Marisa Pearce
An auteur in the world of cinema exists to show creative, stylistic vision that is unique to their own. Through lighting, musical score, and cinematography, both Alfred Hitchcock and Truffaut exhibit the true definition of auteur theory. Specifically, Psycho and The 400 Blows demonstrate the true craft of a signature style that influences and defines a certain genre of film. Truffault spearheaded the French New Wave movement with his use of film stock, mood, and unique character perspective, whereas Hitchcock ushered in the use of suspense and surprise in the Horror movie genre. Both are visionaries who led the way for film in the future. In the movie Psycho, Hitchcock delves into the world of a voyeur, with his mise-en-scene …show more content…
In the shower scene, the bathroom is illuminatingly white, and the sound of the shower is loud and covers up any other sound. As the woman begins to take her shower, the string orchestra music wells up, echo-y and increasing in tension and volume. The artform of suspense is a signature of Hitchcock and he demonstrates the technique effectively. When Norman Bates, disguised as his mother, ends up stabbing the woman, the scene is distorted and confusing for the audience. Much information is left out, with the dramatic and sudden cutting of camera angles and the close ups of the woman's face in sheer terror. Another element Hitchcock uses, which makes his a juggernaut of his time in the world of Horror Film, is his use of psychological suspense to build up the audiences surprise. The use of music in Psycho ramps up the audience's heart rate as though the music indicates something surprising is about to unfold. The most suspenseful and surprising plot point of the movie is when the woman is snooping around Norman's mothers house and she wanders into the cellar. …show more content…
The 400 Blows is a unique example of Truffaut's unique stylistic approach. As Truffaut delves into a form of film making that is, at the time, different and explorative, so is his movie. The film is about the transgressions of childhood and of confines, structure, rules, and norms, just as the movie exemplifies that in the unique and avant-gaurde way it was make. The grainy fast film stock used in the movie makes the film easier to be shot in low light and in intimate scenes of night where Antoine is shown alone wandering the streets of Paris. The interior scenes of the movie are compact and claustrophobic, such as Antoine's home and school. This is a tactic of Truffaut, hinting that Antoine is being suppressed by the limitations of authority. Whereas, when Antoine is outside in the world, the exterior scenes are exciting and energetic where traffic and characters haphazardly flow in and out of a shot. There is a striking contract between the interior of the classroom and the wide open possibilities of the exterior. Even the music changes. Inside is silent and placid, whereas outside the music is floaty and whimsical. Unique to Truffaut too is the perspective in which the movie is shot. The movie is shot on the side of Antoine. The perspective of the movie is to view the parents and teacher as cruel and punishing, and Antoine's companion friend as a savior and of hope. Realism leads this movie
An auteur in the world of cinema exists to show creative, stylistic vision that is unique to their own. Through lighting, musical score, and cinematography, both Alfred Hitchcock and Truffaut exhibit the true definition of auteur theory. Specifically, Psycho and The 400 Blows demonstrate the true craft of a signature style that influences and defines a certain genre of film. Truffault spearheaded the French New Wave movement with his use of film stock, mood, and unique character perspective, whereas Hitchcock ushered in the use of suspense and surprise in the Horror movie genre. Both are visionaries who led the way for film in the future. In the movie Psycho, Hitchcock delves into the world of a voyeur, with his mise-en-scene …show more content…
In the shower scene, the bathroom is illuminatingly white, and the sound of the shower is loud and covers up any other sound. As the woman begins to take her shower, the string orchestra music wells up, echo-y and increasing in tension and volume. The artform of suspense is a signature of Hitchcock and he demonstrates the technique effectively. When Norman Bates, disguised as his mother, ends up stabbing the woman, the scene is distorted and confusing for the audience. Much information is left out, with the dramatic and sudden cutting of camera angles and the close ups of the woman's face in sheer terror. Another element Hitchcock uses, which makes his a juggernaut of his time in the world of Horror Film, is his use of psychological suspense to build up the audiences surprise. The use of music in Psycho ramps up the audience's heart rate as though the music indicates something surprising is about to unfold. The most suspenseful and surprising plot point of the movie is when the woman is snooping around Norman's mothers house and she wanders into the cellar. …show more content…
The 400 Blows is a unique example of Truffaut's unique stylistic approach. As Truffaut delves into a form of film making that is, at the time, different and explorative, so is his movie. The film is about the transgressions of childhood and of confines, structure, rules, and norms, just as the movie exemplifies that in the unique and avant-gaurde way it was make. The grainy fast film stock used in the movie makes the film easier to be shot in low light and in intimate scenes of night where Antoine is shown alone wandering the streets of Paris. The interior scenes of the movie are compact and claustrophobic, such as Antoine's home and school. This is a tactic of Truffaut, hinting that Antoine is being suppressed by the limitations of authority. Whereas, when Antoine is outside in the world, the exterior scenes are exciting and energetic where traffic and characters haphazardly flow in and out of a shot. There is a striking contract between the interior of the classroom and the wide open possibilities of the exterior. Even the music changes. Inside is silent and placid, whereas outside the music is floaty and whimsical. Unique to Truffaut too is the perspective in which the movie is shot. The movie is shot on the side of Antoine. The perspective of the movie is to view the parents and teacher as cruel and punishing, and Antoine's companion friend as a savior and of hope. Realism leads this movie