1. Amy Taubin (2000) ‘Taxi Driver‘ British Film Institute pp. 9

2. Bill Nichols (1985) ‘Movies and Methods ‘(Volume II) University of California Press pp. 312

3. Bordwell & Thompson (2001) ‘Film Art: An Introduction’ (Sixth edition) McGraw-Hill pp. 358

4. Bordwell & Thompson (2001) ‘Film Art: An Introduction’ (Sixth Edition) McGraw-Hill pp.407-408

5. Bordwell & Thompson ‘Film Art: An Introduction’ (Sixth Edition) McGraw-Hill pp. 235

6. Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson (1985) ‘The Classical Hollywood Cinema’ Routledge & Kegan Paul plc pp. 303

7. Cohen & Hark (1993) ‘Screening The Male‘ Routledge pp.16

8. David Cooper (2001) ‘Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo‘ Greenwood Press pp. 29

9. Francois Truffaut (1967) ‘Hitchcock’ New York: Simon & Schuster pp.52

10. Graham Bruce (1982) ‘Bernard Herrmann: film music and narrative‘ UMI Research Press pp.139

11. Leo Braudy & Marshall Cohen ‘Film Theory and Criticism‘ (Fifth Edition) Oxford University Press pp.841

12. Leo Braudy & Marshall Cohen ‘Film Theory and Criticism‘ (Fifth Edition) Oxford University Press pp.842

13. Neill Synyand (1986) ‘The Films of Alfred Hitchcock’ Barnes & Noble. pp.131

14. Sam P. Simone (1985) ‘Hitchcock as Activist Politics and the War Films’ UMI Research Press pp. 8-9

15. Sam P. Simone (1985) ‘Hitchcock as Activist Politics and the War Films’ UMI Research Press pp. 84

16. Sergei Eisenstein (1943) ‘The Film Sense’ Faber and Faber pp.13-14

17. Theodore Caplow, Howard M. Bahr, John Modell, Bruce A. Chadwick (1991) ‘Recent Social Trends in the United States, 1960-1990′ McGill-Queen’s University Press pp.123

18. Thompson/ Bordwell (1994) Film History: An Introduction McGraw-Hill pp. 712

Internet:

1. Definition of Scopophilia [link: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/engl/theory/narratology/terms/scopophilia.html] {Author: Unkown} (Accessed 1/11/09)

2. Film Techniques of Alfred Hitchcock [link: http://www.borgus.com/think/hitch.htm] {Author: Unknown} (Accessed 1/11/09)

3. Picture of Robert Di Nero portraying Travis Bickle [link: http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/studentsf01/taxidriver/pow.jpg] {Author: Unkown} (Accessed 1/11/09)

4. Psycho Shower Scene [link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4] {Author: newcarscent7} (Accessed 1/11/09)

5. Masculinity in Film [link: http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/st/~emily2/masculinity_in_film.html] {Author: E. Wennerberg} (Accessed 20/10/09)

6. Medical Information on Vertigo Disorder [link:http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands_split.jsp?pg=/ppdocs/us/common/dorlands/dorland/six/000072074.htm] {Author: Unknown} (Date accessed: 28/10/09)

7. The Hitchcock Blonde [link: http://www.who2.com/hitchcocksblondes.html] {Author: unknown} (Accessed 5/11/09)

8. Wikipedia – Bernard Herrmann [link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann] {Author: Unknown} (Accessed 1/11/09)

9. Wikipedia page – ‘Vertigo Effect’ [link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_effect] {Author: unknown} (Accessed 20/10/09)

10. Youtube Video -’Vertigo Shots in Many Movies’ [link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y48R6-iIYHs] {Author: joeyny4523} (Accessed 20/10/09)

VCR

1. ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred The Auteur’, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (31/5/99)

2. ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred the Great: Part 1′, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (30/5/99)

For full iMap click link below.

iMap link

In the introduction I will talk about what I what my essay is going to be about, making a statement of intent.

• Tell the audience I am going to be examining the way in which Hitchcock generates  suspense, meaning and response in this clip.
• State how this particular clip is a perfect example of Hitchcock’s wider range of work, and displays many of the attributes that made him one of the first auteurs.

Paragraph 1;

In this paragraph I will talk about the recurring themes in Hitchcock films in brief, and how this makes him an auteur;

• Masculinity in crisis.
• Musical scores.
• Hitchcock blonde.
• The build up of suspense.
• High amount of point of view shots.

