Alfred Hitchcock Psychology Essay
analytical Essay
1806 words
Alfred Hitchcock, the incredible director who brilliantly integrated sex, humor and suspense in his movies passed away over three decades ago. Despite the thirty years since his death, the legacy of films he made continues. His work has influenced many of the great directors today, and inspired the foundation of the spin off television series Bates Motel. To better interpret the films he created, it is essential to understand the creator of them and examine how his past life traumas and deep inner-thoughts in reality transpired through the fictitious worlds that he created on the big screen. Hitchcock, whether consciously or subconsciously, portrayed his frustrations, fears, and fantasies with the opposite sex through his leading actors and films. This ultimatley allows us to take a look at his past. One may speculate what kind of trauma sparks such actions? When Hitchcock was five years old, his father sent him down to the local police station with a note, and after the chief of police read the piece of paper he locked the young boy in a cell for five to ten minutes, declaring as he finally arrived back to unlock it that “this is what we do to naughty boys” (Scott 5). The effect of this stunt was devastating. It is fair to assume the director developed detrimental anxiety from being locked up in a police cell at the tender age of five. Imagine the frustration one might endure if they saw the world as a place that they did not belong in. Perhaps if Hitchcock were alive today, he could provide us with some answers, however luckily he provides these answers through his films. Jeanne Allen, author of the journal "The Representation of Violence to Women: Hitchcock's "Frenzy", explains that, "Hitchcock...traces a life of obsessi... ... middle of paper ... ... have been conscious of his darker demons, they definitely surfaced in characters such as Marnie, Norman Bates and others. Perchance Hitchcock was a prisoner in his own mind, and to deal with his inner demons, he relieved them by doing what he did best, creating films. He couldn't yell out in his own voice so he uses the many voices that he created himself. Despite his personal shortcomings, Hitchcock proved to be one of the great masters of filmmaking and earned himself the title "King of Suspense". Throughout his seemingly endless amount of films, he showed us that people are never quite what they seem. If we are to honor him, it is best to remember him as the great filmmaker he was. Whilst the debate continues about whether or not the great film creator was or was not disturbed, one thing is for sure; Hitchcock was one of the most talented directors of all time.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that alfred hitchcock's films have influenced many great directors today, and inspired the spin off television series bates motel.
- Opines that hitchcock developed detrimental anxiety from being locked up in a police cell at the tender age of five.
- Analyzes how hitchcock traces a life of obsession with unattainable beautiful women, sadistic cruelty, and inexplicable marital celibacy. such intense scenes were not common in this time.
- Analyzes how hitchcock uses the role played by his mother in his life and translates that relationship to several relationships between mother and son in the award winning film psycho.
- Analyzes how hitchcock molded the entire movie around the infamous shower scene in psycho. he was feeling rejection or disinterest with various leading ladies. in frenzy, he lets his inner demons loose.
- Analyzes hitchcock's strange fixation on his mother in the film vertigo starring jimmy stewart, which was labeled an "orphic tragedy."
- Analyzes how scottie is obsessed with the "perfect woman" and attempts to recreate his image of female sensuality. his desolate lifestyle as a child is likely connected to his infatuation.
- Analyzes how francois truffaut and tippi hendren discuss hitchcock's controlling tendencies and sexual frustrations in "the 39 steps and the lodger."
- Analyzes how hitchcock's paralyzing fear of police was evident in his films. he was so fearful that he never had a driver’s license.
- Opines that hitchcock's character of marnie is the ultimate personification of his life. he was a prisoner in his own mind and relieved his inner demons by creating films.
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- Alfred Hitchcock Psychology Essayanalytical essayEverybody knows Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense and is known for inciting fear in the hearts of his audience. His multiple, fast cuts directs his audience to what he wants them to see and feel. Close-ups of the actors faces clearly shows what the characters are feeling and forces the audience to feel the same emotions. With all his expert directing skills, is there any meaning behind what he chooses to portray in his films or is it all for show? Could there be a deeper meaning to his films? The answer to these questions is a firm yes. Hitchcock’s past experiences guided him to be the director he was. The inadequateness of the police, control of all details in his films, and long stretches of no dialogue all portrayed in his films are all directly correlated to Hitchcock’s early life and early professional life.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the police are portrayed in almost every one of hitchcock's films, such as frenzy, to catch a thief, and the 39 steps.
