Alfred Hitchcock's Use Of Suspense In The 39 Steps

In the 1954 film, Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock uses the depicted sequence of frames to evoke feelings of anxiety and suspense in the audience by portraying an invasion of privacy and the fear of being caught breaking that boundary that society tends to cherish and protect. When assessed individually, the chosen frames provide a partial, but incomplete evocation of suspense. In the first of the two frames, the audience is outside looking into an apartment building with three people in view, none of whom are composed in a way that would suggest they know where the others in the building are. Additionally, the woman on the upper floor is smiling and waving in the direction of the audience. Coon explains that Hitchcock draws on “societal anxieties

This shows that using imagery helps the reader picture the creepy hitchhiker.

It is clear from all three texts that we have read, that they each used literary devices in order to create suspense in their own unique way. These texts would include “The Tell Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Landlady,” by Roald Dahl and “All Summer in a Day.” by Ray Bradbury. For instance, it is apparent that the element of suspense is elevated via the use of various literary devices in the short story, “The Tell Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe uses repetition to great effect in order to further the feeling of suspense throughout the story.

He uses music to dramatize the scenes such as when Ruth catches the police spying on her in I Confess. A key element Hitchcock uses in most of his films are “MacGuffins.” MacGuffins is an object, event, or character that triggers the plot. Hitchcock uses MacGuffins because it allows him to proclaim

The handsome protagonist Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant, is mistakenly pursued by the antagonist Vandamm (James Mason) and his group of henchmen. Roger’s life is turned upside down by being falsely accused of murder, a seductive blonde (Eva Marie Saint) and near death experiences in the action thriller (North By Northwest). Alfred Hitchcock has become well known for his acquitted style earning the nickname ‘master of suspense’ (www.biography.com). North By Northwest is a hybrid film that involves elements of adventure, crime and mystery with the main genre being thriller and action (www.imdb.com). In an action thriller, the audience should expect to feel a wave of emotions leaving them anxious and uncertain which creates suspense and

In the movie Psycho, Hitchcock used suspense in several ways to shock his audience and keep them intrigued. Hitchcock does this by using scary music and lighting. One of the false suspense that was created in the movie is when Lila's sister screams when she sees her own reflection in the mirror in mother's bedroom. She screams when she sees herself in many reflections in a long mirror, but she is soon relieved when she discovered that she is only seeing a reflection of herself. The shower scene created the biggest shock in the movie.

For example, in the Hitchhiker it states, “Yet the thought of picking him up, of having him sit beside me was somehow unbearable. Yet at the same time, I felt more than ever, unspeakably alone.” This shows descriptions of the characters fear and anxiety by allowing the reader to understand how scared he was. This is suspenseful because now that he is scared he is going to become really paranoid. Another example from The Hitchhiker is, “I began to hate the car.”

Alfred Hitchcock successfully performs suspense and shock in a number of ways. One way was when he reveals that the cop is following her, making us think that he found out concerning the money she stole. Another way is when we see Norman staring through the hole, examining her as if he is waiting to make his move. The last technique that Hitchcock constructed suspense is when we identify a shadowy character gazing at her take a shower, making us wonder who it could

The films, Vertigo and The Birds reflect elements from Hitchcock’s private and inner thought life. Hitchcock desires to have a beautiful blonde counterpart. He believes that the love he sought is unattainable, therefore he plays out his fantasies through fictional characters (Jhirad 31).

Hollywood has always done a terrible job of depicting real women in film, and although his work has a somewhat misogynistic reputation, Alfred Hitchcock has done so much involving the progression of female roles in Hollywood cinema. Although many of his female victims wind up dead, the survivors have lots of power – and without reliance on their male counterparts. Women remain the central focus in many of Hitchcock’s films, not just because of their beauty, but because the narrative is dependent on them. When you look at his work in the context of this specific Hollywood era, Hitchcock’s female characters are very much out of the ordinary. Looking past the obvious presence of gender roles (male and female) that just so happened to be a part of the social norm during that time, Hitchcock sought to represent women with having more depth, realism, and independence than ever before in women in Hollywood.

Both of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, North by Northwest and Rear Window, were great movies with lots of suspense. The suspense, however, would not have been created without the entire mise-en-scene of the movies. Hitchcock was a master at using the elements of lighting, sound, and cinematography to heighten the suspense in his movies. The first key element of mise-en-scene that played a significant role in both movies was lighting.

Hitchcock creates the “big” suspense in the film. Let the audience guess when the other will discover the murders and watch the murders how to hide their crime during the time of the party. While Mrs. Wilson is tidying up the “table”, a scene keeps showing a chest on the left-hand side. After that, Mrs. Wilson wants to put the books back to the chest after she has tidied up. Hitchcock designs, these settings in the sequence to increase the tension between the chest and Mrs. Wilson.

In the film Rear Window, the director, Alfred Hitchcock uses a variety of techniques to create suspense and leave viewers on the edge of their seats throughout the film. Hitchcock uses a good assortment of tempo to create thoughts in the viewer's mind. He slows down the pace to create anticipation, and speeds it up to show a change in intensity. In the ending scene of Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock uses changes in pace and tempo, lighting, and a short term deadline to constitute an immense atmosphere of suspense in the viewer's mind.

To the unknown eye, Hitchcock has carefully and skillfully used Mise-en-scene to his advantage, causing the audience to feel fear and a sense of caution towards the character of Norman Bates. It isn’t until we reflect back on the scene and notice how intelligently Hitchcock uses the positioning of props and the characters, lighting, camera angle and staging, that we notice how he has added meaning to his characters but has also to the film, creating suspense and fear from one scene to the end of the film. Ultimately proving the point that Hitchcock “the master of suspense” uses Mise-en-scene to not only help make a brilliant film but also uses it as his disposal to add meaning in his

These were explored by the use of the motifs of birds, eyes, hands and mirrors (Filmsite.org, n.d.). Hitchcock skilfully guides the audiences through a tale