(Hitchcock, Shadow of a Doubt (1942), Hitchcock, Strangers on a Train Essay

(Hitchcock, Shadow of a Doubt (1942), Hitchcock, Strangers on a Train (1951)and Hitchcock, The Lady Vanishes) - Essay Example In his career he pioneered a number of techniques that improved the quality of films in the psychological thriller and suspense genres (Bays). Over six decades, Hitchcock directed over fifty feature films both at the British cinema and in Hollywood. This does not mean that his career was smooth all the way in fact most of his first films did not do so well. According to Donald Spoto (1976), Hitchcock’s first seventeen films did not receive much recognition as they were more of historical curiosities (8). In Donald’s text he indicates that Hitchcock’s career took a leap for the better starting from 1935, which saw him produce and direct great pieces of art (Spoto 9). Throughout his career he produced a wide range of remarkable films. It would take a long time if one was to analyze all the best films by Hitchcock. However, for the purpose of this essay we get to analyze three of his best classics. This includes the 1942 Shadow of a Doubt followed by the 1951 Strang ers on a Train and the 1938 The lady vanishes. These great films were shot using unique styles that captures the viewers’ attention leading into a lot of suspense, mystery and admiration for the good work. The interesting part with Hitchcock is that for each composition and scene in the films, he knew who to work with for him to produce the best results. He went to the extent of seeking German and British technicians just to get the right image and the perfect shot. The German technicians helped him bring out unique techniques such as bring in the right â€Å"silent shrieks†, expressionist lighting, angular shadows and disturbing mirror reflections (Spoto 29). Some of his famous contributions to the film industry also include the feel of â€Å"voyeurism†; a technique where the camera’s movement imitates a person’s gaze and thus engaging the viewer more to the scenes (Bays, n. p.). Shadow of a Doubt is one of Hitchcock’s’ great masterp iece, shot in 1943 the films themes revolved around psychological thriller a genre in which most of his movies were categorized. After gaining a positive audience and a grand reception for the film all over the nation; the film was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Story category. In 1991, the US national Film Registry selected to be part of the Library of Congress as its theme portrayed historical and cultural significance (McDevitt and Juan 158). The movie features a grand opening image which involves a perfect synchronization scene of a couple twirling with Merry Widow Waltz in the background. Perfection in the image goes on throughout the film with other outstanding scenes such as detective strides flawlessly matching with the background music as uncle Charlie is being trailed (McLaughin 147). Shadow of a Doubt’s features such as the beautiful filming and suggestive lighting all portray the stunning advances of style and technique by Hitchcock. The director creat es amazing camera angles that form unparalleled portrayal of emotion in the characters. Using sharp editing and camera close-ups, Hitchcock gives an emphasis on Uncle Charlie’s sinister nature in the scene where Uncle Charlie and Charlotte have dinner and Charlotte behaves in an erratic manner. As a psychological thr