Paragraph 2;

This paragraph will be about how Hitchcock used music in his films;

• How the music matches up with shots.
• How the music enhances the feeling of the scene.
• The wider range of Bernard Herrmann’s work.
• The effect on the audience by using Herrmann’s music.
• Other films that Herrmann has worked on that have similarities to Vertigo and create a similar effect (Taxi Driver).

Paragraph 3;

I will talk about the ways in which Hitchcock constructed his leading characters

• Masculinity in crisis.
• The leading lady often being blonde and displaying many similar characteristics with the ‘femme fatale’ of the film noir genre.
• How the ‘Tower scene’ displays the links between director Alfred Hitchcock and protagonist John Ferguson.
• Often figures of authority.

Paragraph 4;

In this paragraph I will talk about the point of view shot, and why Hitchcock used it so often.

• How the POV shot forces the audience into the protagonist’s mind and way of thinking.
• That the POV shot causes us to side with the protagonist even if what they are thinking would normally be conceived as wrong. This backed up more due to the fact they are often a figure of authority (someone that we trust in society).
• How the use of the POV shot means Hitchcock can create subjective montage.

Paragraph 5;

In this paragraph I shall address what montage is and how Hitchcock used it subjectively in his films to generate suspense and move the narrative along. I will also talk about how Hitchcock favored suspense over surprise in his films.

• Establish what montage, and subjective montage is
• Talk about where Hitchcock got his inspiration of this from
• How montage is shown in the ‘Tower scene’ and the way in which it builds the suspense and generates meaning.
• Talk about the most successful uses of montage in Hitchcock’s wider range of work.

Paragraph 6;

This paragraph will be analysing how Hitchcock took key elements from German expressionism to use in his work, how this is displayed in his work and the ‘Tower scene’

• How Hitchcock once he was given free reign to do what he pleased (outside and inside the studio system, though more successfully with Paramount)
• The stylistic qualities of a Hitchcock film are certainly influenced by German expressionism.
• How most if not all the above themes, of a Hitchcock, are tied together, through Hitchcock’s influence of German expressionism.

Paragraph 7;

I will summaries how Hitchcock was a massive influence for other directors as he was the first director to become an auteur.

• Alfred Hitchcock’s influence on ‘French New Wave’ (Francios Truffaut in particular)

Conclusion;

In the conclusion I will draw all my points together, and talk about how there is no one way in which Hitchcock generated meaning, response and suspense in his films, but through the influence of German expressionism and Sergei Eisenstien he built up a armory of weapons that he used to create the meaning, response and suspense in his films.

In my research I discovered, following on from my initial questions and observations about the scene Hitchcock was an auteur, because of the repeated themes throughout his work, and the fact he used a particular style in the films he directed and he created meaning in his films in a very specific way.

In my research of how Hitchcock used the dolly-zoom to create the effect of vertigo itself, I then moved on to find out that the use of this shot thrust us further into John Ferguson (the male protagonist’s) position in seeing what he saw and feeling the same way as him, a common theme in Hitchcock films. This I found out later was also usually accompanied with the fact that the male protagonist was usually an authority figure in society (policeman, detective, marine.) I found sources that claim we subconsciously believe what they are seeing is the right way to think because of the character point of view we are seeing it from. We are forced to be drawn into their way of thinking, which again is a recurring element in Hitchcock films.

The theme of masculinity in crisis appears to be something significantly bought on from the war (though I found out later in my research Hitchcock’s love of flawed characters stemmed from German expressionism.) The rise of women’s rights, and how they were becoming equals with men, was another factor of men in society feeling demasculated. This is perfectly highlighted in the ‘Tower scene’ when John is clinging to Madeline, rather pathetically. It is also apparent later in the film when he is looked after by a women, as is the leading protagonist in Rear Window.

The music has always played been a big part in Hitchcock films, and I felt this was a recurring theme that I would have to research. I learnt that Bernard Herrmann, who wrote the score, used a specific chord which was two arpeggios that clashed against each other (one going up the other going down)creates the effect of the vertigo disorder aurally, it was definitely a case of whatever Hitchcock created on the screen (dolly zoom shot), Herrmann displayed aurally (clashing arpeggios).

