My Journey With Hitchcock
I came to know Hitchcock, or as many call him ‘the master of
suspense’ as an adolescent. My father, who is a massive fan of the Golden Age
of Hollywood, and who has such respect for the art of film, has always guided
me when it came to exploring the world of cinema. From a young age, I was
taught to place great value on the ‘classics’. Of course, as you may imagine,
even though I was always quirky and curious, by no means was I really
interested in Hitchcock, yes I may have had a particular liking for films that
may have been a little dated, especially for a person of such a young age, but
Hitchcock never seemed to interest me enough then. When I heard ‘Hitchcock’
being mentioned, I automatically pictured my father, or even my grandfather
watching an overdramatic, almost soap opera performance presented in the films,
but I was wrong, oh how wrong was I. Even form an early age, I always felt like
I was different, I felt the desire to never conform, to rebel against the
mainstream, and this resulted in me branding Hitchcock as ‘old fashioned’, too
‘classy’ for my liking. For me personally, liking Hitchcock was too mainstream.
I simply thought that people claimed to like him simply because it was
perceived as ‘cool’. Often films, as well as music gain popularity, or even
achieve a cult status, simply because it’s ‘cool’ to like them. However, I
misjudged the concept of Hitchcock’s films; I was too quick to judge. Many
things are labelled as ‘great’ only because people want to fit into a subculture,
and admiring such thing allows people to do just that, on the other hand it is
important to acknowledge that works of art, as those of Hitchcock, are labelled
as great, simply because they are in fact pure greatness. Not only did
Hitchcock’s work take me on an explorative journey of the art of filmmaking, it
allowed me to explore myself and who I have become over the years.
As my interest and urge to explore and analyse the enigmatic
world of cinema grew, the spectrum of the films I chose to watch also
flourished. The Birds, was the first Hitchcock film that I had the pleasure of
watching. Of course, it was all thanks to my father. For him The Birds was a
horror, but for me ... Well I did not expect a films of such a decade to scare
me, I mean ‘we’ have CGI, professional make up and all the ingredients to make
a ‘scary film’. Through exploring the world of Hitchcock, I have learnt many,
many things, however, the first thing that I learnt was that no CGI, or extreme
make up beholds the power, or has the ability to impact the audience like
psychology. Yes, Hitchcock was not only a master of suspense, he was the master
of the cognitive processes of his audience, he knew that to really impact his audience
he must create a film that not only stimulates them visually, but penetrates
them internally, tucking and dwelling all their biggest fears, desires and even
hidden fetishes.
My father may have guided me and put me on the ‘right’ path,
but it was my school Film teacher who injected me with true admiration for
Hitchcock. It is thanks to the amazing man that my school teacher is, that I am
who I am today. He inspired me, taught me to always ask questions, always dig
deeper and deeper, to dissect the film and to analyse. Therefore, due to the
respect I had, and have for my teacher, I trusted him and began my own journey
with Hitchcock. The Birds shocked me, I was wrong, I misjudged the ‘old
fashioned’ films, it was at this point in my journey with film, that I realised
to never judge a film prior to watching it. You will not be surprised to hear,
that Psycho was the second film that I chose to see. Psycho is a true
masterpiece, not only due to its cult status, but the film uses all the tools
of the medium to create an atmosphere of tension, suspense, distraught, awe and
dread. Psycho is by far the most ‘ahead of its time film’ that I have had the
pleasure of seeing so far. I simply could not believe that it was made in the
60s. When it comes to analysing films, the focus lies on my factors.
Cinematography, mise en scene, editing, sound and of course the colour palette
all play a major role in creating an outstanding visual piece of art. However,
to my knowledge, Hitchcock, is the only director who has mastered combining all
those factors together to create equilibrium, he has simply mastered the recipe
of film form. Hitchcock, claimed that when making a film, the main focus should
not only be directed at the visual aspect of the film, he believed that sound
beholds a special power, and when the visuals are combined with the sound only
then can a film have an effect on the audience. Hitchcock lulls his audience
into a world of unknown, where the visuals are accompanied by a lullaby of
terror. Through mastering the art of filmmaking, Hitchcock has inspired many
directors; in many ways; Hitchcock was a pioneer and a role model. For me, the director
who has most profoundly crafted the art of combining visuals with sound is
Lynch. There is no doubt, Lynch will always be my favourite filmmaker, my role
model and often, my biggest inspiration. In many aspects, Lynch has chosen to
follow Hitchcock’s footsteps in filmmaking, digging deep into our sub-consciousness;
a film is only ever a masterpiece when the visuals leave,but the music still
plays and stays deep within us, and this is exactly what Hitchcock and Lynch
have managed to create through their works.
