...Understanding Movies Film Critique # 4 University of Maryland University College ARTH334/ 5160 August 11, 2013 VERTIGO I do not whether I like this film or not. I say this because, the film had a dark yet dry feeling to me. I am not saying that the story was not good. Somehow the film’s sound and effects and plot did not really capture my attention. That being said, I thought that the film had many good qualities to make it a great film for this time. The acting was pretty dry, by that I mean that movements and dialogue were slow at times. My guess is that the director intended to create a feeling of confusion or build a sense of feeling of that of someone with vertigo. The script was good, and it really follows the story it intends to tell, in its dark dramatic ways. It was a drastic way of telling a romantic story, but very much inline with Hitchcock’s The scenes transitions were very fluid, motion, the landscape was complementing to the plot. This film was very diverse in the use of colors, sounds, and especial effects; from the introduction to some of the screenplay action, all of this effect added to the emotion it intended to produce. The locations were suiting to the setting in which the story could be more effective. The actors seemed to be very original or involved into their characters. The editing of this film must have been very complex, especially when the soundtrack had to be match to the scenes. The scenes in which the director wanted to have a...
Words: 646 - Pages: 3
...Film Analysis: Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock The scene in the film Rear Window was about the community and the protagonist named L.B. Jefferies. The scene started with the window. Then came the cat walking in the alley. From that moment, the audience can see the whole set of the neighborhood early in the morning and L.B. Jefferies sleeping when he was sweaty. Next, the viewer can see the old fashioned thermometer, the composer shaving his beard, the couple sleeping outside their balcony, the dancing woman in a pink undergarment, the dog’s leash tied to the lamppost, and the woman with a pet bird. Then back to the L.B. Jefferies. At that moment, the viewer can see him taking a nap in his pajamas, in a wheelchair, his leg in a cast with his name on it, his broken camera, his black and white pictures, and a magazine of a woman. Overall, Alfred Hitchcock filmed this scene to deliver the audience the idea of what the neighborhood looks like, who are the people in the neighborhood, and what they do in their everyday life. Not only about the neighborhood but also the protagonist. He also wants to show what kind of a person L.B. Jefferies is and why is the protagonist of the story. In general, Alfred Hitchcock delivered his beautiful art of mise-en-scene and cinematography to convey this scene. In terms of mise-en-scene, the most noticeable elements observed in the scene were the production design and acting. For the production design, the 1950’s feel of the movie was effective...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
...Film as Mirror in Hitchcock's Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is a master's class in subtle and effective filmmaking - its noirish tale of obsession and loss is considered one of his best works. This is due in no small part to the directors' use of the various elements of film as a mirror. Hitchcock intends to create a sense of repetition and a cyclical nature to the life of the characters in the film; following Scottie (James Stewart) through his descent and ascent into madness deals significantly with themes of duality and obsession. Furthermore, the use of film as a mirror onto ourselves is made very clear in the audience's relation to Scottie throughout Vertigo. In this paper, three instances of the film as mirror will be detailed in Vertigo, as well as how they inform the concept of film as mirror through their existence and varying properties. Metz describes film as a mirror in that "the cinema involves us in the imaginary: it drums up all perception, but to switch it immediately over into its own absence, which is nonetheless the only signifier present" (p. 250). The audience, like a child, sees themselves as an other; by identifying itself with its 'other' other, it can separate itself from that subject and look at the mirror objectively. In the case of Vertigo, the 'other' is Scottie, and look at his visage on the screen as a mirror unto itself. Thus, we can project our own feelings and insecurities onto Scottie, which helps us relate to his desperation and madness...