I then looked at a wider range of Bernard Herrmann’s work, and i found it interesting that Herrmann also wrote the score for Taxi Driver which had many similarities with Vertigo, as did Travis Bickle with John Ferguson, a man who is desperate for love and is a sure case of masculinity in crisis. I felt this proved that the music in Hitchcock films is maybe the most important factor, and that Hitchcock owes much to Bernard Herrmann.

I was curious why Hitchcock used so many point-of-view view shots, my initial thoughts were that it was solely to put is in the position of the protagonist, however further research reviled that it was actually Hitchcock using subjective montage.

Subjective montage was a tool that Hitchcock used to create meaning, to move the narrative along. Montage was a weapon that Hitchcock had taken from Sergei Eisenstien and yields to not only create meaning but also in order to build suspense. Hitchcock was renowned for the suspense he built in his scenes, the ‘Tower scene’ builds the suspense and I was intrigued as to how it built the suspense.

By using a wide range of books, and a particularly useful documentary, I discovered Hitchcock created suspense by using unrestricted narration, he believed by showing the audience the situation, the suspense would be built over the scene as the audience screamed for the characters to take immediate action, rather than being concerning with trivial matters. Although the shower scene in Psycho is the most poignant example, there are certainly also elements of suspense used in the ‘Tower scene’, which again supports how this scene was a perfect example of everything that made a Hitchcock film.

Through the documentary I viewed, I ascertained that Hitchcock was one of the, if not the, first auteur and inspired the likes of Francios Truffaut in making the French new wave (the French loved the fact that they could dissect every element of a Hitchcock film).

Another theme I wanted to research as well was the why Hitchcock wanted to always use a blonde in his film, and why she often shared the attributes of the ‘femme fatale’ of the film noir genre. I believe Hitchcock was constantly trying to create, what he saw as the perfect leading lady. It is quite ironic that in the film Vertigo John Ferguson is trying to turn the women into the way he wants her to be, in the same way that Hitchcock was trying to create the perfect leading lady. Whether this was deliberate or accidental the links between Hitchcock and John are certainly evident.

Finally, I wanted to find out where Hitchcock developed his style from. The documentary again assisted me in discovering that he got much inspiration from German expressionism, further research on German expressionism that Hitchcock got the ideas of things like ‘swirls and distorted shapes’ and flawed central characters from this art.

I believe that all the themes, cinematic devices and style that are displayed in Hitchcock’s clip are a true representation of his wider range of work, and a fantastic example of how he generated meaning, response and suspense in his work, and the fact that he inspired many other prestigious directors is proof that he was a great director and auteur.

For my first post, I drew up a list of initial questions, that I observed about the scene, I plan to answer them as I progress through my research and they . First, I wanted to research the ‘dolly zoom’ shot, it is one that has appeared in quite a few films I have watched and it has always been an intriguing shot, which has provoked my attention.

I then moved from the shot, which i found out was to show John Ferguson’s ‘dizziness’ from his vertigo, to look at masculinity-in-crisis, I wanted to know why Hitchcock decided to give this flaw to his protagonist, i researched this by looking at the way ‘men’ were thought of in the 1950’s and found out that men had been demasculated mainly due to the war, coupled with the fact women were, for the first time, beginning to become equals.

So far, my research has been split between internet and books, although i prefer the book research as it is reliable, I have tried, whenever I got a internet reference, that could be bought under scrutiny I have tried my best to cross-reference it with books.

I think that when I got to around my tenth post I knew what I route I was going to take this research, I was examining a variety of themes used by Hitchcock that gave him the title of being an ‘auteur’, somebody who has a unique style and uses recurring themes throughout their films, and how the ‘Tower scene’ in Vertigo epitomised what makes a ‘Hitchcockian’ film.

Although, I found many useful books and sites on the internet throughout my research, the most useful to me were the VCR documentaries on Hitchcock (‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred the Great: Part 1′, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (30/5/99) & ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred The Auteur’, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (31/5/99)) The information I gained from these two documentaries helped me no end in the way I wanted to steer my research.

With this in mind, I researched other recurring themes in Hitchcock films; subjective camera work, an underlying sexual message, montage, the Hitchcock blonde and suspense in particular.

At times, I found that I could do several blog entries in quick succession, however there were days when I would spend a whole night researching and not make a single entry, it would take a toll on my morale slightly when progress was slow but I would perceiver every night until I had made progress of some sort.