- Analyzes how hanney is able to reveal the real murderer and to clear his name. in to catch a thief, john robie, played by cary grant, is accused of revitalizing his old robbing ways.
- Explains that alfred hitchcock was born and raised a catholic, but he did not continue to practice his faith in his adult life. the jesuits had an effect on him and his filming methodology.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's early career involved him working on silent films. he learned how to continue action and keep the audience interested without dialogue.
- Analyzes the themes of inadequateness of the police, control of all details, and long stretches of no dialogue in alfred hitchcock's films.
- Explains that alfred hitchcock is the master of suspense and is known for inciting fear in the hearts of his audience. the inadequateness of the police, control of all details, and long stretches of no dialogue all portrayed in his films are all directly correlated to his early life.
- Opines that hitchcock's the birds was his vision of judgment day, something he would have learned about in his catholic education.
1347 wordsRead More - “It is said that analyzing pleasure, or beauty, destroys it” written by artist-historian, Laura Mulvey, she discusses the issues that arise when studying beauty. Examining and focusing on feminine beauty to the point of destroying it, has been a constant theme in cinema for decades. Director, Alfred Hitchcock’s has created 65 films in his 50-year long career, Hitchcock is now a common household name, being one of the most widely influential directors of the 20th century. Nicknamed “The Master of Suspense,” he made a name for himself by his incredible ability to visualize his subconscious fears and desires and turn them into a masterpiece. Throughout Hitchcock’s successful career, his films have a common theme of objectifying women through the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how scottie becomes obsessed with the mysterious young woman, but when madeline plunges to her death from a church tower, he becomes distraught.
- Analyzes how hitchcock hints at a theory which uses masculine loss to control the vision of the female.
- Analyzes how the representation of the female form is a huge topic of discussion, especially in today's culture. mulvey wrote an analysis in 1975 titled "the male gaze."
- Analyzes the freudian theory of melancholia in hitchcock's film.
- Explains that hitchcock's portrayal of women is rife with gender assumptions and a male dominated viewpoint.
- Analyzes how scottie's acrophobia symbolizes the conflict with feminine as he conquers it after watching judy die.
1736 wordsRead More - Alfred Hitchcockexplanatory essayFilms were a great form of entertainment from their debut in the early 1900’s and continued to grow more popular over the years. The film making business hit a growth period in the 1920’s. In Hollywood, the assembly line “studio” system of producing a movie was changed and refined, and the famous studious that dominate Hollywood production today, such as Universal Studious, were being put together. Censorship regulations were being formulated for the first time, and Wall Street began to take a more prominent, powerful role in film making. It was the era of short silent films that were backed by organists who could play a variety of famous composers such as Beethoven, and Sousa, and who mastered other sound affects for further enhancement of the movie. It was a time when movies came and went quickly and films that had no pretense of being art were made in mass. Nobody ever expected a movie to have an afterlife. They were made only for entertainment and to make money, and were considered disposable back then. It took decades to develop movies as a concept of art. During this time of rapid change in the film making business, a certain aspiring director began his dream of working with cinema. Eventually, the talented and mysterious director, Alfred Hitchcock, played a huge part in establishing his and others’ masterpieces as an art.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that films were a great form of entertainment from their debut in the early 1900's and continued to grow more popular over the years.
- Explains that hitchcock's childhood was that of a lower class roman catholic child who attended church regularly. he was educated at the jesuits' st. ignatius college and studied engineering and navigation.
- Explains that hitchcock was drawn to the silver screen. he read every technical film magazine he could, was fascinated by edgar allan poe's mystery fiction and spent time at the local cinema.
- Narrates how hitchcock met his future wife alma reville, who worked for brompton oratory, during production of his film number 13. she oversaw initial script development through final post-production.
