Alfred Hitchcock frequently used recurring themes and devices in his films, including birds, suspense, and portraying the audience as voyeurs. He often placed ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, used mistaken identity as a plot device, and featured charming yet sociopathic criminals. Staircases, trains, domineering mothers, and the consumption of brandy also appeared commonly in his work.
This document summarizes the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. It discusses that Palahniuk is an American novelist known for satirical works that focus on marginalized characters reacting aggressively to society. The plot of Fight Club involves the narrator and Tyler Durden starting an underground fighting club. The film adaptation stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter and was directed by David Fincher. Main characters and some of the rules of fight club are also outlined.
The document discusses Hitchcock's film Vertigo in the context of the auteur theory of authorship. It argues that Vertigo exemplifies Hitchcock's personal directorial style through its suspenseful elements, characterization, and use of techniques like camerawork and editing. However, it also notes that defining an auteur's personal style and identifying their most representative works is complex, as different critics may interpret style differently or focus on different aspects of a film.
Christopher Nolan is known for his dark, complex films that explore themes of identity, memory, obsession, and morality. This document provides an overview of Nolan's career and analyzes some of his most prominent films, including Memento, Insomnia, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. It examines the recurring elements in Nolan's style, such as nonlinear narratives and extensive use of flashbacks. The document also considers questions around Nolan's authorship and the themes his films explore.
Christopher Nolan is an English film director known for his unique style and dark, complex films. He began making films as a child and studied filmmaking in college. His first feature film Following (1998) was made for $6,000. His next film Memento (2000) brought him critical acclaim. He revived the Batman franchise with Batman Begins (2005) and the hugely successful The Dark Knight (2008). Other films include Inception (2010) and he plans to conclude the Batman trilogy in 2012. Nolan is known for his intricate plots, working with his brother on scripts, and casting notable actors in lead roles.
Christopher Nolan was born in London in 1970 and made his first short film at age 7. He studied film in college and directed several short films. Nolan's first feature film was Following in 1998 with a $6,000 budget. It helped him secure funding for Memento (2000). Some of Nolan's most famous films include the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar. He is known for nonlinear storytelling, morally gray characters, and twist endings. Examples can be seen in Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight Rises.
Film noir is a style of crime drama that became popular in the 1940s-1950s. It is known for its cynical worldview and emphasis on sexuality as motivations. These films typically featured flawed protagonists and femme fatale characters. They also had signature visual styles like low-key lighting, shadows, and Dutch angles that contributed to an overall dark and disorienting tone. Common noir themes included greed, jealousy, crime, murder investigations and betrayals. The urban setting of cities like Los Angeles and New York featured prominently in locations like bars and factories where climaxes typically took place. Narrative devices in noir often involved nonlinear techniques like flashbacks and voiceovers.
Christopher Nolan is a British-American film director known for movies such as Memento, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Interstellar. He typically begins movies with a close-up shot of a character's hands or an object they are holding. Nolan also uses medium shots to establish narrative elements. The openings of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises set up crimes about to be committed or criminals being taken into custody through establishing shots and character interactions. Nolan's colorblindness influences his movies to feature more subtle orange and teal color schemes instead of red and green hues.
This document summarizes the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. It discusses that Palahniuk is an American novelist known for satirical works that focus on marginalized characters reacting aggressively to society. The plot of Fight Club involves the narrator and Tyler Durden starting an underground fighting club. The film adaptation stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter and was directed by David Fincher. Main characters and some of the rules of fight club are also outlined.
The document discusses Hitchcock's film Vertigo in the context of the auteur theory of authorship. It argues that Vertigo exemplifies Hitchcock's personal directorial style through its suspenseful elements, characterization, and use of techniques like camerawork and editing. However, it also notes that defining an auteur's personal style and identifying their most representative works is complex, as different critics may interpret style differently or focus on different aspects of a film.
Christopher Nolan is known for his dark, complex films that explore themes of identity, memory, obsession, and morality. This document provides an overview of Nolan's career and analyzes some of his most prominent films, including Memento, Insomnia, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. It examines the recurring elements in Nolan's style, such as nonlinear narratives and extensive use of flashbacks. The document also considers questions around Nolan's authorship and the themes his films explore.
Christopher Nolan is an English film director known for his unique style and dark, complex films. He began making films as a child and studied filmmaking in college. His first feature film Following (1998) was made for $6,000. His next film Memento (2000) brought him critical acclaim. He revived the Batman franchise with Batman Begins (2005) and the hugely successful The Dark Knight (2008). Other films include Inception (2010) and he plans to conclude the Batman trilogy in 2012. Nolan is known for his intricate plots, working with his brother on scripts, and casting notable actors in lead roles.
Christopher Nolan was born in London in 1970 and made his first short film at age 7. He studied film in college and directed several short films. Nolan's first feature film was Following in 1998 with a $6,000 budget. It helped him secure funding for Memento (2000). Some of Nolan's most famous films include the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar. He is known for nonlinear storytelling, morally gray characters, and twist endings. Examples can be seen in Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight Rises.
