Touch of Hitchcock: Psycho and Vertigo

There are movies with an interesting plot and a strong cast, after watching which people change their lives. Some movies influence the way of how the whole filmmaking industry is developed, and the work of Alfred Hitchcock is one of such significant contributions. In the 20th century, this director demonstrated a number of skills, creative approaches, and professional techniques to raise the industry to the highest level. Many critics and researchers describe his films as stylish, literate, beautifully constructed, visually opulent (Tanenhaus, 2012, p. 48). In cinematographic history, Hitchcock is known as the Master of Suspense, and his Psycho and Vertigo are the best examples of his achievements (Andrews, 2018). In this paper, the life of Hitchcock and the analysis of the movies will help understand the worth of his techniques through the prism of imposed standards and expectations, including the Hays Code of the 1930s. Psycho and Vertigo are characterized by effective cinematographic techniques, sounds, editing, and camera work, making Hitchcock a recognizable director all over the centuries.

Biography

Since his childhood, Alfred Hitchcock was fascinated by Poes mystery, which can be easily traced in many Hitchcock movies. He directed about 50 movies of different types (silent, sound, black-and-white, and color), and all of them were associated with mysteries and high-professional techniques that influenced the work of other directors. In the middle of the 1920s, Hitchcock met his wife, Alma Reville, who became the closest collaborator and advisor (Andrews, 2018; Tanenhaus, 2012). Being nominated for the Academy Award as the Best Director, he never won but got an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 1967 (Andrews, 2018). He also accepted the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II and won such honors as the New York Film Critics Circle, Laurel Awards, and the British Academy Film Awards.

Directors Work Analysis

Editing

When people watch Hitchcock movies, they have no idea that one shot is a result of the editing of many images. Directors take responsibility for maintaining continuity between different cuts, following the 180^o and 30^orules, and entailing jumps forward and backward (Retchless, 2006). Psycho is one of the best examples of how editing combines shots to provide the viewer with a sense of continuity. The history of the main character, Marion, is perfectly presented from the moment she lies in bed to the decision to steal the money and run away. There are no words or explanations, but her feelings, doubts, and intentions are clear. A cross-cutting technique helps to demonstrate how Sam and Lila use different methods of discovering the truth about Marion at the same time (Sam is talking to Norman, and Lila investigates the house).

The scene of her murder in the bathroom consists of more than 80 cuts and 70 camera positions, creating a sense of fear and disorientation. An over-shoulder shot allows seeing the bathroom and a figure approaching the curtain. The use of low-angle shots underlines the power of Marion during the first seconds of the scene, but the change in atmosphere and the impossibility to resist the figure with a knife make her vulnerable, and high-angle shots are applied. Although no direct knife strikes and cuts on the skin are observed, there are no douisthat the woman is stabbed to death. Finally, jarring jump cuts and 180^o shifts (the position of Marion, either for or against the wall) provoke the feeling of a real fight and the impossibility to find a safe zone and avoid injuries.

In Vertigo, the power of editing is also great, starting from the first hypnotic spiral movements to understand the main idea of height fear and ending with Scottie, standing on the roof of the church. The hallucinatory effect was created with the help of a wide-angle zoom lens combined with a steady zoom and a dolly zoom that change lens angles while moving them toward and away from a particular subject in the opposite direction. This technique allows demonstrating the relative size of objects within the same frames. Another goal of an editor in the movie is to make the change of shots invisible (Retchless, 2006). The decision to introduce the story from Scotties perspective helps observe San Francisco, its roads, and places of interest, without thinking about how many shots and camera angles were applied to create the image.

Sound and Music

Sound and editing are the two closely connected techniques in moviemaking. According to Frantzolas (2016), all sounds people hear in movies are fake, apart from the dialogues of the characters. However, until a person does not know about a true source of the sound, some sort of tension is promoted, minimizing visual restrictions or other shortages (Frantzolas, 2016). For example, in Psycho, Hitchcock used casaba melons due to ttheirts dense and less hollow sound that resembles a perfect stabbing effect. Film music, or scoring, adds an extra dimension, heightens emotions, and makes the story memorable (Rider, 2016). The language of sound is complex, and Hitchcock, as no one else knew how to use it and present it to the viewer in its best mysterious way.

The cooperation between Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann (a famous American composer) resulted in the creation of two strong projects. An opening scene with credits in Psycho fascinates and scares at the same time. From the very first seconds, it becomes clear that this story should keep in tension. Every sound and music contribute to a better understanding of the story, and the example of when Marion takes the money and gathers her stuff to run can be analyzed. Not a word is spoken, just the background music and internal sounds like paper noise or shoulder rumbling.

In Vertigo, the purpose is to describe the feelings and emotions of humans who have acrophobia. The scene when a policeman falls to his death and Scottie sees it is based on sound changes to explain the mood of the character and the depth of a falling process. Still, one should underline that the use of silence is another distinctive feature of Hitchcock to impose fear and suspicion.

