Hitchcockian
 | This article needs more citations. (July 2009) |
Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock.
Characteristics
[edit] |
Elements frequently included in Hitchcock's films which lead to Hitchcockian comparisons include:
- Climactic plot twist.
- The cool platinum blonde.[1]
- The presence of a domineering mother in someone's life.[2]
- An innocent person accused (e.g. The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, Blackmail, Murder!/Mary, Young and Innocent, The 39 Steps)
- Restricting the action to a single setting to increase tension (e.g. Lifeboat, Rope, Rear Window).
- Characters who switch sides and/or who cannot be trusted.
- Tension building through suspense to the point where the audience enjoys seeing the character in a life-threatening situation (e.g. Vertigo).
- Average people thrust into strange or dangerous situations (e.g., Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Secret Agent).
- Bumbling or incompetent authority figures, particularly police officers.
- Use of darkness to symbolize impending doom (dark clothing, shadows, smoke, etc.; e.g. Rope)
- Strong visual use of famous landmarks (Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Forth Rail Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Albert Hall, British Museum, Piccadilly Circus, etc.)
- Mistaken identity (e.g. North by Northwest, Frenzy).
- The use of a staircase as a motif for impending danger or suspense.[3] (e.g. The Man Who Knew Too Much, Number Seventeen)
- Use of a MacGuffin plot device.[4]
- Referring to crime for mystery rather than presenting it explicitly (e.g. Dial M for Murder).
- Train scenes (e.g. North by Northwest, The Lady Vanishes, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, The 39 Steps).
- Bus scenes (e.g. Sabotage, To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much)
- Belfry/bell tower sequences (e.g. The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, Secret Agent)
- Rooftop-borne demises, especially from very tall buildings (e.g. To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Blackmail, Jamaica Inn)
- The color red provoking a fearful, and potentially self-destructive, reaction. (e.g. Rear Window, The Fourth Man (1983 film), Marnie)
- A beautiful woman needlessly embezzling her employer's money
- Voyeurism and surveillance.[5]
Notable examples
[edit]Some films, or films with scenes, considered Hitchcockian include:
- Gaslight (1944)[6]
- Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)[7]
- Niagara (1953)[8]
- 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)[9]
- Witness for the Prosecution (1957)[10][11]
- Chase a Crooked Shadow (1957)[12]
- Midnight Lace (1960)[13]
- Peeping Tom (1960)[14]
- Cape Fear (1962)[15]
- Charade (1963)[16]
- From Russia with Love (1963)[17]
- The Prize (1963)[18]
- Mirage (1965)[19]
- Arabesque (1966)[20]
- Blowup (1966)[21]
- Wait Until Dark (1967)[22][23]
- Duel (1971)[24]
- Play Misty for Me (1971)[25]
- Sisters (1972)[26]
- The Last of Sheila (1973)[27]
- Phantom of the Paradise (1974)[28]
- Jaws (1975)[29]
- Obsession (1976)[30]
- Halloween (1978)[31]
- Last Embrace (1979)[32]
- Dressed to Kill (1980)[33]
- Maniac (1980)
- Blow Out (1981)[34]
- Body Double (1984)[35]
- Blue Velvet (1986)[36]
- Fatal Attraction (1987)[37]
- Frantic (1988)[38]
- Arachnophobia (1990)[39]
- Misery (1990)[40]
- Cape Fear (1991)[15]
- Basic Instinct (1992)[41]
- Shallow Grave (1994) [42][43]
- 12 Monkeys (1995)[44][45]
- Bound (1996)[46][47]
- The Cable Guy (1996)[48]
- Double Jeopardy (1999)[49]
- What Lies Beneath (2000)[50]
- Mulholland Drive (2001)[51]
- Panic Room (2002)[52]
- Femme Fatale (2002)[53]
- Phone Booth (2002)[54]
- Disturbia (2007)[55]
- Bad Education (2004)[56]
- Funny Games (2007)[57]
- Passion (2012)[53]
- Side Effects (2013)[58][59][60]
- Stoker (2013)[61]
- Not Safe for Work (2014)[62]
- Crimson Peak (2015)[63]
- The Gift (2015)[64]
- Don't Breathe (2016)[65][23]
- Nocturnal Animals (2016)[66]
- A Kind of Murder (2016)[67]
- Split (2016)[68]
- Thoroughbreds (2017)[69]