Film noir is a style of crime drama that became popular in the 1940s-1950s. It is known for its cynical worldview and emphasis on sexuality as motivations. These films typically featured flawed protagonists and femme fatale characters. They also had signature visual styles like low-key lighting, shadows, and Dutch angles that contributed to an overall dark and disorienting tone. Common noir themes included greed, jealousy, crime, murder investigations and betrayals. The urban setting of cities like Los Angeles and New York featured prominently in locations like bars and factories where climaxes typically took place. Narrative devices in noir often involved nonlinear techniques like flashbacks and voiceovers.
Christopher Nolan is a British-American film director known for movies such as Memento, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Interstellar. He typically begins movies with a close-up shot of a character's hands or an object they are holding. Nolan also uses medium shots to establish narrative elements. The openings of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises set up crimes about to be committed or criminals being taken into custody through establishing shots and character interactions. Nolan's colorblindness influences his movies to feature more subtle orange and teal color schemes instead of red and green hues.
Christopher Nolan is an American director known for thriller films like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and Inception. His movies often feature psychological or supernatural thrillers with suspenseful music composed by Hans Zimmer. While Nolan's films vary in story and moral messages, they typically focus closely on characters' emotions through shots and explore unique concepts in different settings, immersing viewers in each world.
The opening sequence of Gone Girl establishes the characters of Nick and Amy Dunne through visuals and sound. Nick is seen stroking Amy's hair as he narrates violent thoughts about her, establishing him as potentially psychotic and in control of Amy. Though the lighting is bright unlike typical thrillers, the unsettling soundtrack builds tension. Various shots introduce the town where mysterious events will unfold. Nick is shown alone in plain clothes, hinting at his troubled personality. The sequence suggests the importance of time and hints at impending danger through its themes and clues about the characters.
Este documento resume el cine de animación de Tim Burton. Describe cómo Burton logró equilibrar su estilo personal con el éxito comercial al crear películas que agradan tanto a la crítica como al público. Analiza algunas de sus películas clave como Vincent, Pesadilla antes de Navidad, La novia cadáver y Alicia en el país de las Maravillas, y cómo estas evolucionaron para defender la inocencia de la infancia. Explica que el estilo visual reconocible de Burton se centra en personajes marginados y anormales, y cómo us
The document summarizes Tzvetan Todorov's theory that most films follow a common narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and restored equilibrium. It provides an example of this structure in the film "Clueless" where the protagonist Cher begins in a state of equilibrium that is disrupted by a problem (her bad grade), leading her on a quest to resolve the issue and restore equilibrium. The document also discusses other literary techniques used in narratives like enigma codes and action codes that engage audiences and move the plot forward.
This document provides a detailed analysis of the 1978 horror film "Halloween". It summarizes that the film was made on a very low budget but was hugely successful, making $70 million. It follows the story of the psychopath Michael Myers returning to his hometown to kill teenagers. The film established many conventions for the slasher genre and analyzes its narrative structure, characters, themes, and ideological underpinnings through the lenses of theorists like Todorov, Lévi-Strauss, and Propp. It pays particular attention to how the film depicts gender and sexuality.
The editing in the opening credits sequence of Scott Pilgrim vs The World is designed to immerse the viewer in a video game-like experience. Through fast-paced cuts between shots, zooming, floating on-screen words and effects, and stylized credits set to the band's music, the credits introduce the characters and genre of the film in a way that feels like a comic book or video game. The credits sequence sets the tone that this will be a fast-paced film drawing from video game and music influences.
Film noir is a genre of film that originated in the 1940s defined by a mood of pessimism and cynicism. These films featured dark themes of moral ambiguity and corruption with characters that were often flawed or desperate. Visually, film noir is marked by low-key lighting and shadowy urban settings. Some of the earliest and most influential examples include Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) and The Maltese Falcon (1941).
David Lynch is an American filmmaker, painter, musician and photographer known for his surrealist films. He was born in 1946 in Montana and studied painting before getting into filmmaking in the 1960s. His first short films like The Alphabet and Eraserhead brought him recognition. Eraserhead in particular took many years to complete and launched his career in avant-garde filmmaking. Some of his most famous films include The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. He also created the cult TV show Twin Peaks in the 1990s. Lynch is influenced by artists like Kubrick and Kafka and has numerous other creative pursuits beyond filmmaking.
Tim Burton is known for his dark, quirky films featuring themes of twisted reality. The presentation analyzes Burton's auteurship through three of his films: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Dark Shadows (2012). It explores Burton's recurring themes, stylistic choices like use of color, and longstanding collaborations with actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. The presentation examines how these elements establish Burton as an auteur with a unique cinematic vision.
The document discusses techniques used in the documentary film Amy by Asif Kapadia about singer Amy Winehouse. It begins by asking how the viewer is positioned to feel about Amy based on what they know. It then provides context on Amy Winehouse and has students discuss if their opinion changes after learning more. It analyzes Kapadia's techniques of using only archival footage without narration to position the viewer. Specifically, it has students analyze the opening sequence to understand how the director wants them to feel. Finally, it discusses the narrative structure and how contextual factors may impact how scenes are interpreted.
