Suspense Suspenseful situations are thrills that base jumpers, roller coaster fanatics, and movie enthusiasts all possess. It is this suspense that they all seek, and it is especially common in Alfred Hitchcock’s films in which the most enticing moments are lurking around the corner. Specifically in Strangers on the Train, Hitchcock uniquely rolls out the drama by both expanding and contracting the audience’s knowledge as well as the characters’ knowledge. More precisely yet, Hitchcock alludes to actions that seem imminent, but are purposely withheld until the climax. One scene in particular that succeeds in building up suspense is the scene in which Guy arrives at the Antony mansion to murder Bruno’s father. Through non-plot related uses
…show more content…
The mise-en-scene, in particular the lighting, can subconsciously lead the audience to get cold feet as a character enters a strange new place. Several key features during this scene was the presentation characters of with respect to light. Since the whole scene occurs at night, not much light is present so Hitchcock had to be precise on how to effectively use the key light to convey the narrative form. One specific example that created shock among the audience is when the bedside lamp revealed that Bruno was actually under the covers and not Mr. Antony. Aside from illumination of the characters, the Antony guard dog has a strange lighting effect applied to it. When the audience is first shown the dog, the lighting makes him appear blonde, but when we see Guy’s perspective of the guard, it looks more ferocious than the audience’s first glimpse of it because the dog has lost its light source which now gives it a dark appearance. Generally, anything that is growling and in the dark creates fear, and this creates great fear in both the audience and Guy who are worried for his well-being. Darkening a character or animal does not always create this effect though. In two instances during this scene, Guy’s face was masked by a shadow. The first occurring while he was telling unintentionally telling Bruno about how he was crazy, while the second instance happened right before the scene ended while Guy is
The mise-en-scene, in particular the lighting, can subconsciously lead the audience to get cold feet as a character enters a strange new place. Several key features during this scene was the presentation characters of with respect to light. Since the whole scene occurs at night, not much light is present so Hitchcock had to be precise on how to effectively use the key light to convey the narrative form. One specific example that created shock among the audience is when the bedside lamp revealed that Bruno was actually under the covers and not Mr. Antony. Aside from illumination of the characters, the Antony guard dog has a strange lighting effect applied to it. When the audience is first shown the dog, the lighting makes him appear blonde, but when we see Guy’s perspective of the guard, it looks more ferocious than the audience’s first glimpse of it because the dog has lost its light source which now gives it a dark appearance. Generally, anything that is growling and in the dark creates fear, and this creates great fear in both the audience and Guy who are worried for his well-being. Darkening a character or animal does not always create this effect though. In two instances during this scene, Guy’s face was masked by a shadow. The first occurring while he was telling unintentionally telling Bruno about how he was crazy, while the second instance happened right before the scene ended while Guy is