Hitchcockian

Hitchcockian films are those made with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock's films.

Characteristics [edit]

Elements considered Hitchcockian include:

The cool platinum blonde.
The presence of a domineering mother in her child's life (e.g. Psycho).
An innocent man accused.
Restricting the action to a single setting to increase tension (e.g. Lifeboat, Rear Window, Rope).
Characters who switch sides 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, the windmill scene in Foreign Correspondent).
Average people thrust into strange or dangerous situations (e.g. North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much).
Bumbling or incompetent authority figures, particularly police officers.
Use of darkness to symbolise impending doom (dark clothing, shadows, smoke, etc.)
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, The Wrong Man).
The use of a staircase as a motif for impending danger or suspense.
Use of a macguffin or plot device that remains unexplained (e.g. the microfilm in North by Northwest).
Referring to crime for mystery rather than presenting it explicitly (e.g. Dial M for Murder, Alfred Hitchcock Presents).

Aside from Hitchcock's own films, some films or scenes considered Hitchockian include:

Michael Walker (2005), Hitchcock's motifs, Amsterdam University Press, ISBN 978-90-5356-773-9

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