Quentin Tarantino is an American film director and screenwriter known for his nonlinear storytelling and eclectic film references. He began his career working in a video store and writing scripts. His directorial debut was 1992's Reservoir Dogs, which helped establish his reputation. His next film, Pulp Fiction, was a major commercial and critical success, winning the Palme d'Or and Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Tarantino is known for directing films featuring nonlinear storylines and eclectic genre mixtures, including Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained.
Tim Burton is an American film director known for films combining gothic fiction and fantasy like Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Alice in Wonderland. He develops creepy characters through sketches which are translated into stop motion or human actors. Edward Scissorhands tells the story of an artificial man with scissors for hands who is taken in by a suburban family. Nightmare Before Christmas was Burton's first stop motion film where he hand crafted dolls across seven scenes.
Two cars pull up beside each other in a hotel parking lot. A boy and girl are waiting in the cars for their parents. They initially appear antagonistic towards each other but eventually strike up a friendship while waiting. The short film was directed by Taika Waititi in 2004 and aimed to capture small moments in childhood that can have a lasting impact through simplicity rather than dramatic events.
Marion Crane steals $40,000 from her employer to run away with her boyfriend Sam. While driving to meet Sam, she stops for the night at the Bates Motel where she meets the owner Norman Bates. Hitchcock establishes the film's noir style through its black-and-white cinematography, use of claustrophobic spaces, and Bernard Herrmann's ominous score. The film explores themes of voyeurism, guilt, and the subjugation of women through Marion's characterization and interactions with male authority figures.
The document discusses the film theory known as auteur theory, which suggests that the director is the major creative force and "author" of a film. It states that auteur theory proposes directors have a distinctive and consistent style or theme that is unmistakable across their body of work. The document provides examples of the recurring cast, crew, themes, and visual styles present in films directed by Wes Anderson that demonstrate his status as an auteur according to this theory.
Christopher Nolan is a renowned British-American film director, producer and screenwriter known for his complex, darkly psychological films. Some of his most famous films include Memento, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar. He is known for complex, nonlinear storytelling and emphasis on practical effects over CGI. He frequently collaborates with actors like Christian Bale, Michael Caine and composers like Hans Zimmer. Nolan strives to bring an artistic and realistic approach to blockbuster films.
Este documento resume la historia del género de terror en el cine. Explica que el cine de terror se inspiró en la literatura de terror del siglo XVIII y en cuentos de miedo tradicionales. Describe algunas películas notables de terror de las primeras décadas como Nosferatu y Drácula. También analiza películas de terror más recientes como Carrie, El Resplandor y Pesadilla en Elm Street. Concluye que el cine de terror continuará buscando nuevas formas de asustar al público a través
Classic film noir originated after World War II as a way to portray the feelings of fear, mistrust, and despair felt by many at that time. Common themes included alienation, moral corruption, and paranoia. Storylines were often complex with nonlinear narratives, voiceovers, and amnesiac protagonists. Men were typically cynical while women were beautiful yet manipulative femmes fatales. Through use of shadows, smoke, and black and white film, noir created an atmosphere of menace, anxiety, and defeat.
Romance originated from myths involving knights and dragons and was first written in novels. One of the earliest and most famous romances was William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, written in the 1500s. Romance genres typically depict scenarios involving love at first sight, teen love, forbidden love, obsession, passionate love, sacrifice, and destructive love, often ending in tragedy or happily ever after. The genre aims to take audiences on an emotional journey by pulling on their heartstrings. While kissing was initially frowned upon in early films like the first kiss scene in 1896's "The Kiss," romance films have increasingly focused more on kissing and sexuality over time, which some view as losing the genre's original aspirational nature.
The trailer for Black Swan uses several techniques to build suspense and intrigue potential viewers. It begins calmly and gradually increases tension through dark cinematography, quick cuts between shots, and a rising musical score. Close-ups on the main character's eyes and injuries hint at her deteriorating psychological state. The trailer also establishes rivalry between the main character and another dancer without providing full context, leaving the audience wanting more information. Text cards advertise the film's stars, directors, and release date to generate interest. Overall, the trailer employs standard thriller conventions to engage viewers through mystery, psychological distress, and a sense that more of the story remains untold.
Film noir refers to crime dramas from the 1940s-1950s known for their black-and-white visual style and complex plots involving crime investigations, archetypal characters like detectives and femmes fatales, and themes of moral ambiguity. Key influences included hardboiled crime fiction of the time as well as German Expressionist cinema. Famous noirs include The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard, while iconic actors like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall featured prominently. The genre continues to influence modern directors like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and David Fincher.
The document discusses the genre of thriller movies. It defines what a thriller is and notes they can be divided into categories like psychological thrillers. It provides examples of subgenres and then summarizes several famous thriller movies from different decades, highlighting their directors and key plot elements. Famous directors of thrillers like Hitchcock and Terence Young are also discussed. Finally, it outlines some key elements that make a successful thriller film, like gripping storylines and techniques to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Christopher Nolan is an American director known for thriller films like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and Inception. His movies often feature psychological or supernatural thrillers with suspenseful music composed by Hans Zimmer. While Nolan's films vary in story and moral messages, they typically focus closely on characters' emotions through shots and explore unique concepts in different settings, immersing viewers in each world.
