Alfred Hitchcock was a masterful manipulator of film techniques to enhance the gothic atmosphere in Rebecca. He uses various techniques to manifest the atmosphere and genre that he wants to convey to the viewers. His use of film noir incorporated into many of the scenes reflects the mysterious and suspicious environment around the protagonist, The second Mrs DeWinter. Hitchcock portrays the character of the damsel in distress through his specific stage directions and thus he utilises his role as the director to control the camera to portray an eerie atmosphere. The distinct techniques, analysed clearly impart the gothic genre.
The cinematic film technique; film noir accentuates the menacing environment or character that is portrayed to …show more content…
The wide shot of Manderley in the beginning of the film, emphasises its large size and thus makes the viewers feel threatened because of how immensely huge it is. As the camera is fixed, and focused with a long shot on the second Mrs DeWinter walking up the stairs and towards a glass window that is extremely foggy and ghost like. This cloudy and ghostly effect reminds the audience of the paranormal beings that could be present in Manderley. This effect coupled with the long shot makes the second Mrs DeWinter look small and as she walks towards this window, it represents how she is metaphorically walking into a life that is unclear and confusing. Additionally, Hitchcock places emphasis on the waves of the ocean that crash against the rocks as the panning camera returns to the water fairly often during the film. This recurring motif is a harsh sound, manifested towards the climax of the film when Mrs Danvers is convincing the second Mrs DeWinter to jump out the window. It heightens her distressed emotions from being humiliated and thus evokes a level of anger from the viewers as they feel exasperation towards the sinister lady, Mrs Danvers. Hitchcock uses his role as the director to control the camera to place emphasis on certain aspects of the scenes that may appear to be
The cinematic film technique; film noir accentuates the menacing environment or character that is portrayed to …show more content…
The wide shot of Manderley in the beginning of the film, emphasises its large size and thus makes the viewers feel threatened because of how immensely huge it is. As the camera is fixed, and focused with a long shot on the second Mrs DeWinter walking up the stairs and towards a glass window that is extremely foggy and ghost like. This cloudy and ghostly effect reminds the audience of the paranormal beings that could be present in Manderley. This effect coupled with the long shot makes the second Mrs DeWinter look small and as she walks towards this window, it represents how she is metaphorically walking into a life that is unclear and confusing. Additionally, Hitchcock places emphasis on the waves of the ocean that crash against the rocks as the panning camera returns to the water fairly often during the film. This recurring motif is a harsh sound, manifested towards the climax of the film when Mrs Danvers is convincing the second Mrs DeWinter to jump out the window. It heightens her distressed emotions from being humiliated and thus evokes a level of anger from the viewers as they feel exasperation towards the sinister lady, Mrs Danvers. Hitchcock uses his role as the director to control the camera to place emphasis on certain aspects of the scenes that may appear to be