Alfred Hitchcock and the Eye of the Beholder Voyeurism & Metacinema in Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Clark, Maribeth

Keywords

Film, Cinematography, Suspense

Area of Concentration

Humanities

Abstract

This thesis examines the prevalence of voyeurism and the use of metacinematic techniques in the films of Alfred Hitchcock. The three films used to illustrate this are Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), and Psycho (1960), each of which was produced in the United States during Hitchcock's most prolific period. The subjects addressed within the thesis include various recurring motifs, such as the camera's numerous presentation of watchful eyes and Hitchcock's predilection for unusual gender construction, as well as frequently utilized cinematic techniques, such as the use of subjective camera angles in aligning the audience with a particular character. By creating an awareness of the relationships between the watching and the watched within his films, Hitchcock drew his audiences into his work by involving them directly in his subtextual discourse on voyeurism. The results are films that are not only frightening for the viewer, but also engaging subjects for academic analysis.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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