The opening sequence of Gone Girl establishes the characters of Nick and Amy Dunne through visuals and sound. Nick is seen stroking Amy's hair as he narrates violent thoughts about her, establishing him as potentially psychotic and in control of Amy. Though the lighting is bright unlike typical thrillers, the unsettling soundtrack builds tension. Various shots introduce the town where mysterious events will unfold. Nick is shown alone in plain clothes, hinting at his troubled personality. The sequence suggests the importance of time and hints at impending danger through its themes and clues about the characters.
Este documento resume el cine de animación de Tim Burton. Describe cómo Burton logró equilibrar su estilo personal con el éxito comercial al crear películas que agradan tanto a la crítica como al público. Analiza algunas de sus películas clave como Vincent, Pesadilla antes de Navidad, La novia cadáver y Alicia en el país de las Maravillas, y cómo estas evolucionaron para defender la inocencia de la infancia. Explica que el estilo visual reconocible de Burton se centra en personajes marginados y anormales, y cómo us
The document summarizes Tzvetan Todorov's theory that most films follow a common narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and restored equilibrium. It provides an example of this structure in the film "Clueless" where the protagonist Cher begins in a state of equilibrium that is disrupted by a problem (her bad grade), leading her on a quest to resolve the issue and restore equilibrium. The document also discusses other literary techniques used in narratives like enigma codes and action codes that engage audiences and move the plot forward.
This document provides a detailed analysis of the 1978 horror film "Halloween". It summarizes that the film was made on a very low budget but was hugely successful, making $70 million. It follows the story of the psychopath Michael Myers returning to his hometown to kill teenagers. The film established many conventions for the slasher genre and analyzes its narrative structure, characters, themes, and ideological underpinnings through the lenses of theorists like Todorov, Lévi-Strauss, and Propp. It pays particular attention to how the film depicts gender and sexuality.
The editing in the opening credits sequence of Scott Pilgrim vs The World is designed to immerse the viewer in a video game-like experience. Through fast-paced cuts between shots, zooming, floating on-screen words and effects, and stylized credits set to the band's music, the credits introduce the characters and genre of the film in a way that feels like a comic book or video game. The credits sequence sets the tone that this will be a fast-paced film drawing from video game and music influences.
Film noir is a genre of film that originated in the 1940s defined by a mood of pessimism and cynicism. These films featured dark themes of moral ambiguity and corruption with characters that were often flawed or desperate. Visually, film noir is marked by low-key lighting and shadowy urban settings. Some of the earliest and most influential examples include Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) and The Maltese Falcon (1941).
David Lynch is an American filmmaker, painter, musician and photographer known for his surrealist films. He was born in 1946 in Montana and studied painting before getting into filmmaking in the 1960s. His first short films like The Alphabet and Eraserhead brought him recognition. Eraserhead in particular took many years to complete and launched his career in avant-garde filmmaking. Some of his most famous films include The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. He also created the cult TV show Twin Peaks in the 1990s. Lynch is influenced by artists like Kubrick and Kafka and has numerous other creative pursuits beyond filmmaking.
Tim Burton is known for his dark, quirky films featuring themes of twisted reality. The presentation analyzes Burton's auteurship through three of his films: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Dark Shadows (2012). It explores Burton's recurring themes, stylistic choices like use of color, and longstanding collaborations with actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. The presentation examines how these elements establish Burton as an auteur with a unique cinematic vision.
The document discusses techniques used in the documentary film Amy by Asif Kapadia about singer Amy Winehouse. It begins by asking how the viewer is positioned to feel about Amy based on what they know. It then provides context on Amy Winehouse and has students discuss if their opinion changes after learning more. It analyzes Kapadia's techniques of using only archival footage without narration to position the viewer. Specifically, it has students analyze the opening sequence to understand how the director wants them to feel. Finally, it discusses the narrative structure and how contextual factors may impact how scenes are interpreted.
Quentin Tarantino is an American film director and screenwriter known for his nonlinear storytelling and eclectic film references. He began his career working in a video store and writing scripts. His directorial debut was 1992's Reservoir Dogs, which helped establish his reputation. His next film, Pulp Fiction, was a major commercial and critical success, winning the Palme d'Or and Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Tarantino is known for directing films featuring nonlinear storylines and eclectic genre mixtures, including Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained.
Tim Burton is an American film director known for films combining gothic fiction and fantasy like Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Alice in Wonderland. He develops creepy characters through sketches which are translated into stop motion or human actors. Edward Scissorhands tells the story of an artificial man with scissors for hands who is taken in by a suburban family. Nightmare Before Christmas was Burton's first stop motion film where he hand crafted dolls across seven scenes.
Two cars pull up beside each other in a hotel parking lot. A boy and girl are waiting in the cars for their parents. They initially appear antagonistic towards each other but eventually strike up a friendship while waiting. The short film was directed by Taika Waititi in 2004 and aimed to capture small moments in childhood that can have a lasting impact through simplicity rather than dramatic events.
Marion Crane steals $40,000 from her employer to run away with her boyfriend Sam. While driving to meet Sam, she stops for the night at the Bates Motel where she meets the owner Norman Bates. Hitchcock establishes the film's noir style through its black-and-white cinematography, use of claustrophobic spaces, and Bernard Herrmann's ominous score. The film explores themes of voyeurism, guilt, and the subjugation of women through Marion's characterization and interactions with male authority figures.
