To what extent does Alfred
Hitchcock’s recurring theme of fate indicate the signature style of an auteur?
Annotated Catalogue
Films
Item 1
Psycho (1960)
– Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Psycho is
considered amongst the greatest of Hitchcock’s films and the beginning of the
slasher genre. The film follows Marion’s theft of $40,000 (the MacGuffin) and
her subsequent murder in the famed shower scene by ‘Mrs Bates’. Psycho reflects the theme of fate, as it
was only through fate that Marion ended up at the Bates Motel and her harsh
treatment at the hands of Mrs Bates. With Psycho
being considered the peak of Hitchcock’s career, it makes it a perfect resource
for my topic.
Item 2
The Wrong Man
(1956) – Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The Wrong Man
details the consequences of people’s actions and the effects of false
imprisonment. The Wrong Man contains
the theme of, obviously, mistaken identity; this theme is believed to have
stemmed from Hitchcock’s past and his fear of policemen. While fate dictates
that Marion be murdered for her theft, in The
Wrong Man it results in Manny arrested and prosecuted for a crime he did
not commit. As such it becomes an interesting comparison for Psycho.
Item 3
The Birds
(1963) – Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The Birds is
thought of as the start of Hitchcock’s downward spiral; Hitchcock began
improvising during the filming, something he did not do all that often. The Birds is another good comparison
with my main film, Psycho, as it is
only through fate that Melanie arrived in the town at the time that the birds
began to attack the citizens.
Books
Item 4
Film Art: An Introduction
Item 4 is a book regarding
how we can define films as art pieces. It is not only limited to the films, but
also the people behind the films, namely directors, and how we can categorise
them. Film Art looks into who we
define as an auteur and why, I can relate this to my topic of fate and how it
can define Alfred Hitchcock as an auteur making it a highly useful source.
Item 5
Alfred Hitchcock – Paul Duncan
Chapter 6 of Alfred Hitchcock by Paul Duncan deals
with auteur theory, not only as a concept, but also in relation to a number of
Hitchcock’s films, Psycho (1960) and The Wrong Man (1956) being among them.
This is useful as it gives an opinion regarding the films and their recurring
themes, e.g. fate, and also shows how Alfred Hitchcock could be considered an
auteur.
Item 6
Hitchcock’s Motifs – Michael Walker
Motifs are a major part of
deciding whether or not a director is an auteur; should these motifs (themes)
recur, then in the director could be considered an auteur as consistency is a
valid part of determining authorship. In this item, Michael Walker focuses
solely upon Hitchcock’s motifs – not only does he list them and where they are
present in his features, Walker also provides reasons behind their use. Certain
aspects of Hitchcock’s motifs are thought to have been influenced by his
childhood; this is useful to formulating an answer to how Hitchcock’s past has
made an impact upon his films – particularly with the theme of fate deciding
what happens to the characters. I will be using quotations from this to help
support my argument.
Item 7
Film Studies
– Andrew M Butler
Andrew Butler’s Film Studies is a comprehensive book
regarding various film studies topics – genre, psychoanalysis and auteur theory
amongst them. The third chapter focuses on the numerous auteur theories and how
they can be applied to directors and the like. These explanations are highly
relevant to deciding how an auteur can be defined, and I shall be using this to
show how Hitchcock can be defined as an auteur.
Item 8
Film Authorship: The Director as an Auteur – Warren Buckland
Item 8 is an extract that
focuses on film authorship; the director as an auteur in particular. Not only
does outline the various ways that a director can be classed as an auteur, and
the various theories concerning authorship: Francis Truffaut and Andrew Sarris most
notably. It also provides several ways in which Alfred Hitchcock could be
considered an auteur. Collectively, this makes Item 9 a highly useful source in
regards to the topic and I may quote from this in my presentation script.
Item 9
Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962 – Andrew Sarris
Item 9 is Andrew Sarris’
notes on the auteur theory. Whilst Item 8 touches upon this theory, and
summarises it succinctly, Item 10 is the opinion of Andrew Sarris, and would
include pieces of information that may have been left out by critics who may
not think it relevant. These notes are useful as they are highly detailed in
how you should define a director as an auteur, and whether or not they are of
use to the film making process.
Interviews
Item
10
The
interview above, Alfred Hitchcock –
Masters of Cinema, is a complete interview filmed in 1972 regarding
Hitchcock and his cinematic style. This would allow for direct quotes to be
taken from the man himself regarding how he wished to have his features filmed
and how his past/personal life may have influenced his work and the themes
within them, i.e. fate.
