In this essay it will be explained how Alfred Hitchock used influences of Soviet Cinema, German Expressionism and Classical Hollywood and how this is evident through the production of the film Rebecca (Hitchock, 1940).
Alfred Hitchock believed that everything within a film should be less important than the technique used to film. In his quote “I am against virtuosity for its own sake. Technique should enrich the action...The beauty of image and movement, the rhythm, and the effects- everything must be subordinate to the purpose”. This quote describes how Hitchock chose to direct his films. He chose, like in Rebecca, to focus on the purpose and technique opposed to everything else. However he was filming a Hollywood film with David O. Selznick …show more content…
The film is a gothic thriller about a young, naive and plain woman who falls in love with a brooding aristocratic widower, Maxim de Winter. They get married and move into his estate called Manderley but while there the new bride begins to feel paranoia and fear caused by the memories and presence of Mr de Winter’s first wife Rebecca brought to surface through her loyal and trusted housekeeper Ms Danvers. The film ends with the discovery that Rebecca and Maxim’s marriage was built upon a lie and Rebecca in fact had cancer. Maxim killed her and dumped her boat and body in the sea and Ms Danvers burns down Manderley because she refuses to live with the fact that Maxim and the new Mrs de Winter live there and are happy (“Filmsite Movie Review”, n.d).
The film incorporates Classical Hollywood cinema, which focuses on finding a balance, symmetry and proportion (Fawell, 1959:41), immediately when the opening screen has a voiceover of woman’s speaking about Mandeley. She describes the drive up as well as the house itself. This is a characteristic of Classical Hollywood because it informs the audience at the beginning of the film where the duration of the film will be taking place as well as introduction the audience to a main character through her voice who is later found out to be Mrs de Winter and her name never given in the
Alfred Hitchock believed that everything within a film should be less important than the technique used to film. In his quote “I am against virtuosity for its own sake. Technique should enrich the action...The beauty of image and movement, the rhythm, and the effects- everything must be subordinate to the purpose”. This quote describes how Hitchock chose to direct his films. He chose, like in Rebecca, to focus on the purpose and technique opposed to everything else. However he was filming a Hollywood film with David O. Selznick …show more content…
The film is a gothic thriller about a young, naive and plain woman who falls in love with a brooding aristocratic widower, Maxim de Winter. They get married and move into his estate called Manderley but while there the new bride begins to feel paranoia and fear caused by the memories and presence of Mr de Winter’s first wife Rebecca brought to surface through her loyal and trusted housekeeper Ms Danvers. The film ends with the discovery that Rebecca and Maxim’s marriage was built upon a lie and Rebecca in fact had cancer. Maxim killed her and dumped her boat and body in the sea and Ms Danvers burns down Manderley because she refuses to live with the fact that Maxim and the new Mrs de Winter live there and are happy (“Filmsite Movie Review”, n.d).
The film incorporates Classical Hollywood cinema, which focuses on finding a balance, symmetry and proportion (Fawell, 1959:41), immediately when the opening screen has a voiceover of woman’s speaking about Mandeley. She describes the drive up as well as the house itself. This is a characteristic of Classical Hollywood because it informs the audience at the beginning of the film where the duration of the film will be taking place as well as introduction the audience to a main character through her voice who is later found out to be Mrs de Winter and her name never given in the