The document discusses the film theory known as auteur theory, which suggests that the director is the major creative force and "author" of a film. It states that auteur theory proposes directors have a distinctive and consistent style or theme that is unmistakable across their body of work. The document provides examples of the recurring cast, crew, themes, and visual styles present in films directed by Wes Anderson that demonstrate his status as an auteur according to this theory.
Christopher Nolan is a renowned British-American film director, producer and screenwriter known for his complex, darkly psychological films. Some of his most famous films include Memento, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar. He is known for complex, nonlinear storytelling and emphasis on practical effects over CGI. He frequently collaborates with actors like Christian Bale, Michael Caine and composers like Hans Zimmer. Nolan strives to bring an artistic and realistic approach to blockbuster films.
Este documento resume la historia del género de terror en el cine. Explica que el cine de terror se inspiró en la literatura de terror del siglo XVIII y en cuentos de miedo tradicionales. Describe algunas películas notables de terror de las primeras décadas como Nosferatu y Drácula. También analiza películas de terror más recientes como Carrie, El Resplandor y Pesadilla en Elm Street. Concluye que el cine de terror continuará buscando nuevas formas de asustar al público a través
Classic film noir originated after World War II as a way to portray the feelings of fear, mistrust, and despair felt by many at that time. Common themes included alienation, moral corruption, and paranoia. Storylines were often complex with nonlinear narratives, voiceovers, and amnesiac protagonists. Men were typically cynical while women were beautiful yet manipulative femmes fatales. Through use of shadows, smoke, and black and white film, noir created an atmosphere of menace, anxiety, and defeat.
Romance originated from myths involving knights and dragons and was first written in novels. One of the earliest and most famous romances was William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, written in the 1500s. Romance genres typically depict scenarios involving love at first sight, teen love, forbidden love, obsession, passionate love, sacrifice, and destructive love, often ending in tragedy or happily ever after. The genre aims to take audiences on an emotional journey by pulling on their heartstrings. While kissing was initially frowned upon in early films like the first kiss scene in 1896's "The Kiss," romance films have increasingly focused more on kissing and sexuality over time, which some view as losing the genre's original aspirational nature.
The trailer for Black Swan uses several techniques to build suspense and intrigue potential viewers. It begins calmly and gradually increases tension through dark cinematography, quick cuts between shots, and a rising musical score. Close-ups on the main character's eyes and injuries hint at her deteriorating psychological state. The trailer also establishes rivalry between the main character and another dancer without providing full context, leaving the audience wanting more information. Text cards advertise the film's stars, directors, and release date to generate interest. Overall, the trailer employs standard thriller conventions to engage viewers through mystery, psychological distress, and a sense that more of the story remains untold.
Film noir refers to crime dramas from the 1940s-1950s known for their black-and-white visual style and complex plots involving crime investigations, archetypal characters like detectives and femmes fatales, and themes of moral ambiguity. Key influences included hardboiled crime fiction of the time as well as German Expressionist cinema. Famous noirs include The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard, while iconic actors like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall featured prominently. The genre continues to influence modern directors like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and David Fincher.
The document discusses the genre of thriller movies. It defines what a thriller is and notes they can be divided into categories like psychological thrillers. It provides examples of subgenres and then summarizes several famous thriller movies from different decades, highlighting their directors and key plot elements. Famous directors of thrillers like Hitchcock and Terence Young are also discussed. Finally, it outlines some key elements that make a successful thriller film, like gripping storylines and techniques to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Film noir is a style of filmmaking characterized by a dark visual style and mood, rather than a specific genre. It originated in 1940s-1950s Hollywood crime dramas featuring moral ambiguity and sexual motivations. Key visual elements include low-key lighting that produces high contrast shadows, murky urban settings, and characters partially obscured by darkness. While often low-budget B-movies, some classics like The Maltese Falcon achieved lasting influence and status. Neo-noir films made after the 1950s, like Chinatown, continue to show the stylistic influence of film noir's mood and visuals.
The document discusses the genres of thriller and suspense films. It defines thrillers as films that pursue the single-minded goal of providing thrills and keeping audiences on the edge of their seats through tension and anticipation of danger or mystery. Thrillers often involve characters in conflict with each other or outside forces. The document then provides examples of different types of thriller hybrids and discusses some of the earliest thriller films and the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, known for his innovative techniques that manipulated audiences' fears.
This document provides an overview of the thriller genre in film. It discusses how thrillers promote suspense and tension by placing characters in dangerous situations. It also notes that thrillers come in many forms and hybridize with other genres. The document then highlights some influential early thrillers and discusses Alfred Hitchcock's significant contributions as the master of suspense thrillers through his innovative techniques and themes. It concludes by briefly mentioning some notable modern thrillers.
1) Film noir films are typically crime dramas from the 1920s-1950s that feature complex plots involving crime and corruption. They are known for their dark visual style and morally ambiguous characters.
2) Some key characteristics of noir films include the anti-hero protagonist like a private detective, the femme fatale who often manipulates men, and psychopathic criminals who engage in mind games. Common themes are isolation, desire, secrets, and corruption.