Documentaries
Item
11
Item 11 is the first half of
a two part documentary regarding Alfred Hitchcock that looks into his past as
well as his films. Within the first five minutes of this documentary, you learn
of Hitchcock’s family, in particular his mother, and how his past may have
affected the way he presents various characters in his films. The reason for
the fates of many of his characters may stem from his childhood, making this
source highly useful. The information provided by this will feature in my
presentation script.
Item 12
Item 12 is a continuation of
the documentary in Item 11; this item however, deals with Hitchcock as an
auteur and, more specifically, his later films: The Birds and Psycho
included. Alfred the Auteur contains
quotes from, not only Hitchcock, but also members of the Cahiers du Cinema who were partly responsible in the determination
of directors as auteurs. The quotes and opinions regarding Hitchcock and his
works are highly useful in determining whether his past/personal life has influenced
the theme of fate in his films.
Websites
Item 13
This item, an online
biography of Alfred Hitchcock, is highly useful in providing information about
the personal life of the man himself. Considering my question focuses on how
the recurring theme of fate indicates the signature style of an auteur, it is
highly possible that this idea is a result of events that occurred during
Hitchcock’s childhood; the fate of Manny in The Wrong Man could be one such
example. Due to this item 13 provides evidence that could help determine if
Hitchcock’s personal life has influenced the theme of fate.
Item
14
Item
14, like Item 13, is a website that informs the reader of the past and personal
life of Alfred Hitchcock; this item is far more detailed, and even states how
the area in which Hitchcock was born may have affected his films – this
information would be useful, as it could be used, like item 13, to determine if
the idea of fate in his films, is one that has been influenced by his childhood.
Item
15
Item
15 is a website with plenty of information on directors and films, it has a
whole section dedicated to Hitchcock and his most notable films. Cinearchive
not only has detailed notes regarding Hitchcock’s films, but it also has
documentaries, letters and scripts for films like The 39 Steps and Rebecca.
There are plenty of interviews with Hitchcock, and opinions from other
directors concerning the Master of Suspense.
Item
16
This item is useful as it
provides information regarding Hitchcock as an auteur. This website alludes to
the possible reason behind his consistent use of blondes and how his childhood
has influenced Psycho. I believe that the idea of fate (and subsequently the
idea of being harshly punished or wrongly accused) is evident in the above
examples, making it, in my opinion, a fairly useful source. I hope to use these
aspects to aid in the creation of my presentation script.
Magazines
Item 17
Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho – Empire August 1998
Item 17 is a magazine article
regarding Psycho, Hitchcock’s most
famous film. The article not only explains the origins of the film, but also
quotes from those involved in the making of the feature, namely actors and
scriptwriters, as well as direct quotes from Alfred Hitchcock regarding how he
wished to have it made. This item is useful as my focus film is Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Rejected Items
Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window
is a rather voyeuristic film as it follows a photographer who is trapped in his
flat due to a broken leg and spends his days essentially spying on his
neighbours. Although Rear Window is
at the top with Psycho and is filled
with plenty of recurring themes, I felt that it is not one that presents the
idea of fate.
Even though this item, Auteur Theory in Film Criticism,
summarises what it is to be an Auteur, it focuses mostly on Tim Burton and
Peter Jackson. Its auteur theory is based around how Andrew Sarris defines an
auteur, a theory which is already an Item in the catalogue; to include this
would be highly repetitive. This and the lack of information regarding Alfred
Hitchcock, makes this source not as useful.
Concepts in Film Theory – Dudley Andrew
The book Concepts in Film Theory by
Dudley Andrew focuses, as the title states, on the various theories in the film
industry. Chapter 7: Valuation (of Genres
and Auteurs), whilst being highly detailed, focuses solely on auteurs in
relation to genre; this is not relevant to the idea that Hitchcock’s theme of
fate is a signature style of an auteur.
In the Master’s Shadow
Whilst In the Master’s Shadow is a highly useful documentary in regards to
Hitchcock’s influence upon other films and directors, it does not relate to the
idea that the theme of fate could constitute the signature style of an auteur. For
this reason, I have rejected In the
Master’s Shadow.
Traditions in World Cinema
The book Traditions in World Cinema explores the various traditions from
various countries and how they work. In European Traditions, there is the
French New Wave, from which the term auteur emerged; this alone makes the item
useful. However I already have plenty of information on auteurs, and to add
more would be rather pointless and repetitive.
