Alfred Hitchcock - What makes a filmmaker an Auteur?
Being an Auteur develops in my mind as a form of delivering an artistic contribution that can be easily viewed by the audience to be unique and consist of reoccurring themes to categorize a film as having that auteur's signature stamp. Many film theorists have debated the idea of whether an director's "treatment of a subject" (Wollen, 1967 p.145) is unique or whether "the text is a tissue of citations, resulting from the thousand sources of culture" (Barthes, 1967 p.4). Wollen goes on to argue that "there are two main schools of auteur critics....those who
insisted on revealing a core of meanings, of thematic motifs, and those
who stressed style and mise en scene” (566). It is a mixture of all those aspects of film that I believe to be major factors in identifying a director as an auteur.
Alfred Hitchcock is a strong candidate for being an auteur by directing films that have significant motifs and adding his own unique abstract world view to the audience. Whether or not the work was solely his own, the prevalence of his style without "noise" from other influences in actors and producers, to name a few, enables his work to be unique and innovative. However, there were external influences such as the Hayes Code 1930-68 that censored some of the scenes in his motion pictures but this did not deter his creative personality to be at the forefront of his films. A several number of his films showcase his signature style as the master of suspense and fear among other substantial motifs.
The film displays motifs of suspense and fear. Hitchcock uses the camera to highlight the suspense and fear of attacks by the birds in several scenes. No musical soundtrack is needed because the silence evokes a sense of fear and terror that is about to be unfurled. The sheer mass of the birds denoted by a wide and high angle shots are exemplars of the terror Hitchcock is trying to put in to the viewer. Going into close ups of the bird attacks pinpoints the vulnerability of the scared characters as they try and run for cover. Uses of suspense are connoted through point of view shots of dark stairs that Tippi Hedren climbs in the climatic scene of the film. Hitchcock uses light to determine a sense of danger in this scene with the only glint of light or "hope" coming from Hedren's flashlight. There is also an element of suspense in a certain bird attack scene where the audience can only hear the birds coming as opposed to actually seeing their approach on the victims. It is this sound that viewers pertain to the eventual attack and builds the rising tension.
Another classic thriller film of Hitchcock's is "Rope" (1948). This film showcases Hitchcock as the master of suspense with a moral resolve at the end. It, as with some of his films, deals with murder and the suspense surrounding it. Moreover, the film can be categorized as a psychodrama which Hitchcock wants to convey as lacking a sense of empathy from the characters. Hitchcock uses the same ideology in "Strangers on a Train" (1950) where the chance of a "perfect murder" without remorse is introduced. All of this film is shot in real time as one continuous take with only a few cuts in the form of the camera zooming into a characters back.
The two main characters (John Dall and Farley Granger) are students that commit a murder on another student named David Kentley (Dick Hogan). Both characters represent a doubling motif and play on each other's emotions throughout the film. They act as trying to perform the perfect murder. But Hitchcock highlights the idea that there can never be a perfect murder that outruns justice. In particular, Dall thinks of himself as a power above the normal man and can hand out punishment due to his intellectual being. Again, Hitchcock must be against this idea of Nietzche's superman theory and quashes the idea in the end. No man is in the right to execute a murder in any case as this is immoral.
Hitchcock carries suspense in to the subsequent dinner party in the frequent references to the disappearance of David. Tension is felt by the audience through the aptly used dining table which holds his body. It is this idea of having the body known by the viewers but unbeknown to the characters that creates a lot of suspense. James Stewart eventually holds a role of an impromptu investigator that uncovers the bad deed by questioning and using his intelligence to see through the facade of the murderers' defense. Hitchcock has done this on purpose to reiterate a moral high ground has to be found and no one should be able to commit murder and get away with it. A sense of moral resolve is exacted in the end change of moral views of James Stewart and the eventual arrest of the murderers.