- Explains that the first film to bear the mark "directed by alfred hitchcock" was the pleasure garden in 1925. alfred's uncanny wit and cinematic flare came forth in this movie.
- Explains that the lodger was hitchcock's first authentic film and his first cameo appearance, which later became a trademark of his films. its success launched his career in england and he became the most successful and highest-paid director.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's blackmail made history by becoming the first british "talkie." in 1930, he released two films, juno and the paycock, and murder.
- Explains that hitchcock came to the united states to direct rebecca, which was nominated for eleven oscars and won the academy award for best picture. alfred did not receive it for this film, and never would.
- Explains that hitchcock made several films between 1950 and 1960, including dial "m" for murder, to catch a thief, and strangers on a train. rear window, vertigo, north by northwest and psycho sparked debates.
- Explains that hitchcock launched "alfred hickcock presents" in 1955, a television show that catapulted him from honored director and celebrity to icon.
- Explains that hitchcock received an honorary doctorate from columbia university before frenzy's release in 1972. the growth of his artistic reputation was supported by other developments at the time.
- Explains that alfred hitchcock lived a quiet and unostentatious life with his family, who preferred the comforts of home to the hollywood surroundings. he died at home in los angeles at the age of 80.
- Explains hitchcock's influence on critics and fellow filmmakers, citing his wide range of work and diversity of interpretations.
1739 wordsRead More - Psychoanalytical essay1. What John Fawell is essentially saying is that although the common assumption of Hitchcock is that he is staunchly misogynistic—and often when one says this, the movies Psycho and Frenzy are cited for their scenes of female-oriented violence—he actually, in his majority of films, expresses empathy and compassion towards women, while giving a “sharp critique of the male psyche”. He goes even further, to convey the point that the notorious scenes from the two aforementioned movies may have jaded us all to the facts that he isn’t really that misogynistic after all.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jeff's objectification of the women he is watching intensifies his inherent voyeurism, which exists simply by us being movie watchers.
- Analyzes how jeff's view on marriage seems skewed from what one traditionally feels about it; he feels men lose their happiness in marriage, his view that women only want to get married, and his recurring rejections of lisa all allude to the fact that jeff knows marriage by another name.
- Opines that jeff's inadequacy may be more pronounced than most people walking the planet are in some way sexually dysfunctional.
- Analyzes how lisa and jeff seemed to be at ends with each other throughout the film. lisa tries subtle tricks to get jeff to respond to her, but he stampedes through them.
- Analyzes how john fawell expresses empathy and compassion towards women, while criticizing the male psyche in psycho and frenzy.
- Analyzes hitchcock's outlandish quotes to further his reputation of being a "woman-hater" and at the same time more notable director.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's rear window is unlike other movies. lisa and stella sweep around jeff, cleaning and cooking, and helping him move. jeff associates with sex and violence throughout the film.
1842 wordsRead More - Alfred Hitchcock: The Master Of Suspenseanalytical essayThe world knows him as the Master of Suspense. He has also changed the way people look at film. Alfred Hitchcock was born at the turn of the century in England. His was raised in a very religious upbringing. He went to college at the University of London only to leave after the death of his father and to support himself he worked for Henley Telegraph and Cable Company as a technical clerk. His skills at this job would only propel him into the world of the film industry. His attention to the tiny details helped him land his first films at Players-Lasky Corporation. He would go to Germany to work on his first two films where he would meet his future wife, Alma Reville, also a film director and editor. Hitchcock and his wife are later married
In this essay, the author
- Explains that alfred hitchcock was born at the turn of the century in england. his attention to the tiny details helped him land his first films at players-lasky corporation.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's classic films, psycho, and his love for film, paved the way for horror and suspense films. his artistic skill and love of film made him one of the greatest directors ever.
503 wordsRead More - Psycho, The Movieanalytical essayPerhaps no other film changed so drastically Hollywood's perception of the horror film as did PSYCHO. More surprising is the fact that this still unnerving horror classic was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who never relied upon shock values until this film. Here Hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos and got away with it, simply because he was Hitchcock.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how psycho changed hollywood's perception of the horror film as did psycho. alfred hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos.