- Gerald's Game (2017)[70]
- A Simple Favor (2018)[71]
- The Invisible Man (2020)
- Eileen (2023)
- Drop (2025)
Filmmakers
[edit]The following is a list of filmmakers who have directed multiple Hitchcockian films:
Films by country
[edit]Australia
[edit]France
[edit]- Les Diaboliques (1955)[82]
- Plein Soleil (1960)[83]
- The Bride Wore Black (1968)[84]
- La Piscine (1969)
- Mississippi Mermaid (1969)[84]
- Le Boucher (1970)[85]
- The Vanishing (1988)[86][87]
- Love Crime (2010)[88]
- Elle (2016)[89]
- Personal Shopper (2016)[90]
- L'Amant double (2017)[91]
Germany
[edit]India
[edit]- Andhadhun (2018)
- Sookshmadarshini (2024)
Italy
[edit]Netherlands
[edit]South Korea
[edit]- Mother (2009)[99]
- The Handmaiden (2016)[100]
- Decision to Leave (2022)[101]
Spain
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Franich, Darren. "'The Girl' and the Director: A guide to the Hitchcock Blondes". EW.com. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ Hiland, Dan (15 March 2023). "Hitchcock's Mother's". The House That Hitchcock Built. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ Hellerman, Jason. "How Hitchcock's Use of Stairs Was Different Than Any Other Director". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ Ostberg, René (29 December 2023). "MacGuffin | Definition, Origin, Hitchcock, Examples, & Facts". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ↑ Regis, Ralph (17 October 2023). "Dial M for Manipulation!". Medium. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ "Gaslight(s)". 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ↑ Lowry, Andrew (1 June 2014). "The 20 Best Home Invasion Movies of All Time". Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ↑ "Henry Hathaway: 10 essential films". 13 March 2018.
- ↑ "23 Paces to Baker Street DVD | Classic Movies | Films by Movie Mail UK". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
- ↑ "MoMA - Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution". www.moma.org.
- ↑ "Witness for the Prosecution (1957)" – via www.imdb.com.
- ↑ "Chase a Crooked Shadow: Dark Secrets! | The Navhind Times | Goa News | Goanews". www.navhindtimes.in.
- ↑ "Midnight Lace". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
- ↑ Charles Barr, Vertigo (London: BFI, 2002)
- 1 2 "Cape Fear: 1991 vs. 1962". 10 June 2012.
- ↑ Greydanus, Steven D. "Charade (1963) - Decent Films - SDG Reviews".
- ↑ Mcgilligan, Patrick (September 14, 2004). "Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light". Harper Collins – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Prize The (1963) – full review! - Classic Film Guide". www.classicfilmguide.com.
- ↑ Johnson, Ted (27 February 1992). "'Mirage': A Hitchcock-Like Thriller Not Easily Forgotten". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ↑ Dfordoom (11 September 2014). "Classic Movie Ramblings: Arabesque (1966)".
- ↑ "Freedom, revolt and pubic hair: Why Antonioni's Blow-Up thrills 50 years on". TheGuardian.com. 10 March 2017.
- ↑ "Wait Until Dark: Audrey Hepburn's Non-Hitchcock Hitchcock Film". www.alfredhitchcockgeek.com. 19 July 2012.
- 1 2 "Don't Breathe is a ruthlessly efficient, claustrophobic terror machine". 25 August 2016.
- ↑ "Duel (1971) - Creative Criticism". creativecriticism.net.
- ↑ "Play Misty for Me – Eastwood does Hitchcock". 9 July 2012.
- ↑ Rickey, Carrie. "Sisters: Psycho-Thriller, Qu'est-ce Que C'est?". Criterion. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "DVD and Blu-ray - Slant Magazine". www.slantmagazine.com. 11 May 2024.
- ↑ Sherlock, Ben (11 December 2022). "The Success Of Rocky Horror Overshadowed Another Great '70s Horror Comedy Musical". Game Rant. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "Jaws: The Hitchcockian Blockbuster | Diorama". Archived from the original on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
- ↑ "'Obsession': When De Palma Stepped Out of Hitchcock's Shadow". 2 May 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ↑ "How Alfred Hitchcock inspired John Carpenter's 'Halloween'". 25 October 2021.
