Preview

Alfred Hitchcock Essay Example 5

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
984 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Alfred Hitchcock Essay Example 5
Alfred Hitchcock

As a cinematographer, I see Alfred Hitchcock as one of the most influential people in the history of the silver screen. My synopsis of his films, however, will be through the eyes of a young man that has witnessed tragedy. I could sit and rant and rave about how Hitchcock was a great director, his films were awesome, etc., but I'll spare you of that. I would much rather discuss the attack, but since I must write this paper about his cinema work, I'll try and compare the two movies we watched to the situation. I'll start first with Rear Window. Rear Window is a film that deals not only with the human instinct of voyeurism, but also with the sheer animalistic sadism that can be found deep within our natures. Rear Window demonstrated both of these observances, by showing most of the film through the eyes of a innocent bystander, an injured man who was simply trying to pass the time. We could compare Jimmy Stewart's character to ever American on the morning of September 11, 2001. We were all going about our business, when all of the sudden we noticed an outburst of xtreme brutality. In the end of the film, we see the group try and solve the puzzle by sending Grace Kelly's character to investigate the apartment. We could also relate this to what the United State's government is trying to do at this very moment; rummaging through the apartment of death to try and find anything that would be helpful in solving this catastrophe. All in all, I think Rear Window, one of the first of Hitchcock's great films, is a picture that really somewhat contradicts it's self by having two inconsistent themes: The innocence of the average human being, but also how that same supposedly innocent human being can be so cruel and vicious. Hitchcock had a tendency to make contradictions in his films, not in the films themselves, but in the underlying messages that those films carry. Take Psycho for example; it shows that even though we may suspect that someone or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Unit 12 P4 Essay Example

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages

    P4-Describe the benefits and opportunity to the business of using internet marketing within the marketing mix?…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Movies are much more than just a picture on a screen. They are not linear, they are complex and have depth beyond our imagination. One of the most critically acclaimed master of this art is Alfred Hitchcock. The movie describes the events that occur when a small town is attacked by vicious birds. The movie “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock has a deeper emotional weight with its audience than the book “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier because of Hitchcock’s deliberate use of setting, imagery, and mood in the cinematic experience.…

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prejudice in "To Kill A Mockingbird" Prejudice is a many faced demon which comes in many shapes and disguises. The point that it often goes ignored or unnoticed and shows up in the most unlikely places is what makes it an even more dangerous thing. This is extremely evident in the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird'. The first sign of prejudice in the novel is shown by the Finch children regarding Arthur (Boo) Radley.…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Alfred Hitchcock’s The Rear Window, we’re introduced to L.B. Jefferies, a middle-aged man, injured in a photo-shoot accident. Because of his limited mobility, he passes time observing his neighbors through a window, overlooking his apartment lot.…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch is considered to be one of the most honorable characters in American Literature. Atticus lives in Maycomb County, Alabama. He is respectful person, who looks beyond a person’s appearance and sees who they are on the inside. He keeps a calm mind, even when tempers are flaring around him. Atticus is one of the most honorable characters because of his actions, his words, and his philosophy on life.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Alfred Hitchcock’s films changed the film industry and shaped it into what it is today. His horror films such as Psycho and The Birds had a huge impact on the horror films of today, for example, the scene I will be looking at in The Birds shows all of the crows silently on a school climbing frame. In the famous horror film Jeepers Creepers (2001) the ending scene shows the…

    • 1574 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In conclusion, Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense and remember suspense does not always have to be horror, in fact as we now know one of Hitchcock’s greatest secrets was incorporating humor into his works. He, of course he also has a specialty in mounting tension, and his success as a director shows in many of his movies including but not limited to north by northwest, vertigo, and…

    • 70 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    ENGLISH 102 ESSAY 1