Words: 1375 - Pages: 6
...The Master of Suspense Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was indeed one of the most iconic and influential film directors in the history of the medium as well as being internationally recognizable throughout his life. This paper delves into his earlier works, concentrating on his narrative elements such as the MacGuffin technique, the likeable antagonist, the innocent man or woman whom is falsely accused or misunderstood, and the act of balancing suspense and tragedy with humor and comedy. From a stylistic standpoint the paper conveys Hitchcock’s profound use of atmosphere and landscape, song as a suspense device, landscape of crowd caricatures, and point-of-view technique. Looking at The 39 Steps (1935), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Saboteur (1940), and Shadow of a Doubt (1943) we can see the styles and techniques these precursors pioneered and why they were implemented into Hitchcock’s greatest works in the coming decades. We take our first look at Hitchcock’s famed narrative technique, the MacGuffin. The MacGuffin was a plot device used by Hitchcock to hold the tension of the story without actually having any relevance to the plot itself. It was a gimmick that had the sole purpose of adding suspense to whatever situation the hero or heroine might have been in by motivating the characters to start the story. They do not know what it is but they will do anything to uncover its mystery, thus pushing the action and drama of the narrative forward. The initial use of this technique...
Words: 3236 - Pages: 13
...A violin, a knife, and a psychopath with mommy issues walk into a shower… Director Alfred Hitchcock, known for his affiliation with films specifically in the realm of horror, is able to present the notion of murder and mental illness in his 1960 film Psycho. Through the usage of elements such as dark visuals accompanying symbolism, and the character exploitation of Norman Bates, Hitchcock provides a suspenseful yet foreboding storyline for his audience. To begin with, I will introduce how Hitchcock utilized various visual techniques to inter-relate the concepts of murder and mental illness. As a whole, the film itself provides a very dark ambiance which can serve as a foreshadowing of Norman’s darker side; his split personality which the audience does not fully encounter until the end of the film but only receiving quick minor glimpses of throughout the film. One of the most prevalent parts of the film that depict this braking through of a darker side is when Norman eats dinner with Marion Crane. Through the dialogue in their conversation about Norman’s mother, we see the split personality becoming slowly more prevalent. This can especially be seen when Marion mentions putting his mother in “someplace,” referring to an institution, Norman’s face develops into this sinister look where his face falls behind the shadows while his eyes suddenly lights up; in this scene, Norman’s true character is hinted at and subtly foreshadows what is later to come. It is kind of ironic...
Words: 1399 - Pages: 6
...Psycho 1 This essay will provide a semiotic and psychoanalytical analysis of the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho with the help of theories of Dr. Sigmund Freud, it will also be stressing some of the critical differences between men and women when it comes to power. The theme of this movie contains a young woman who steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and ends up on a peculiar journey of terror when she meets a troubled young motel manager who is controlled by his mother. Patrick McGilligan (2003) said that the Bates character was based on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, who may have had an incestuous relationship with his mother. (McGilligan, 2003. Page 579) One of the most important signifiers in the movie is money. Cash is the early desire that leads the main character, a banker named Marion Crane (portrayed by the actress Janet Leigh), toward a path that leads her to her own self ruin. What is indicated is the control that money and gluttony have over all humans, and how one has serious consequence for surrendering to its control. Looking at an exemplary structure made up of the want to marry her boyfriend, but not having the money needed to do so, Crane comes up with a solution that has presented itself. A very wealthy oil businessperson comes in and asks Crane to put $40,000 cash in the bank. (Berger, p. 24) When headed to the bank, Crane begins to imagine how the cash could help ease her stifled wants to leave a boring job and set her...
Words: 1649 - Pages: 7
...Editing The Shower- Psycho (1960) The clip from this shower scene in the movie Psycho was very simple, but very effective in the way it got to the point of showing us as the viewers what Mr. Hitchcock was obviously getting to, which was the murder of the young female. The transition of scenes when the young lady was showering and when the door started to open with the murderer coming in set the tone to what was about to come up. It had you anticipating on how the murderer was going to execute this scene and had me at the edge of my seat the first time that I’ve ever seen this movie. The shots didn’t stay at a certain point too long during this scene and that put a sense of intensity of some sort, especially when the killer was stabbing her victim and the shots were jumping constantly to different shots. Cinematography The Long Take: Goodfellas The cinematography in this Goodfellas scene tends to focus less on the couple and more on what is going on around them. The camera follows them while portraying everything else that is going on through each room or hallway they are walking through. The view of the couple from behind lets you pay more attention to what they were actually trying to say, since it wasn’t a close up face to face scene. The overall angles and shots they used were perfect from beginning to the end. Lighting Jurassic Park- Raptors in the Kitchen (1993) This scene of Jurassic Park was one of the more memorable scenes for me growing up. The lighting...