3) The style of noir films involves dark lighting, drawn-out dialogue scenes, and settings like gloomy cities filled with crime and gangs. Modern neo-noir films updated the genre for modern audiences.
The document provides a history of the thriller genre through summaries of notable thriller films from 1921 to 2016. It discusses key elements of thrillers including suspense, mystery, and psychological elements. Example films highlighted include The Lady Vanishes, Psycho, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Dark Knight. The document traces the evolution of the thriller genre over time.
The document provides summaries of famous horror films from 1922 to 2016 including Nosferatu, Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Alien, The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Saw, Sinister, The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Boy. It summarizes the key plot elements and significance of each film in horror history in under 3 sentences for each movie.
1) Thrillers are a genre that uses suspense, tension, and excitement to engage the audience. Alfred Hitchcock helped shape the modern thriller genre with films like The Lodger in the 1920s.
2) Robert Siodmak directed the 1940s psychological thriller The Spiral Staircase, about a serial killer targeting a young mute woman.
3) Michael Powell shocked audiences in the 1960s with Peeping Tom, about a psychopathic killer who photographs his victims before murdering them.
Noir films are crime dramas that emerged in the post-WWII era, known for their complex plots, moral ambiguity, and dark visual style. They typically feature an anti-hero protagonist like a private detective investigating a case. Key characters include the femme fatale, a mysterious and manipulative woman, and the psychopathic criminal mastermind. The document discusses the origins and evolution of noir, from early German and American films to its revival in neo-noir genres. Iconic elements include scenes of rain, shadowy lighting, and long conversations revealing hidden motives or secrets.
Crime and gangster films emerged in the early 20th century and became popular with the advent of sound films in the 1930s. They often depicted the criminal rise and fall of mobsters and gangsters during the Prohibition era. Key conventions included portraying the criminal world of secret clubs, fast cars, and violence. Famous gangster films of this era starred Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, and Humphrey Bogart rising to fame in films produced by Warner Brothers like Little Caesar and The Public Enemy. The Hays Code later enforced restrictions on glorifying criminals, though the genre continued to evolve through the 1950s with films portraying organized crime syndicates.
The document discusses the evolution and conventions of the horror genre. It begins with the origins of Gothic horror literature in the 1600s and covers major developments like the Universal Monsters films of the 1930s, Hammer Horror films of the 1950s-1970s, and slasher films of the 1970s-1980s like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. It outlines common conventions for different subgenres and provides summaries of influential films like Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Scream. The document concludes by noting the popularity of "found footage" and psychological horror films in modern cinema.
Film noir is a style of crime drama that emerged in the 1940s-1950s characterized by cynical attitudes and moral ambiguity. It features flawed protagonists, archetypes like detectives and femme fatales, and a dark visual style with stark lighting and shadows. Common themes include greed, jealousy, crime and murder investigations. Noir stories often involve adultery, betrayal and take place in urban settings at night, featuring complex plots with flashbacks and voiceover narration.
Similar to Themes and plot devices in the films of alfred hitchcock (13)
This document provides exam advice and discusses key topics to analyze for the film Vertigo. It recommends doing either the Critical Review/Writing question or the Specific question as they are easier than the Critical Approaches question. For Vertigo, some of the main debates that could be analyzed are how it is a film about film through identification and obsession, its portrayal of the gendered look and female object, use of recurring motifs and symbols, and interpretation of the Madeleine and Judy characters. It also lists debates around the spectator relationship to the character Scottie, use of locations, success as a thriller, problems from a narrative realist perspective, its undisputed status, and critical reception.
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Themes and plot devices in the films of alfred hitchcock
1. 228600-457200<br />Themes and plot devices in the films of Alfred Hitchcock<br />Alfred Hitchcock's films show an interesting tendency towards recurring themes and devices, such that one can almost feel that he was in some way making the same movie, or at least telling the same story, over and over again throughout his life as a director.<br />Here are some of the themes that show up repeatedly in his films:<br />Birds<br />There are countless images of birds in nearly all of Hitchcock's films. Some of the most prominent are listed below.<br />Psycho - The film begins in Phoenix, Arizona and a Phoenix is also a mythological bird. Marion's last name is quot;
Cranequot;
. Norman practices taxidermy as a hobby and his favorites are birds. Norman describes Marion's eating behavior as quot;
eats like a birdquot;
.<br />Vertigo - Gavin's last name is Elster, which is German for Mockingbird.<br />The Birds-The film's plot revolves around birds attacking a small town called Bodega Bay.<br />Suspense<br />Hitchcock preferred the use of suspense over the use of surprise in his films. In surprise, the director assaults the viewer with frightening things. In suspense, the director tells or shows things to the audience which the characters in the film do not know, and then artfully builds tension around what will happen when the characters finally learn the truth. Hitchcock was fond of illustrating this point with a short aphorism - quot;
There's two people having breakfast and there's a bomb under the table. If it explodes, that's a surprise. But if it doesn't...quot;
