How Does Hitchcock Build Suspense In Strangers On A Train

“Cinema is simply pieces of film put together in a manner that creates ideas and emotions.” This quote by Alfred Hitchcock is portrayed in Strangers on a Train when Bruno kills Miriam. In Strangers on a Train, Bruno and Guy meet on a train and Bruno believes he made an agreement to swap murders with Guy. The sequence in which Hitchcock uses excellent montage depicts Bruno following Miriam on a boat through the tunnel and to the secluded island where Bruno strangles Miriam. The suspense and anticipation created through the montage in this sequence are constructed through multiple techniques, which include Hitchcock’s use of sound, time, and editing. Thesis
This sequence of suspense begins at the carnival with Bruno following Miriam on the boat before they reach the tunnel. The setting of the carnival is supposed to be fun and light hearted but in this sequence this feeling is lost because the viewer knows Bruno’s …show more content…
When the view goes to the end of the tunnel and anticipate the boats coming out, Miriam suddenly screams. Before the boats come out of the tunnel, the audience gets the idea that Bruno killed Miriam. Hitchcock even has a pause before the group starts laughing and appear again at the end of the tunnel. The thought of being killed in a place meant for love and happiness is distressing; so when the boats finally come out the other side of the tunnel, the audience gets the relief they seek while the anxiousness and anticipation grows. When the shot finally switches when Bruno’s boat comes out of the tunnel, this is the first time a shot dissolves into another. This dissolve is used to portray the time that has went passed while any other time a continuous editing was happening to not distract from the story. The incoming shot is a view of the boats coming to the island, timed to show Bruno pull up and exit right after Miriam’s