I found, I worked much better in the library than anywhere else, and particularly at night on my own. This way I had very limited distractions and could give my blog full concentration, otherwise I was very easily distracted and my progress was limited. Also by working in the library I could pick up books quickly and of coarse use the faster internet connection.

The next major thing I wanted to move onto was how Hitchcock used montage, and the ways in which he was influenced by German expressionism, the information I found at times, confused me, but the things I understood benefited me greatly, in gathering a wider understanding of where Hitchcock got his style from.

A significant difficulty I had was finding the author of some of the online information. I also did not cross reference as much as I would have liked. One could argue that this may mean the source is not as accurate, however in the vast majority of cases I made sure there was a list of references to all my internet sources

However, in conclusion, I enjoyed learning about Hitchcock and I think that is what has made my blog successful, I could research for hours on end because I found the research interesting, discovering the underlying meanings of Hitchcock films and researching the techniques he used religiously. I think I did a good job of linking all the research together and consistently referring to the ‘Tower scene’ specifically, which makes my research a lot stronger.

I have already established in this blog that Sergei Eisenstein’s montage technique was a technique Hitchcock used throughout his films. I this entry I am going to examine how his time in Germany effected the way he decided to make films.

“German Expressionism depends heavily on mise-en-scene. Shapes are distorted and exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purposes. Actors often wear heavy make-up and move in jerky or slow sinuous pattens. Most important, all  of the elements of the mise-en-scene interact graphically to create an overall composition. Characters do not simply exist within a setting but rather form visual elements that merge with the setting…. …. In Caligari, the Expressionist stylization functions to convey the distorted view-point of a madman, We see the world as the hero does…. …. The world of the film is literally a projection of the hero’s vision.” [1]

Hitchcock learned much from the time he spent in Germany, his use of subjective narrative, seeing the world through John Ferguson, in the Vertigo ‘Tower scene’ clip  is evident. As mentioned before Hitchcock’s use of point-of-view shots, means we are forced into the position of the protagonist, who is described above as a madman, certainly personality traits of a ‘madman’ apply to Hitchcock’s protagonists.

The use of of shapes, mentioned at the start of this quote, is also apparent in this scene. The overhead shot of the staircase swirls and dives and creates a very distorted effect.

“The use of the Statue of Liberty in Saboteur was Hitchcock’s responsibility…. …Hitchcock’s use of the statue is an expressionistic technique of a symbolically oversized set that expresses liberty and freedom.”[2]

Hitchcock, repeated this in the tower scene by using a catholic church as the place Madeline tries to commit suicide, perhaps further linking himself to protagonist John Ferguson, as a renowned Catholic. However the iconic expressionism shown in Saboteur (1942) and in the ‘Tower scene’ (the famous final scene of North-by-Northwest at Mount Rushmore also springs to mind) again shows off another technique that Hitchcock repeatedly used throughout his films to make him a true auteur.

References:

1. Bordwell & Thompson (2001) ‘Film Art: An Introduction’ (Sixth Edition) McGraw-Hill pp.407-408

2. Sam P. Simone (1985) ‘Hitchcock as Activist Politics and the War Films’ UMI Research Press pp. 84

I have talked about many recurring themes in Hitchcock films, however arguably the most poignant aspect of a Hitchcock film is the infamous ‘Hitchcock blonde’, who was beautiful, cool and often cunning, sharing many qualities with a ‘femme fatale’.

“Kim Novak’s appearance in Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) was “less a performance than a helpless confession of herself,” according to David Thomson in his Biographical Dictionary of Film. Vertigo was #61 on the AFI’s top 100 list; the film features Jimmy Stewart’s John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson, a detective obsessed with Novak’s mysterious femme fatale.As noted in a 1996 review by James Berardinelli, “Hitchcock scholars are in general agreement that John is a subconscious representation of the director — a man constantly striving for his own image of perfect female beauty.”"[1]

I think that this quote is a very accurate view. Hitchcock repeatedly wanted to recreate, what he thought of as the perfect leading lady. I think there are many links between Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart’s character John Ferguson.

Hitchcock often told a story how his father sent him to the police station and he has always been scared of policeman, authority and wrongful arrest since. [2]

“I do think it is the explanation of the fears of many of his films, the fear, not of being physically locked up but the fear of finding yourself in a situation” – Unkown[2]

In the ‘Tower scene’, John finds himself in a position he can’t control, as he desperately tries to save Madeline, but his vertigo prevents him. Whether this was subconscious or deliberate, the links between the director and character can not be ignored.