<br />Audience as voyeur<br />Further blurring the moral distinction between the innocent and the guilty, occasionally making this indictment inescapably clear to viewers one and all, Hitchcock also makes voyeurs of his quot;
respectablequot;
audience. In Rear Window (1954), after L. B. Jeffries (played by James Stewart) has been staring across the courtyard at him for most of the film, Lars Thorwald (played by Raymond Burr) confronts Jeffries by saying, quot;
What do you want of me?quot;
Burr might as well have been addressing the audience. In fact, shortly before asking this, Thorwald turns to face the camera directly for the first time.<br />Similarly, Psycho begins with the camera moving toward a hotel-room window, through which the audience is introduced to Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and her divorced boyfriend Sam Loomis, played by John Gavin. They are partially undressed, having apparently had sex though they are not married and Marion is on her lunch quot;
hourquot;
. Later, along with Norman Bates (portrayed by Anthony Perkins), the audience watches Marion undress through a peephole.<br />MacGuffin<br />One of Hitchcock's favorite devices for driving the plots of his stories and creating suspense was what he called the quot;
MacGuffinquot;
. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, credits Hitchcock's friend, the Scottish screenwriter Angus MacPhail, as being the true inventor of the term. Hitchcock defined this term in a 1964 interview conducted by François Truffaut, published as Hitchcock/Truffaut (Simon and Schuster, 1967). Hitchcock would use this plot device extensively. Many of his suspense films revolve around this device: a detail which, by inciting curiosity and desire, drives the plot and motivates the actions of characters within the story, but whose specific identity and nature is unimportant to the spectator of the film. In Vertigo, for instance, quot;
Carlotta Valdesquot;
is a MacGuffin; she never appears and the details of her death are unimportant to the viewer, but the story about her ghost's haunting of Madeleine Elster is the spur for Scottie's investigation of her, and hence the film's entire plot. In Notorious, the uranium that the main characters must recover before it reaches Nazi hands serves as a similarly arbitrary motivation: any dangerous object would suffice. And state secrets of various kinds serve as MacGuffins in several of the spy films, especially his earlier British films The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes. Hitchcock has stated that the best MacGuffin quot;
the emptiestquot;
was the one used in North By Northwest, which was referred to as quot;
Government secretsquot;
.<br />The ordinary person<br />Placing an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances is a common element of Hitchcock's films. In The 39 Steps, the protagonist Richard Hannay is drawn into a web of espionage, after a female spy he meets in a theatre is killed in his apartment. In The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), James Stewart plays an ordinary man from Indianapolis vacationing in Morocco when his son is kidnapped. In The Wrong Man, Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda) is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. In Psycho, Janet Leigh plays an unremarkable secretary whose personal story is violently interrupted by a furious psychopath. Other clear examples are Strangers on a Train, I Confess, Vertigo, and North By Northwest. The focus on an ordinary character enables the audience to relate to the action in the movie.<br />The wrong man or wrong woman<br />Mistaken identity is a common plot device in his films.<br />North By Northwest - Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for George Kaplan, a non-existent CIA agent.<br />The Wrong Man - Henry Fonda is mistaken for a criminal.<br />Vertigo- the film revolves around Scottie Ferguson's investigation of the false Madeleine Elster's real identity.<br />The 39 Steps - The main character is mistaken for a government spy.<br />Frenzy - The protagonist is thought to be the notorious Necktie Killer due the circumstances he finds himself in.<br />The likeable criminal, aka the charming sociopath<br />The villain in many of Hitchcock's films appears charming and refined rather than oafish and vulgar. Especially clear examples of this tendency are Claude Rains in Notorious, Barry Foster in Frenzy, Joseph Cotten in Shadow of a Doubt, Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train and James Mason in North by Northwest.<br />In Psycho, Marian Crane (Janet Leigh) steals from her employer and runs away to be with her boyfriend, thus making her a criminal for her theft, and immoral for having pre-marital sex. However, the filmgoers are sympathetic to her; she has just decided to return the money when she is then brutally murdered. In Marnie, the title character (Tippi Hedren) is a cunning serial thief.<br />Staircases<br />Images of staircases often play a central role in Hitchcock's films. The Lodger tracks a suspected serial killer's movement on a staircase. Years later, a similar shot appears in the final sequence of Notorious. In Vertigo, the staircase in the church bell tower plays a crucial role in the plot. In Psycho, several staircases are featured prominently: as part of the path up to the Bates mansion, as the entrance to the fruit cellar, and as the site of Detective Arbogast's murder. In Rear Window, an entirely nonfunctional staircase adorns James Stewart's apartment, in addition to the numerous fire escape staircases seen each time we follow Stewart's gaze out of his window. In Shadow of a Doubt, Charlie Oakley (Joseph Cotten) attempts to murder his niece by rigging a staircase to collapse. In Dial M for Murder, a key kept under the stair carpet plays a pivotal role in booking the murderer. Frenzy features an unusual shot which tracks the killer and his victim first up the stairs, then retreats backwards down the stairs alone while the audience is left to imagine the killing which is taking place. One other iconic stairwell shot comes from the movie Suspicion as Cary Grant slowly walks up the stairs to deliver what would have been the poisonous warmed milk to his wife. Hitchcock, the studios and Cary Grant decided his character could not end up as a murderer and that scene becomes a red herring with a new ending added.