Finally, the director's "Rear Window" (1954) contains all the "Hithcockian" trademarks of fear ,suspense and moral resolve. Hitchcock brings to life this movie based on a short novel by Cornell Woolrich. The film takes on the point of view of an injured political journalist "Jeff" (James Stewart) who sees or thinks he sees a murder in another apartment through his window. Unlike the last two examples, this movie has another trademark motif of Hitchock films: voyeurism. The journalist's and audience's gaze across from his apartment into other peoples' worlds through his camera. Hitchcock warms to the use of the eye as an attractive "window of the soul" and utilizes the eye to what he wants the audience to see without themselves being uncovered. In "The Birds" the eyes are also referenced but in a more gruesome manner as the viewer sees a man's eyes have been removed by a bird. This strikes up connotations of the human soul being removed by nature for the crime of harming and incarcerating it. It can also represent the blindness or obliviousness of man's cruelty towards nature and so the birds are exacting revenge.
All camera techniques at the time were utilized to show the audience the setting and character emotion. The director creates suspense through darkness and footstep sounds to anticipate an eventual attack on Jeff. Darkness shrouds the mysterious Thorwald who enters Jeffs room and Hitchcock highlights Thorwalds face to indentify it his him. Effectively, the darkness masks both characters to try signify they are both hiding a secret. No music is necessary in this scene as the silence adds to the tension that is building. In the end, Hitchock introduces a moral resolve or happy ending with Jeff's character changing for the better and Thorwald being arrested.
A filmmaker becomes an auteur when style and themed motifs are so evident in the performance of an actor or the camera technique. Hitchcock easily communicates what he wants the audience to feel at a certain moment in his films and evokes a reaction from the viewer.
The Birds (1963) by Hitchcock is a classic piece of film of the horror genre that echoes the impactful style of the director. In a short synoptic film by Hitchcock: "The Day of the Claw: A Synoptic Account of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds" (See Right) provides a biological and social background to this film. It is the relationship between man and birds that the director depicts as an "age long relationship". However, this relationship is overauded by the man's thirst for killing birds as a blood sport which could define the reason for the birds taking revenge.
Duncan (1999) describes the film as "mankind having to tiptoe through the rest of their lives because, at any moment, the world will turn on them". Hitchcock displays his abstract world in this film as an unending terror of nature biting back. A lesson is learnt in this movie of treating nature with more respect and care without using it for material purposes. Also, the perfect family structure is put under scrutiny as depicted as fragile. 1950s family structures were the mother,father, daughter and son as the model family household and Hitchcock aims to shatter this notion. Children as well come under attack and represented as vulnerable beings.
Duncan (1999) describes the film as "mankind having to tiptoe through the rest of their lives because, at any moment, the world will turn on them". Hitchcock displays his abstract world in this film as an unending terror of nature biting back. A lesson is learnt in this movie of treating nature with more respect and care without using it for material purposes. Also, the perfect family structure is put under scrutiny as depicted as fragile. 1950s family structures were the mother,father, daughter and son as the model family household and Hitchcock aims to shatter this notion. Children as well come under attack and represented as vulnerable beings.
The film displays motifs of suspense and fear. Hitchcock uses the camera to highlight the suspense and fear of attacks by the birds in several scenes. No musical soundtrack is needed because the silence evokes a sense of fear and terror that is about to be unfurled. The sheer mass of the birds denoted by a wide and high angle shots are exemplars of the terror Hitchcock is trying to put in to the viewer. Going into close ups of the bird attacks pinpoints the vulnerability of the scared characters as they try and run for cover. Uses of suspense are connoted through point of view shots of dark stairs that Tippi Hedren climbs in the climatic scene of the film. Hitchcock uses light to determine a sense of danger in this scene with the only glint of light or "hope" coming from Hedren's flashlight. There is also an element of suspense in a certain bird attack scene where the audience can only hear the birds coming as opposed to actually seeing their approach on the victims. It is this sound that viewers pertain to the eventual attack and builds the rising tension.
Another classic thriller film of Hitchcock's is "Rope" (1948). This film showcases Hitchcock as the master of suspense with a moral resolve at the end. It, as with some of his films, deals with murder and the suspense surrounding it. Moreover, the film can be categorized as a psychodrama which Hitchcock wants to convey as lacking a sense of empathy from the characters. Hitchcock uses the same ideology in "Strangers on a Train" (1950) where the chance of a "perfect murder" without remorse is introduced. All of this film is shot in real time as one continuous take with only a few cuts in the form of the camera zooming into a characters back.