References

1. The Hitchcock Blonde [link: http://www.who2.com/hitchcocksblondes.html] {Author: unknown} (Accessed 5/11/09)

2. ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred the Great: Part 1′, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (30/5/99)

I think that following my last entry on how Hitchcock was an auteur, it would be a smart move to move onto how he used the concept of montage frequently in his films to structure and them and generate meaning. [1]

“The point is that the creators of a number of films in recent years have so completely ‘discarded’ montage that they have forgotten even its basic aim and function: that role set itself by every work of art, the need for connected and sequential exposition of the theme, the material, the plot, the action, the movement within the film sequence and within the film drama as a whole. Aside from the excitement of a story, or even its logic or continuity, the simple matter of telling a connected story has often been lost in the works of some outstanding film masters, working in various types of film.” [2]

Montage was a massive tool for Hitchcock, he realised early in his career that, he could use the juxtaposition of shots in montage to convey a message in his films, like Seigei Eisenstien before him. This is certainly evident in the ‘Tower scene’ of Vertigo, as we ascertain plot developments through subjective montage, but even more so in the infamous Psycho shower scene. In that scene we never actually see the knife go into the body, yet the effect of cutting from the victim screaming to the perpetrator attacking with the knife gives us the impression that the event is happening.

“The medium of pure cinema is what I believe in, the assembly of pieces of film to create fright is the essential part of my job” – Hitchcock [1]

“According to Hitchcock, pure cinema is complementary pieces of film put together, like notes of music make a melody. “There are two primary uses of cutting or montage in a film; montage to create ideas – and montage to create violence and emotions” [3]

I think the information provided in the above is proof that the montage was Hitchcock’s most powerful weapon in not only moving the plot along, but creating violence and emotions in his films.

Q16. Although Hitchcock used montage greatly to his advantage, how much does he owe German expressionism?

References:

1. ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred the Great: Part 1′, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (30/5/99)

2. Sergei Eisenstein (1943) ‘The Film Sense’ Faber and Faber pp.13-14

3. Sam P. Simone (1985) ‘Hitchcock as Activist Politics and the War Films’ UMI Research Press pp. 8-9

Hitchcock, after parting ways with Selznick, and the demise of ‘Transatlantic Pictures’ which faltered due to poor box office performances of The Paradine Case (1947) and Rope (1948) rejoined the studio system with Paramount and showed his true potential directing Rear Window (1954) Vertigo (1958) North By Northwest (1959) and Psycho (1960) four films which have received cult status.[1]

“He wanted fame, he wanted fortune he wanted the right to make his own art in his own way and he got all those things” – Samuel Taylor [1]

Hitchcock was a true auteur, the first many would argue, and inspired the likes of François Truffaut and other French film-makers who loved the fact they could disect his films, and generate meaning for the every detail. [2]

I think this is important as we look at the ‘Tower scene’ in Vertigo because you can see how this three minute clip embodies so many elements of his work.

References:

1. ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred the Great: Part 1′, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (30/5/99)

2. ‘Reputations: Hitch: Alfred The Auteur’, Directed by Tim Kirby, BBC 2 (31/5/99)

This will be a very short entry just to clear up some terms I was not familiar with in previous entries.

Scopophilia: Literally, the love of looking. The term refers to the predominantly male gaze of Holloywood cinema, which enjoys objectfying women into mere objects to be looked at (rather than subjects with their own voice and subjectivity) [1]

“The voyeuristic look is curious, inquiring, demanding to know. The fetishistic gaze is captivated by what it sees, does not wish to inquire further, to see ore, to find out… The fetishistic look has much to do with display and the spectator.”[2]

I find it interesting that the ‘voyeuristic look’ and ‘fetishistic look’ clash with each other in the same way that symptoms of vertigo (desiring to fall, but fearing falling) again create a push/pull effect.

Q15. Kim Novak is a typical ‘Hitchcock blonde’. Why did Hitchcock consistently go for the same look in his leading lady?

References:

1. Definition of Scopophilia [link: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/engl/theory/narratology/terms/scopophilia.html] {Author: Unkown} (Accessed 1/11/09)

2. Cohen & Hark (1993) ‘Screening The Male‘ Routledge pp.16