<br />This stylistic interest in staircases is attributed to the influence of German Expressionism, which often featured heavily stylized and menacing staircases, for example in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.<br />Trains<br />In Hitchcock's films, trains are often used as a sexual euphemism. Extended sequences on trains feature in a number of Hitchcock films, including Number Seventeen, Shadow of a Doubt, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Strangers on a Train, and North by Northwest. In The 39 Steps and North by Northwest, the limitations imposed by train travel on characters' movements enhances the suspense as the lead character is pursued for a crime he did not commit. Hitchcock's most-extended train sequence is in The Lady Vanishes, where the inability to exit the train except at stations forces the two lead characters to accept that the lady for whom they are searching must still be aboard. The vertiginous excitement of moving around the outside of a moving train is exploited in Number Seventeen and The Lady Vanishes.<br />Mothers<br />Mothers are frequently depicted as intrusive and domineering, or at the very least, batty, as seen in Rope, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, North by Northwest, Psycho and The Birds.<br />Brandy<br />Hitchcock includes the consumption of brandy in many of his films. quot;
I'll get you some brandy. Drink this down. Just like medicine ...quot;
says Scottie Ferguson to quot;
Madeleine Elsterquot;
in Vertigo. In a real-life incident, Hitchcock dared Montgomery Clift at a dinner party around the filming of I Confess (1953) to swallow a carafe of brandy, which caused the actor to pass out almost immediately. In Torn Curtain and Topaz, brandy is defined more closely as cognac. This element is also present in Dial M for Murder where the main characters of the film consume brandy throughout the entire film. Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) is offered a brandy by Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), and after being attacked by the birds, drinks the brandy offered by Mitch (Rod Taylor). In Rear Window, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) is quot;
just warming some brandyquot;
. In Frenzy, Richard Blaney is sacked for supposedly stealing brandy, and can be seen in several sequences to be drinking brandy.<br />Sexuality<br />For their time, Hitchcock's films were regarded as rather sexualized, often dealing with perverse and taboo behaviors. Sometimes, the prudish conventions of his era caused him to convey sexuality in an emblematic fashion, such as in North by Northwest, when the film cuts abruptly from two aroused but visually chaste lovers to a train entering a tunnel.<br />Hitchcock found a number of ways to convey sexuality without depicting graphic behaviors, such as the substitution of explicit sexual passion with the passionate consumption of food. In a particularly amusing scene in Psycho, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) carries on a conversation with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) while one of his hands strokes a dead animal and the other hand lingers on his crotch. Sexual feelings are often strongly associated with violent behavior. In The Lodger and Psycho, this association is the whole basis of the film. Biographers have noted how Hitchcock continued to challenge film censorship throughout his career, until he was allowed to show nudity in Frenzy.<br />Blonde women<br />Hitchcock had a dramatic preference for blonde women, stating that the audience would be more suspicious of a brunette. Many of these blondes were of the Grace Kelly variety: perfect, aloof ice goddesses, who also have a hidden red-hot inner fire.<br />In Vertigo James Stewart forces a woman to dye her hair blonde. The Lodger, one of Hitchcock's earliest films, features a serial killer who stalks blonde women. Hitchcock said he used blonde actresses in his films, not because of an attraction to them, but because of a tradition that began with Mary Pickford. The director said that blondes were quot;
a symbol of the heroinequot;
. He also thought they photographed better in black and white, which was the predominant film for most dramas for many years.<br />Silent scenes<br />As a former silent film director, Hitchcock strongly preferred to convey narrative with images rather than dialogue. Hitchcock viewed film as a primarily visual medium in which the director's assemblage of images must convey the narrative. Examples of imagery over dialogue are in the lengthy sequence in Vertigo in which Scottie silently follows Madeleine, or the Albert Hall sequence in the 1956 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much.<br />Number 13<br />Hitchcock has many scenes which exploit people's superstitious response to the number 13. The number shows up several times in his movies as an apartment number, room number or house number. For example, in Psycho, when Marion checks into the Bates Motel, Norman reaches first for room 3, then room 1. In addition, the number on the license plate that she drives adds up to 13. Another example is at the car dealership when Marion trades cars the number on the dealership adds up to 13. Each incidence of the number 13 provides an opportunity for her fate to change in this film.<br />Tennis<br />Tennis is often mentioned in Hitchcock films. In Strangers On A Train, the main character is a tennis player. In Dial M for Murder, Ray Milland's character is an ex-tennis player. In Rebecca, the Joan Fontaine character claims to be taking Tennis lessons from the Laurence Olivier character.<br />Falling from high places<br />Most notable in Vertigo, North By Northwest, Saboteur and Rear Window and among other Hitchcock films the protagonist or villain or even the supporting good character is falling from a height.<br />The Perfect Murder<br />Several of Alfred Hitchcock's movies feature characters who are deeply fascinated with the craft of murder. Murder is often treated as an intellectual puzzle, and several Hitchcock characters seek to establish a definitive quot;
perfectquot;
murder (i.e. an undefeatable scientific method of murdering another person without leaving any evidence of the act.) This notion is a core concept in Rope, Dial M for Murder, Strangers on a Train, Vertigo and to a lesser extent, Shadow of a Doubt.<br />