The two main characters (John Dall and Farley Granger) are students that commit a murder on another student named David Kentley (Dick Hogan). Both characters represent a doubling motif and play on each other's emotions throughout the film. They act as trying to perform the perfect murder. But Hitchcock highlights the idea that there can never be a perfect murder that outruns justice. In particular, Dall thinks of himself as a power above the normal man and can hand out punishment due to his intellectual being. Again, Hitchcock must be against this idea of Nietzche's superman theory and quashes the idea in the end. No man is in the right to execute a murder in any case as this is immoral.
Hitchcock carries suspense in to the subsequent dinner party in the frequent references to the disappearance of David. Tension is felt by the audience through the aptly used dining table which holds his body. It is this idea of having the body known by the viewers but unbeknown to the characters that creates a lot of suspense. James Stewart eventually holds a role of an impromptu investigator that uncovers the bad deed by questioning and using his intelligence to see through the facade of the murderers' defense. Hitchcock has done this on purpose to reiterate a moral high ground has to be found and no one should be able to commit murder and get away with it. A sense of moral resolve is exacted in the end change of moral views of James Stewart and the eventual arrest of the murderers.
Finally, the director's "Rear Window" (1954) contains all the "Hithcockian" trademarks of fear ,suspense and moral resolve. Hitchcock brings to life this movie based on a short novel by Cornell Woolrich. The film takes on the point of view of an injured political journalist "Jeff" (James Stewart) who sees or thinks he sees a murder in another apartment through his window. Unlike the last two examples, this movie has another trademark motif of Hitchock films: voyeurism. The journalist's and audience's gaze across from his apartment into other peoples' worlds through his camera. Hitchcock warms to the use of the eye as an attractive "window of the soul" and utilizes the eye to what he wants the audience to see without themselves being uncovered. In "The Birds" the eyes are also referenced but in a more gruesome manner as the viewer sees a man's eyes have been removed by a bird. This strikes up connotations of the human soul being removed by nature for the crime of harming and incarcerating it. It can also represent the blindness or obliviousness of man's cruelty towards nature and so the birds are exacting revenge.
All camera techniques at the time were utilized to show the audience the setting and character emotion. The director creates suspense through darkness and footstep sounds to anticipate an eventual attack on Jeff. Darkness shrouds the mysterious Thorwald who enters Jeffs room and Hitchcock highlights Thorwalds face to indentify it his him. Effectively, the darkness masks both characters to try signify they are both hiding a secret. No music is necessary in this scene as the silence adds to the tension that is building. In the end, Hitchock introduces a moral resolve or happy ending with Jeff's character changing for the better and Thorwald being arrested.
A filmmaker becomes an auteur when style and themed motifs are so evident in the performance of an actor or the camera technique. Hitchcock easily communicates what he wants the audience to feel at a certain moment in his films and evokes a reaction from the viewer.
Links to all films mentioned above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PhmYfBK13M (The Birds, 1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR4DdmU7bQc (Rope, 1948)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B70_R1igohw (Strangers on a Train, 1951)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW0y7i2AyNU (Rear Window, 1954)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PhmYfBK13M (The Birds, 1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR4DdmU7bQc (Rope, 1948)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B70_R1igohw (Strangers on a Train, 1951)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW0y7i2AyNU (Rear Window, 1954)
References:
- BARTHES, R., 1967. Death of an Author [online]. Available from: http://www.tbook.constantvzw.org/wp-content/death_authorbarthes.pdf [Accessed 4 March 2013]
- Duncan, P. (1999) Alfred Hitchcock. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials
- WOLLEN, P., 1967. The Auteur Theory [online]. Available from: http://www1.pacific.edu/~jlessard/E121lessards09/Peter%20Wollen_auteur%20theory.pdf [Accessed 4 March 2013]
- WOLLEN, P., 1967. The Auteur Theory [online]. Available from: http://studio.berkeley.edu/coursework/moses/courses/TEXTS/Auteur-Genre/WollenAuteurTheory.pdf [Accessed 4 March 2013]
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