Words: 331 - Pages: 2
...In this essay, I will discuss the cinematography, montage, musical composure, and the effect it had on the movie it was used in. I recently had the pleasure of viewing Alfred Hitchcock’s movie titled “Vertigo”. It is based on the 1959 novel “D’entre les morts” that was written by Boileau Narcejac. Jimmy Stewart who was portrayed “Scottie” was stellar in this film as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s presence and directorial style; paramount. Cinematography, which is the combined art and technology of films and how it is created, was evident in this film (Cinematography). One of the features that Alfred Hitchcock is heavily noted for is the use of color to draw in feeling and emotion within a scene. For instance, in the opening scene of Vertigo, the first thing you will notice is the use of red, blue, and green. The colors shifted from one to the next with the changing of objects and certain panning techniques that were used to focus the audience on a certain point of the frame and color significance. Most importantly, Hitchcock used those colors as a lead in to the rest of the entire movie, which they are used throughout every scene and have a specific meaning and connection. For an example, the color red was used in a matter that would have the viewer assume that emotions like that of terror, fear, and horror. However, throughout the film the same color is used in flowers, wallpaper, and other scenery, which had a different meaning as in warmer emotional feelings. The color blue...
Words: 1443 - Pages: 6
...In this essay topic I will be examining the roles of Hitchcock and Kubrick in their films. I will not be only explaining what an auteur is but the origin and why it is so significant to me and to everyone nowadays and why both of these directors are considered auteurs. The roles that both Hitchcock and Kubrick play in this essay are why that is so important for them to be considered auteurs. In my topic I will be arguing that Hitchcock and Kubrick were both Auteurs, but couldn't every director be an auteur isn't the definition of an Auteur a film director who is considered the primary creative force in the picture. Why are Hitchcock and Kubrick so special I am going to argue that they are great auteurs, how I'm going to do this is by viewing two hitchcock movies and two Kubrick movies and compare them to movies I have recently watched in the movie theaters. The two Hitchcock films I'll review watching are vertigo and to catch a thief . I choose these films because vertigo is the very first Alfred Hitchcock movie I watched and it was very interesting to watch such an old movie that was so entertaining. The way Hitchcock used the music and the way he is able to build the suspense and keep the suspense going even when without the music made it very shocking to me. And then in to catch a thief how Hitchcock was able to put an ordinary man in such bizarre events made it fun to watch. Two movies I have chosen for Stanley Kubrick are the shining and 2001 a space Odyssey. I choose...
Words: 1284 - Pages: 6
...The Call is a movie that builds great suspense with such an amazing plot. In the movie The Call by the director Brad Anderson, Jordan who is an 911 operator, got a call from a teenage girl named Casey. Jordan works closely with her boyfriend who is a police officer in order to save the girl’s life. Thrillers are movies that heavily stimulate the viewer's mood, gives them a high level of anticipation with suspense, anxiety and terror. The Call gives off all of that which makes it a great thriller movie which has an intense storyline, interesting setting and has a great skill of actors. The storyline of The Call is very intense and makes everyone keep on watching it. Every scene has a lot of suspense which makes the audience keep on watching....
Words: 391 - Pages: 2
...Alfred Hitchcock‘s movie, ''Strangers on a Train'' is a classic thriller film made in 1951. The movie is about two strangers who meet on a train, the first guy name is Guy Haines and he is a young tennis player. The other is Bruno Anthony and he is a charming, yet demented man. Bruno suggests to Guy a plan on how they both can ''get rid'' of someone, by ''exchanging'' murders. That way, they will not get caught. Hitchcock use of cinematography is the driving force of the movie. It helps move the story along and unravel the suspense of the meeting of these two characters. The opening scene of the film shows an unusual, yet interesting way on how these two characters meet. The film begins with a long-shot of a cab arriving and dropping off a...