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I see some rare and different qualities between the characters in these stories. First, in “The Rocking Horse Winner” the main character Paul is the son of two unlucky parents. This is shown as Paul overhears his mother talking about her unlucky streak. The young boy then starts seeing luck as money because if money and luck bring happiness, they must somehow be intertwined. In the story, it is this mindset that pushes Paul over the edge to become some sort of hero. The mother does not love Paul, much as described in the story, but when she sees the change in Paul for the worse she immediately begins to worry as most mothers would for a suffering son. The father of Paul is mentioned, but they do not say much about him, except he works in town and previously had a gambling problem. Uncle Oscar and Bassett are just riding on the coat tails of Paul, trying to hold on until something breaks.…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people look at themselves in the mirror everyday to see how they look from the outside. How about the inside? Many human’s today have different appearances then their reality. Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, drags on the story with many instances where appearances contrast with reality. She uses irony in her novel on several occasions to illustrate the difference between appearances versus reality. Harper Lee demonstrates that reality is not always how it appears to the eye through three unassuming characters throughout the book.…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The way films are created and pieced together has progressed greatly over the past century, where before 1910 there was little use of film techniques such as special effects, animation, complex transition sequences and many more. However the introduction of film techniques have helped films gain a sense of genre and establishment as they were used to create specific intensities set out by the director; this is where roles corresponding to certain areas were introduced such as cinematographers, production designers and lighting directors. A classic example of a well-known director would be Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) who is famous for creating suspense films like The Birds or Psycho. I am mentioning him as he had revolutionised the way films…

    • 2415 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a book about racism and crime, why is the title about mockingbirds? Mockingbirds signify innocence. Atticus says that to kill a mockingbird is a sin. Just like people who kill mockingbirds for fun, people kill innocence, in this case other people who are innocent. Atticus tells Jem and Scout to never to kill mockingbirds in a figurative and literal way.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the many injustices in Maycomb County is racial injustice, more specifically the injustices towards African-Americans. For example, the townspeople of Maycomb they have such a hate towards African-American people, for example the use of the word nigger. It is a word that the “common people” meaning the people who had no deference for them. Which leads to segregation, of churches, schools, and the courtroom where Tom Robinson's trial is held. “The Colored balcony ran along three walls of the courtroom like a second -story veranda, and from it we could see everything.”(219). Due to the racism, and prejudice the African-American people are only allowed to sit in one area of the courtroom, their own. This could be compared to the Holocaust, the Nazi's could be compared to the ignorant people of Maycomb, and the Jews are the African-American people who are subjected to the hatred and bigotry of the racist's in Maycomb. It may only seem that the white people are racist towards the blacks, but the blacks are also racist towards the whites. For example, when Jem and Scout go to church with Calpurnia. “When Lula came up the pathway toward us Calpurnia said,'Stop right there, nigger.' Lula stopped, but she said, 'You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here-they got their church,we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?' Calpurnia said,'It's the same God, ain't it?' Jem said 'Let's go home, Cal, they don't want us here-' ”(158) As one may see there is hostility on both sides, white and black. This hostility is like the fighting between dogs and cats, some of them get along but some are always fighting, but they will never win.…

    • 758 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Citizen Kane Essay Example

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Citizen Kane is a movie about the ‘American dream’ of power, money and materialistic possessions not being as desirable as one may believe, It is rather a false happiness when it corrupts the innocence of a child, and isolates a person into a miserable existence. Charles Foster Kane was a victim of this reality as his life story is told by the News March and by various people that were once a part of his life. The director, producer and main actor Orson Welles did a magnificent job portraying multiple different themes including the loss of innocence, power and money can corrupt and isolate a person, and can you really know a person.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I noticed a few of Hitchcock's editing techniques that made the film stand out than in other films. He uses tracking shots, repetition, and the use of the color that makes the film __________ which ___________. The camera follows the plot through Scottie's perspective; thus catching every little detail he does. Toward the beginning of the movie, Scottie is shown trailing Madeleine. As he followers her throughout San Francisco, he observes every single movement of her and the camera picks it all up. For example, there is a far shot of Madeleine in the museum sitting in front of a large painting of a woman. The camera zooms in at a steady pace to catch every detail of appearance of Madeline, not missing any detail from a shot of her unusual hair style, to the bouquet of flowers and then to the painting which shows a portrait of a woman who is identical to Madeleine. Following is a close up of Scottie’s reaction to this _______ he made between the two woman. This leads into the repetition editing Hitchcock uses…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Precis (noun): Make summary of. "I know she goes in for giving a rapid precis of all her guests." (Pg. 14)…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays