Essay Database

Over the course of the semester we have seen thirteen different films by director Alfred Hitchcock. In viewing these films we have analyzed and interpreted virtually every aspect of them in an effort to understand what Hitchcock is trying to do and say. In doing so we have been able to establish certain patterns in Hitchcock’s work. These patterns are the building block of film analysis. We first look for patterns in individual movies …

…see the knife actually make contact with Marion. Finally he uses editing to emulate the nature of the birds in The Birds. His frenetic editing used when the birds attack is supposed to be indicative of both the nature of the attack and what it is like to be the victim of such an attack. These are all examples of how Hitchcock both takes advantage of and plays to the strengths of the cinematic medium.