Words: 606 - Pages: 3
...Although Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Daphne du Maurier's "The Birds" have the same titles, there are many differences and similarities. The reason birds attack humans are different, as well as the season between film and story.One similarity of Mit's mother and Nat's wife. One difference between The birds and "The birds" is the reason birds attack human.In film The Birds,the characters never find why the birds attack,but one old woman who has two children;she is the only character who say that the reasons why the birds attack are because of the cold weather or hunger,"No? cold, maybe. Hungry. You put out some crumbs"(duMaurier).Even though the characters in both the film and the book think about many reasons for the attack, the only reason...
Words: 331 - Pages: 2
...Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock was released in 1960. An important relationship in this text is the unusual relationship between Norman and ‘Mother’. This relationship is unusual because although they are two separate entities and Mother is actually dead, there is a constant struggle for control of Norman’s mind and in the end, ‘Mother’ wins. This relationship helped me understand the main idea of madness through the parlour scene, the fruit cellar scene and the police station scene. The relationship between Norman and ‘Mother’ helped me identify and understand the idea of madness through symbolism, lighting and dialogue techniques in the parlour scene. This symbolism includes the stuffed owls, which seem ready to attack that are placed in the background in a low-angle mid shot of Norman. At another point in the scene, Norman leans forward into a close up. This shot helps support the idea that even though Mother is physically dead, she is alive and threatening to take over Norman’s mind. This can be seen through the lighting of Norman’s face, half-light, half dark, and the dialogue. “It's not like my mother is a maniac... We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?” These techniques have been cleverly assembled by Hitchcock to subtly hint at the idea of madness and help us to get to know Norman, but is not yet prepared to reveal the extent of Norman’s madness due to Psycho being a horror film. The complex relationship helps us understand Norman as a character and the idea...
Words: 726 - Pages: 3
... In the movie, Peter Lorre plays the role of the adolescent killer, Hans Beckart. Roaming around the city and stalking his prey. It is true that there had been other films in this era with similar aspects, like Stranger on the Third Floor, but M in particular had a huge impact on it's audience, a child killer? Should he be punished? Or should the audience feel sympathetic and give a youngster a free pass? After all, he is merely a child. It's safe to say M was one of the starts to creepy thriller genres we have today. The lighting and contrast can be seen in many movies after this film was released which is totally understandable, the creative elements in M were too brilliant to not me mimicked. Take for instance Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock made this movie in 1960, nearly 30 years after the premiere of M. When you pay close attention to the creative elements in both movies one can see continuities to no end. At the start of the movie you see a balloon in a large field, instantly the audience assumes children seeing as balloons are typically associated with kids, but they have no idea what horror is in store. M contains the classic stalker, one who walks the streets and lures his prey, which is...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...to make better movies. Two such directors are Ang Lee and Quentin Tarantino. The ways that they manipulate their audience's emotions are completely different yet they are both effective. Where Tarantino's manipulation of tension is unmatched in the modern world, Lee's grace and subtlety often leaves audience's with a sense of awe and wonder. The manipulation of an audience's emotions is often a difficult task but Lee and Tarantino achieve it in their own unique ways. Suspense, defined by the Oxford dictionary, is a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. Quentin Tarantino's manipulation of suspense and tension in a scene is unmatched in today's world. Like the former "Master of Suspense" himself, Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino leads the audience to a the point of near exhaustion, through the pent up pressure in his trademark lengthy scenes. These scenes serve to focus every ounce of mental and emotional energy on the situation, instead of cutting away to an inter-related subplot elsewhere and releasing the pressure, as is conventional. In the film "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), Tarantino leaves the audience gasping for breath right from the opening scene. The scene, in which a German "Jew Hunter" is questioning a farmer about the Jews hiding on his farm, is built up over nearly twenty minutes of pure dialogue between the two, as the German manipulates the farmer into telling him where the fugitives are. As the scene progresses, it grows...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