- Analyzes how the great director clouded his intent and motives by stating that the entire film was nothing more than one huge joke.
- Opines that psycho is hitchcock's most gruesome and dark film, inspired by the life of the demented, cannibalistic wisconsin killer ed gein.
- Analyzes how bernard herrmann's chilling score enhances the fright of the film.
- Analyzes how hitchcock shocked paramount when he demanded that the filmmaker film the sleazy, sensational novel that robert bloch based on the gein killings. the filmmaker kept after the studio's front office until the executives relented.
- Analyzes how hitchcock accepted the budget restrictions and went ahead with the film, utilizing television technical people, who were less expensive than standard hollywood crews.
- Describes how hitchcock met with joseph stefano after rejecting james cavanaugh's adaptation of the bloch novel.
- Analyzes how stefano told hitchcock that he couldn't work up sympathy for a peeping tom killer in his forties. the director suggested perkins get the lead role.
- Describes how hitchcock convinced paramount that his special editor, george tomasini, should be included in the production of psycho.
- Analyzes how the director's penchant for detail was in full force in the bates motel. the mansion cost only $15,000 to construct and technicians cannibalized several other stock buildings to keep costs down.
- Explains that perkins, then twenty-seven, was hired without the actor reading the script and was taken aboard because hitchcock thought him right for the role of norman bates and because he would cost little.
- Explains that hitchcock was interested in using shirley jones, but her salary would have been too high. instead, he chose leigh, who was more of a starlet.
- Analyzes how hitchcock achieves audience sympathy by showing perkins's norman as sensitive and oddly compelling, leading viewers to believe that his unseen mother is the culprit.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's attempt to set up viewers for the surprise ending backfired when he was deluged with wires and letters from actresses asking to be considered.
- Analyzes how hitchcock used a sunken-faced, ossified corpse for offbeat pranks on leigh, who became one of his favorite performers.
- Analyzes how the film's male lead, gavin, makes less of an impression on viewers than the shower scene. hitchcock considered stuart whitman, tom tryon, brian keith, cliff robertson, jack lord, robert loggia, and rod taylor for the role.
- Analyzes how hitchcock approved of every little detail in the famous shower scene and demonstrated every move the killer and victim were to make. perkins even showed him how he was to wrap the body
- Explains that perkins was not present for the filming of leigh's murder, but was in new york rehearsing for a play when the shower scene was filmed.
- Opines that hitchcock ordered this murder shown as a brutal thing, scribbling in his own hand for shot 116: 'the slashing'.
- Analyzes how hitchcock depicts the bloody realities of violent murder through lightning cuts between leigh and closeups of the knife striking her body (she is stabbed at least a dozen times).
- Analyzes how hitchcock uses inventive techniques to show the spray coming directly out of the shower nozzle.
- Analyzes how hitchcock shot the shower scene from a tower above the set, employing one cameraman. he had abandoned the use of technicolor, so as not to make the film more gory.
- Explains that leigh performed the rest of the shower scene herself, though she was concerned about displaying her bosom, even before technicians in a closed set. they researched various transparent garments worn by strippers but didn't come up with anything that would work.
- Narrates how a technician came up with an answer, flesh-colored moleskin, but during shooting hot water from the shower undermined this solution.
- Analyzes how hitchcock turned promotion minded with psycho, devising the entire publicity campaign for his gruesome masterpiece. he demanded that no moviegoer be seated during the showing of the film.
- Opines that hitchcock's response was to say that he had fun with the film.
- Explains that hitchcock's philosophy of the mystery-horror genre was to provide the public with beneficial shocks. the only way to remove the numbness and revive our moral equilibrium is through a movie.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's psycho broke all box-office records and made him a master of the modern horror film and fabulously wealthy.