- ↑ "Last Embrace - Blu-ray Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. 20 October 2014.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger. "Dressed to Kill movie review & film summary (1980)". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ Yorker, The New (11 June 2010). "DVR Alert: Blow Out". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ Brody, Richard (11 June 2010). "DVR Alert: Blow Out". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "How Blue Velvet reflects the voyeuristic gaze of Rear Window". Lwlies.com. 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
- ↑ Cassidy, Suzanne (24 June 1990). "FILM; James Dearden's Latest Fatal Attraction". The New York Times.
- ↑ Howe, Desson (Feb 26, 1988). "'Frantic' (R)". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ↑ "18 Creepy Facts about Arachnophobia". 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "Misery - The Psychology of a Stalker (Blu-Ray) REVIEW - Cultured Vultures". 21 November 2017.
- ↑ we're fighting back on Basic Instinct[link removed]: "Basic Instinct owes a lot to Hitchcock's Vertigo, and the homage is so obvious as to be a bit embarrassing."
- ↑ "Shallow Grave". Criterion. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ↑ Goble, Blake; Roffman, Michael; Gerber, Justin (10 February 2015). "DNA: Shallow Grave (1995)". Consequence. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ↑ "…Hitchcockian…" — 12 Monkeys review from Time Out Film Guide Archived 2009-03-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 'A time-travel thriller that dares to compare itself to Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo."… actually pays back its debt to Hitchcock…' — Salon.com Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Schickel, Richard (October 27, 1996). "No Gag". Time. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
- ↑ LaSalle, Mick (October 4, 1996). "Darkly Witty 'Bound' a Taut Noir Caper". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 30, 2002. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
- ↑ Kehr, Dave (25 February 2011). "Jim Carrey as the Id Unleashed a Bit Before Its Time". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger. "Double Jeopardy Movie Review & Film Summary (1999) - Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com.
- ↑ Levy, Emanuel (16 July 2000). "What Lies Beneath".
- ↑ Cwik, Greg (16 April 2015). "9 Great Films Influenced By Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'".
- ↑ "Review: 'Panic Room' Screams Hitchcock". Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
- 1 2 Goldstein, Patrick (17 September 2002). "Defensive? Him?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ "The Film Canon: Phone Booth (2002) | the Young Folks". 28 February 2016.
- ↑ "Disturbia (2007) – Deep Focus Review – Movie Reviews, Critical Essays, and Film Analysis". Archived from the original on 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger. "Bad Education movie review & film summary (2004)". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ↑ Wray, John (23 September 2007). "Minister of Fear". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ↑ "Side Effects: Making of Hitchcockian Thriller - Emanuel Levy". www.emanuellevy.com.
- ↑ "Steven Soderbergh's 'Side Effects': A 'Hitchcock mindf---'".
- ↑ "Side Effects is Steven Soderbergh's post-modern Hitchcock thriller". honeycuttshollywood.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Park Chan-wook does Hitchcock by way of de Palma in the stylish Stoker". The A.V. Club. 19 October 2020.
- ↑ "Not Safe for Work (2014)" – via letterboxd.com.
- ↑ Kermode, Mark; critic, Observer film (18 October 2015). "Crimson Peak review – an American in fear of the Lake District". The Guardian. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ↑ Holden, Stephen (6 August 2015). "Review: 'The Gift,' a Stalker Thriller That Isn't What It Seems". The New York Times.
- ↑ "[Repost Review] 'Don't Breathe' Is Like Hitchcock On Crack! - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. 24 August 2016.
- ↑ "'Nocturnal Animals' Review: Tom Ford's Complex Suspense Thriller Is Worthy Of Hitchcock". Deadline Hollywood. 15 November 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ↑ "'A Kind Of Murder' Brings Hitchcock To The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival [REVIEW]". International Business Times. 22 April 2016.
- ↑ "Split review – James McAvoy is 23 shades of creepy in M Night Shyamalan chiller - Film - The Guardian". Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- ↑ Lemire, Christy (2018-03-09). "Thoroughbreds movie review & film summary (2018)". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ↑ "Film Review: 'Gerald's Game'". 25 September 2017.
- ↑ "Review: 'A Simple Favor,' with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, is a Delicious Adult Thriller". Forbes.
- ↑ Rafferty, Terrence (June 2008). "Blood Not So Simple, From Dario Argento, Italy's Hitchcock". The New York Times.
- ↑ Taylor, Drew (19 March 2013). "Park Chan-wook Talks Differences Between Korean & American Films, How 'Stoker' Fits In With His Filmography & More".