Auteur Theory - Alfred Hitchcock

'Hitch: Alfred the Auteur'

Alfred Hitchcock is a renowned auteur because of his original style that informs the audience he has directed it within the first 5 minutes. This documentary looked at his specific style and why he became so famous for it.

Notes:

• Hitchcock chose his actors specifically according to looks, he then taught them to act.
• He set up 'Transatlantic Studios' which then collapsed.
• He then went to Paramount, where his first picture for them was 'Rear Window' (1954)
• Grace Kelly - deemed the 'Ultimate Hitchcock Blonde'
• Hitchcock carried around a feeling of guilt, what he have liked to have done
• He talked about taking a woman who is in control of her life and putting them in a life changing situation - do they survive? how?
• Hitchcock was reliant on his relationship with his wife, he carried a constant fear of loosing her.
• 'Vertigo' was considered to represent Hitchcock's own transformation of female actresses - 'make someone over'
• He saw critics as 'nessicary evil' - he had no respect for them but they had a 'job to do'. He described their relationship as 'dealing with the enemy'
• The French loved Hitchcock - they dissected every scene, every shot to mean something individually . They recognised his talent
• 'Hitch persona' was relaxed for Truffaut
• Food analogy - 24 hours in the city
• Relished twists and introductions
• Cinema resented him, they doubted his productions
• 'Psycho' had the 'shock-factor' as his final picture for Paramount. It Incorporated film noir.
• He used his original team and his own (low) budget
• 'Psycho' was for changing audiences, to give them what they are
• Closed set - exposed to rumours - 'hype'
• Famous 'Shower scene' contains over 70 cuts and took over 7 days to shoot
• Hitchcock refused to let people walk in after the screening had started in cinema, he made critics queue with the general public
• Cost £800,000 to make and made £11million
• After this production, he moved to Universal
• Hitchcock was regarded as 'in competition with himself'
• He described the issues with making films - He had to make what the audience wanted (what they knew) but the critics wanted something 'different'
• He strived for respectability
• Hitchcock edited 'The Birds' (1963) as he went along
• It created real fear, for him, and exhaustion
• Irritated critics
• Created characters - he became obsessive and controlling