2312 wordsRead More - Psycho Research Analysis Essayanalytical essayIn the world of cinema, there’s almost always a discussion regarding what scenes would be suitable for the grasping imagination of any audience, young or old. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, sparked a plug for the movie industry as it was the first movie of its kind to display such graphic scenes of sex and violence to a worldwide audience.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how alfred hitchcock's 1960 film, psycho, sparked a plug for the movie industry as it was the first movie of its kind to display such graphic scenes.
- Analyzes how bertolini's article, "psycho at fifty: pure cinema or invitation to an orgy?" describes how the film stuck with the imagination of hitchcock’s audience.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's use of murder and brute force in psycho captivated the audience. he wanted to render his graphic and violent plot to the world during the black and white era to “guarantee of it’s unrelieved realism.”
- Analyzes how bertolini's article explained how themes in this film were meant to show the everlasting battle between the good and evil within ourselves, that connect with everyone.
558 wordsRead More - Hitchcock’s Work at an Auteur in his Movie, Vertigoanalytical essayHitchcock has characteristics as an auteur that is apparent in most of his films, as well as this one.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hitchcock's unique presence as an auteur is what sets his films apart. he places the characters in the center of the frame, or if not centered, then balanced by whatever else is adding density to the shot.
- Analyzes how hitchcock manipulates the camera to show the viewer exactly what he wants them to see. the viewer is led to believe that they have solved the mystery.
- Analyzes how hitchcock plays on the perfect murder motif in his films. in shadow of a doubt and vertigo, he resolves the story with the literal fall of the antagonist.
446 wordsRead More - Common Themes and Elements in Psycho and The Birdsanalytical essayAlfred Hitchcock’s unique sense of filmmaking and directing has allowed him to become a very famous and well known film maker of his time. He uses similar recurring themes, elements, and techniques in many of his films to engage the viewers in more than just the film, but the meaning and focus behind the story.
In this essay, the author
- Compares alfred hitchcock's films psycho and the birds, which share similar themes and elements. the ideal blonde woman, the mother figure, birds, and unusual factors leave the viewer thinking.
- Analyzes how hitchcock's melodramatic films put marion crane and melanie daniels in extreme danger — they are posed as triggers for the action in the story.
- Analyzes how hitchcock contrasts the qualities of a motherly figure with intrusive, overbearing mothers in psycho and the birds.
- Analyzes how hitchcock indirectly uses birds to make a statement in psycho and the birds.
- Analyzes how hitchcock uses unusual twists to create a sense of suspense. in psycho, the main character marion is killed midway through the story.
- Explains that alfred hitchcock's unique sense of filmmaking and directing has allowed him to become a very famous and well-known film maker of his time.
656 wordsRead More - The Horror Film Analysis Of Psycho By Alfred Hitchcockanalytical essayPsycho by Alfred Hitchcock is a horror film that debuted in 1960, starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. (IMDb) This horror film changed the horror movie genre, helping to develop it into what it is today. This film tells the story of a woman who runs off with $40,000 stolen from her boss. On the run, she checks into an abandoned motel for the night where she dines with the owner, a young man with an overbearing and controlling mother. She never checks out. Her family and friends embark on searches for her, and come across the abandoned hotel where she checked in, under a false name. The movie ends with the revelation that the hotel owner’s mother died, and he suffers from multiple personality disorder. Both he and his mother share his body, with the mother personality becoming more dominant. When he dined with the lady who checked in, the mother became jealous and kill her, leaving the son to clean up the mess left behind.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how alfred hitchcock's psycho changed the horror movie genre into what it is today. it tells the story of a woman who runs off with $40,000 stolen from her boss.
- Explains that psycho was a film unique to its era and inspired the entire sub-genre of horror. the "shower scene" in psycho shows the young woman being repetitively stabbed.
- Analyzes how psycho introduced a brand new horror plot point: the monster being man. psycho used the darkness that resides within both man and woman to drive his plot line.
- Explains psycho introduced the technique of quick cutting, which was used in the famous bathroom scene in order to give the illusion of actual violence.
- Opines that psycho had an authenticity that modern films seem to lack, and the ending was a surprise to them. their only concern was the lasting impression this movie would leave on people with mental disorders.
722 wordsRead More