Cinematography

The cinematography of Alfred Hitchcock deserves a specific place in the history of moviemaking. One of the most difficult tasks of the 1950s moviemaking was the transition from black-and-white to color cinematography (Bitoun, 2015). A careful choice of colors is one of the most remarkable techniques in Vertigo. The movie begins with an application of a blue color to underline instability and sadness because of the lack of something in reality. There is Midge, whose color is yellow that is also associated with reality, not sad but stable and calm. Scotties color is red, specifying obsession, temper, love, and fear of heights. Finally, Madeline is represented in green when she first appears and travels, symbolizing supernatural and fake emotions. Her dark figure on the green background and the transformation in green smoke convey the necessity of doubtful but obligatory change.

In Vertigo and Psycho, Hitchcock managed to implement a number of cinematographic techniques and prove his work as a golden standard for future moviemakers. Despite the fact that Psychos villain is Norman, much attention is paid to Marion and her sister Lila who discovers the truth about the murderer. In Vertigo, the main character is Scottie, but his progress, changes, and emotions are closely related to Madeliene. In both movies, to keep suspicion, the director shows what he finds necessary to reveal at the moment. A viewer can hear voices but cannot see real people (Psycho) or can be high but develop no other feeling but fear due to acrophobia (Vertigo). As soon as the play button is pressed, there is no escape from Hitchcocks imagination and cinematographic power.

Camera Work as a Part of Cinematography

One of the most remarkable techniques in cinematography is the way of how the camera works. The choice of angles, the analysis of aspect ratios, and transitions that provoke fear or any other emotion are critical elements in any film (Filmmaker IQ, 2013). According to Kuhn and Westwell (2012), it is an integral part of the style of a movie that has to be properly combined with other elements like lighting, shot size, and framing. Hitchcock showed how the camera could be used in the interests of the director and the intention to keep a mystery.

In Psycho, Hitchcock used a variety of camera shots to provide the viewer with options and a fake belief that everything can be observed. For example, a medium shot when Marion drives a car creates an opportunity to investigate the background environment, eye-level shomakekes the viewer a participant in the conversation, and high-angle shots (like the one when Norman hides the body of his mother) aim at hiding the truth unintentionally. Almost the same purposes are followed in Vertigo when camera movements are carefully chosen to control the emotions and imagination of the viewer. When Scottie has to ascend the stairs for the first time, high-angle shots prove his inability to resist his disorder, and city panoramas underline the possibility of losing important details among a variety of available subjects.

Special Effects

In addition to properly chosen settings and actors, camera movements, and lighting, Hitchcock movies contain a number of successful special effects. These techniques include illusions or visual tricks that are not inherent to a normal state of affairs in the movie (Kuhn & Westwell, 2012). As a rule, special effects are used to strengthen emotions, cover some shortages, and underline the importance of some elements in the story.

Taking about the examples of special effects in Vertigo, one should remember the nightmare of the main character and the combination of animation, optical effects, and color changes. It was the period of computer animation birth in a motion picture, with flashing colors and a real projection of a graveyard. This technique properly completes the goal of entering a new world that differs from the real one. In Psycho, special effects are introduced in the form of the dissolve technique when Norman stares into the camera and slowly disappears, focusing attention on the mummys skull and teeth, which scares. The presence of all these elements and techniques proves that Hitchcock was a genius in his field and ready to present a new perspective of horror.

The Hays Code and Hitchcock Reaction

In 1930, the Hays Code, or the Motion Picture Production Code, was created. It aimed to establish several self-regulations and prohibit the elements that could lower the moral standards of American society (Kuhn & Westwell, 2012). A number of restrictions were put on nudity, language, violence, and crime in movies (Dirks, 2020). The rules were strict: crimes as wrong actions, no necked bodies, and no immoral behaviors. Talking about Hitchcock movies, the majority of these standards were broken. In Vertigo, Hitchcock introduced the bra, immoral behaviors (Madeline and Scotties kiss), and crime avoidance. To be approved by the committee, he created several scenes (no bras and Gavin being caught for his crimes) but discarded them in post-production editing. Psycho became a breakthrough in violating the Code and changed the moviemaking industry. In the film, there was everything, including a hotel room with a bed and sexual relationships before marriage, Leighs bra, a female criminal with a thorough description of a crime, nakedness, a flushing toilet, and a murder in a shower. Out-of-focus shots, B-rating, and no desire to change anything were the main components of Hitchcocks reaction.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that the first Hitchcock movies were created a century ago, they remain interesting and actual today. Psycho and Vertigo demonstrated a perfect combination of powerful cinematography techniques, professional editing, and the implementation of effective sound and optical effects. In the middle of the 1900s, the Hays Code influenced the filmmaking industry by imposing certain restrictions and regulations. Still, Hitchcock was not eager to follow those rules and managed to direct his films in a unique way. He had several extra scenes to demonstrate his intention to respect the Code. The technique of post-production editing provided an opportunity to return to his initial ideas and offered the work people could see today. His professionalism in camera work, sound choice, and cinematography made him worth the title the Master of Suspense.