MY SITE
Alfred Hitchcock
Master of Suspense
"It is indispensable that the public is made aware of all the facts involved. Otherwise there is no suspense."
-Alfred Hitchcock
Welcome!
Alfred Hitchcock is the ultimate master of suspense and his methods are still used today. He created timeless pieces that incorporated various film features, which led to his unparalleled fame. The influence that Hitchcock left on society is of great value. The goal of this site is to familiarize readers with some of Hitchcock's most notable techniques, primarily focusing on his work in The 39 Steps and North by Northwest, and to distinguish him from other filmmakers of his time.
The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps, released in 1935, is about a man, Richard Hannay, evading the police after being wrongly suspected for murdering Annabella, a spy who was killed in his apartment. He vowed to carry out her mission before she died, and upheld that promise by trying to stop Professor Jordan from exposing the country's confidential information, all the while dragging Pamela, his unwilling accomplice, along for the ride.
"It is not much of an exaggeration to say that all contemporary escapist entertainment begins with 'The 39 Steps.'" -screenwriter Robert Towne (China Town)
|
North by Northwest
Airing in 1959, North by Northwest is known as the American version of The 39 Steps. In the film, Roger Thornhill, a successful New York advertising executive, is mistaken for a government agent and pursued by Phillip Vandamm, an opposing spy. Upon running into Eve Kendall, a myserious and seductive woman, Thornhill finds himself tangled in a web of love, lies, and spies.
While filming, Cary Grant, the actor who played Roger Thornhill, did not know what was going on. He mentioned to Hitchcock, "It's a terrible script. We've already done a third of the picture and I still can't make head or tail of it!" Hitchocck took this in stride, nonetheless, and used Grant's confusion to make the film seem more realistic, since Thornhill had no idea what was going on, either.
North by Northwest got its name from Roger's travels. He began in New York, New York, then visited Chicago, Illinois, and ended up in Rapid City, South Dakota.
|
Suspension of Disbelief
Even though Hitchcock's methods for filming were unequaled in their time, his success, like all directors, relied on the audience's suspension of disbelief. Suspension of disbelief can be defined as one's willingness to believe something that is clearly fictional. In other terms, when one ignores the logical explanation on behalf of entertainment or enjoyment. The audience naturally overlooks the scenes that could never happen in real life because they know that what they are seeing is not real life, yet they are emotionally involved in it as if it were. This involvement heightens suspense for those who are deeply immersed in the fictional world Hitchcock created.
|