The Amateur Approach of Alfred Hitchcock To Vertigo - Essay Example

The Auteur Approach as it Relates to Alfred Hitchcocks "Vertigo" Alfred Hitchcock is known for his ability to scare the audience with situations that would normally not be a problem. Audiences were scared to death to take showers after "Psycho" and they were able to experience voyeurism in "Rear Window." They were captivated by the thrills and chills of all his work in "Vertigo" the audience received a queasy feeling every time Jimmy Stewart experienced it. With his unique camera angles his films always brought the audience into the story with the actors in the film and everyone knew they must hold onto their seats in order to make sure they missed nothing. When the subject of Auteur Theory arises in film circles many people name him as one of the first people to use this technique. The question becomes, is this befitting of his style? The answer for this essay is that he definitely is an auteur. According to several sources Auteur Theory discusses the way that a director uses style, vision, recurring themes, how they control their production and "controls the artistic statement, takes credit for the film and is responsible for attracting the audience" ("Hitchcock"). Within any movie by Hitchcock the audience knows they will be entertained and that they will have to watch every moment to keep up with what is going on. He begins every movie at the end of the story and then builds it to the point of the beginning then finally gives the ending. Sometimes the endings seem predictable but they are not always the way the audience thinks they will end. Central to his movies is the idea that there is something morally wrong that needs to be set right. As an example, in "The Birds" the moral issue was about mans inhumanity to nature. As Hitchcock states, "birds had suffered a lot from humans. They are eaten and killed so one day nature will have enough and come back at humans. The message is dont mess around with nature" (American Film Institute, 2006). A common theme for Hitchcock is shown in "Vertigo" -- the guilt, human failing, obsession and then redemption. This is a common theme that goes throughout many of his movies and the audience went through these changes as they were presented during the movie. As an example, the obsession that Stewart develops with Judy (the second character played by Kim Novak) suggests to the audience that he unconsciously knows this is Madeleine but his mind cannot quite make this leap because he witnessed the death of Madeleine. His obsession leads him to an understanding of this but in making Judy relive the last moments of the other womans death it ironically ends in Judys death. This redeems Madeleine/Judy in some ways and allows Stewarts character to know walk away from the entire mess. Hitchcocks use of cinematic technique sets him apart from a variety of other film directors. In an interview with American Film Institute (2006) he states that he is a "purist" when it comes to the cinema. The reason he was able to get such close and interesting camera shots was because he never looked at the script once the shooting began. He looked only at the screen because he had memorized all of the script and the camera shots he wanted. He says he "knew every angle by heart. I rarely look at the script. Why Should I? I see what I need in the screen" (American Film Institute). Hitchcocks camera techniques were something he invented called "The MacGuffin" and it was defined as "something" that moved the plot along that happened early on and grabbed the audiences attention. Taylor (1994) states: "According to Hitchcock, the MacGuffin did not have to have commercial value. It had only to be of vital importance to the characters in the film" (par. 2).The interesting part of this idea is that in "Vertigo" there were several MacGuffins. The idea of Carlotta Valdes is introduced as the reason why Scottie (James Stewart) is sent to follow Madeleine in the first place. There is no reason for the audience to know why Carlotta died but the concept of her possessing Madeleine is important to move the plot on. The obsession can also be a MacGuffin because it is something that moves the plot consistently. Scottie becomes almost immediately possessed by Madeleine and what she is doing. The audience may see at first that he is intrigued but the more he is around her, the more obsessed with her he becomes. He used camera angles that not only brought an intimacy to the film but also created a slight vertigo for the audience. As an example, when Jimmy Stewart is on a top floor of a building and looks down to the street, the camera angle is narrow and daunting to the audience because it actually feels like the audience is looking down from Stewarts eyes. When he rushes to the top of the mission steps and looks down into the chasm in the middle of the steps, a camera goes in and out as though we as the audience will fall into that chasm. According to the article, "Alfred Hitchcock: Auteur?" Francois Truffaut the author of a book dedicated to Hitchcock stated in a review the following: He [Hitchcock] 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. He is undoubtedly one of the few film-makers on the horizon today whose screen signature can be identified as soon as the picture begins.” (par. 7). This is very true to anyone who has looked at a Hitchcock film. In the beginning of any movie there are two basic signatures that are present. First the cinematography is very tight and the colours that are used along with the immediate action bring the audience into the film. The second signature is the anticipation of where he will appear in the first few scenes. As an example, in "Vertigo" he is walking past the building that the main character has just walked in and he is carrying a musical instrument of some sort. It is common knowledge that Hitchcock was very difficult to work with when people were on the set and he stated that this was because he was a "purist" (American Film Institute). He did not give direction to his actors because he wanted to show them naturally to them because he wanted the actor to get to the heart and soul of the character. This was positive and negative for some actors. As an example, Kim Novak was a new actor when she did "Vertigo" and was given no direction for her character. This was frustrating for her because she was not sure what to do so she kept asking Stewart for help. Novak had to pull back into her past in order to get the direction she needed for the two different characters that she was to portray ("Production notes", p. 2). This actually worked to her advantage and to the audiences advantage because the characters were distinct. A challenge for an auteur is that in Hitchcocks case it can go too far. In "Vertigo" Kim Novak could not swim and was afraid of water but Hitchcock insisted on doing several takes of the water scene when she jumps into the water. In "The Birds," Tippi Hedren had live birds thrown at her for five days to get the real fear/terror of the character for the audience (Billen, 2005, p. 2). In Hitchcocks case he had control over everything. The only negative that this researcher sees with that is that the director is more concerned with the audience than they are with the actors they are directing. References Alfred Hitchcock: Auteur? Tripod. Retrieved March 11, 2009 from http://members.tripod.com/gillonj/alfredhitchcock/ American Film Institute (2006). The Men Who Made The Movies: Alfred Hitchcock Retrieved March 14, 2009 from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=- 5764312338833447645&q=hitchcock&ei=oysKSPztMIvA4ALslpm3BA&hl=en Billen, A. (5 April 2005). The birds attacked me but Hitch was scarier :Hitchcock’s iciest blonde talks about her terrifying time filming The Birds and the director’s unwelcome sexual advances. [Interview: Tippi Hedren]. Times Online. Retrieved March 14, 2009 from http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk /tol/arts_and_entertainment /film/article377531.ece. Hitchcock, A. (Director). (1958). Vertigo. [DVD]. The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: Collectors Edition. United States: Paramount Pictures. Hitchcock, A. (Director). (1958). Production Notes in Vertigo. [DVD]. The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: Collectors Edition. United States: Paramount Pictures. Taylor, David. (1994, November). MacGuffin inflation. Forbes, p. 107. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Database (Document ID: 8726574). Read More