The most recent Hitchcock film that I had the pleasure of
watching was Rear Window. On many occasions, Rear Window was recommended to me
by friends, my teacher, and of course my father. I got hold of the film a while
ago, but I simply never felt in the mood to watch it. Well the time finally
came, and I decided to watch the film without giving it much thought. Without
even mentioning Hitchcock’s name, he is present through his stars (Jimmy Stewart,
Grace Kelly). The first thought that I had, during the beginning credits, was
how comforting it was to see Stewart, in yet another Hitchcock film. If you
have seen a number of Hitchcock’s films, you will know that as a director, he
was loyal to his stars; therefore seeing Stewart, once again, in a leading role
is somewhat reassuring and almost safe, as the audience can form expectations.
There is no doubt that Hitchcock was a connoisseur of beauty. Stewart is always
ever so dashing and handsome, certainly visually pleasing to the audience, and
of course, Hitchcock’s famous ‘icy blondes’ that steal all the focus and gaze.
What is interesting and important to point out, is the fact that Hitchcock has
managed to create numerous outstanding pieces of work, using less than two
locations in many of his films, and Rear Window is an example of just that. As
expected, the film starts of slow, the audience enter the world and familiarise
themselves with its environment. Instantly, the audience are placed in the position
of the voyeurs. Hitchcock is known for his voyeuristic tendencies, however by
far, Rear Window is the film that is most predominately driven by voyeurism. At
first, the audience may feel uncomfortable being placed in such position, I
certainly did. It almost feels forbidden and wrong to be observing people in
such position, but yet, there is something appealing and tempting in doing so. Hitchcock
was a master of the mind, as he knew quite well that humans and their emotions
are often contradictory, often we feel drawn to something, but at the same time
we feel a sense of repulsion in the form of cognitive dissonance. Hitchcock was
certainly not afraid of exploring the real human nature, our hidden desires and
urges, because let’s face it, a few will admit it, but we as a species find
pleasure in being the onlooker, we are aroused by the forbidden, and Hitchcock cleverly
manipulates his audience using those hidden drives.The narrative of the film develops slowly, however there are
many indicators of what to expect. Stewart is stranded at home in his
wheelchair with a broken leg, out of boredom he enters the private world of his
many neighbours, who as the film develops, all have a story to tell. Once again,
the audience are offered to see the world through the male protagonist’s perspective.
Not only is Stewart stuck at home, as an audience we are stuck there with him
and that is in some way annoying, there is a whole world out there ready to be
explored, but we are only able to see it through a window. Like any Hitchcock
film, there is tension, there is frustration and an urge to ’help’ and this
exactly was Hitchcock wants from his audience; only through those feelings the
audience truly enter the world of the unknown.
Hitchcock’s films are visually stimulating and pleasing, however,
only through the subtexts of the narrative are the audience ever able to truly
absorb and understand them fully. All Hitchcock films can be (and most
certainly should be) psychoanalysed, his films are a feast to the hungry minds.
Rear Window, provoked me to analyse the symbolism and the reflection of life
convey through the film. At first glance, the film is a powerful mystery, of
course there is murder involved, although all the way throughout the film there
are doubts creeping upon the protagonists, as well as the audience. So what was
Hitchcock trying to represent? At first glance there is nothing unnerving about
the environment, a typical neighbourhood that combines the beautiful ‘girl next
door’, the lonely woman, the quirky couple, everything that we, as an audience,
could expect from such a place. However, only when we take a closer look, we
begin to see those people for who they really are... This raises the question, whether people are
innately good, or in fact rotten to their core. Hitchcock was not a simple man,
he was a provocateur, although his films follow a linear narrative, they are
by no means simple, as to truly understand his work, one must take apart the
layers of his films.
I have yet to be disappointed by a Hitchcock film, yes I
certainly liked some more than others, however Hitchcock greatness is consistent
in his filmmaking. Throughout the years, many controversies arouse regarding Hitchcock,
he certainly was an eccentric man. However, despite the rumours and
controversies, he was one of a kind, and his masterpieces deserve admiration and
praises. I will certainly be seeing more of his films, but even without seeing
them all, I can see why we should all admire him. Hitchcock may have had a
particular liking for murder and mysteries, however I am sure that you will all
find something that you will like among his films, as no Hitchcock film, is ever
the same.
Anna Gaszkowska
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