love of directing, Hitchcock and his movies are to be remembered and benchmarked for a long time to
come.