Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Citizen Kane is undoubtedly one the world's most famous and highly-rated film. Its use of cinematic techniques, narrative techniques and experimental innovations in the areas of photography, editing, and sound brings the narrative to life and entices our engagement throughout the motion picture. Citizen Kane’s director, star, and producer were all the same genius individual - Orson Welles. Throughout this essay, I will look at such cinematic techniques used in the sequence “Young Charles…

Tim Burt and Robert Altman: Auteurs of the 20th Century All generations have produced their own Auteurs. All who have their own distinct creative ideas and procedures that allow them to create visually and auditory striking films. Two prestigious auteurs from the 20th century who have been recognized for their creative genius and their own unique style are Robert Altman and Tim Burton. Both directors have their own distinct style and approach to film making. Both of these directors are…

All through the ages Hollywood has been gifted with many directors who have been able to create Hollywood magic for many people sitting in dark movie theaters. One of these memorable directors was Frank Capra who died on September 3, 1991 at the age of 94. He was a leading director in the 1930s and 1940s and made many memorable movies like the popular Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Other classic movies included “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. Frank…

A dry, withered part of the world, for the most part, is established by the film’s mise-en-scene in Hell or High Water. From the dull colors of the cars and houses to the sea of lifeless yellow grass, it’s apparent the interactions between people, contrasted with the monotonous setting, are highlighted as an integral way the mise-en-scene reveals the characters. With the setting emphasizing their isolation, the mise-en-scene invites the viewer to empathize with the hardships the characters face…

Welles used sound to establish and further enhance the viewer’s attention to the meanings of what is portrayed on screen. Another impressive use of sound in Citizen Kane is the sequence after the end of the newsreel announcing the death of Kane. We are exposed to a room, dimly lit and shallow (unlike the deep and wide banquet room), full of men. The camera focuses on Mr. Rawlston, who, while he speaks, performs a myriad of motions towards and against the camera – all of which are enhanced…

creation. In contrast, the auteur of commerce manipulates the preconceived public image of the author, “the promotion of a certain intentional self” (Corrigan, 102), to commercially control the public’s awareness and understanding of the piece. Corrigan presents a different approach to authorship, an ideology that dates further back to the conception of the auteur theory and its desire to place credit upon the director, which counters his fellow theorists Bernstein and Schatz. Corrigan refutes…

The world of film is a place where two senses collide—hearing and sight. Being able to watch characters maneuver through life as the story unfolds is just part of the experience. When sound is added to the mix, an entirely different dimension to the adventure is created. This feature is capable of propelling the viewer even deeper within the plot; it can stop a person in their tracks, preparing them for what is to come. Sound guides the viewer from one scene to the next and creates anticipation.…

The setting plays an extremely central role in that it sets up the tone for the story. The great detail Eggers provides really puts the audience in his eyes where we can see what he is seeing. The descriptive details made me feel like I was watching a movie with extravagant scenery rather than reading words on a white piece of paper. Eggers describes the company's building as, "30 feet high [that] shot through with California light . . . the front hall was as . . . tall as a cathedral." Every…

The Big Sleep is an film noir, which was pioneering in crime drama tropes and style. The film utilizes editing techniques and camera work to convey a intricate narrative. One of the most interesting scenes to me was in the opening of the film when Marlowe is talking to General Sternwood which really introduces the main character through his interactions with the old man. The scene also makes good use of the 180-degree rule, shot/reverse shot, and eyeline matching which makes the dialogue between…

The cinematography is one of the things that stands out most in the movie Vertigo. Not only is the vertigo effect (dolly zoom) fun and intriguing, but even from the beginning of the film, the shots really stand out and are very different from anything we’ve seen in Hitchcock’s earlier films. I liked watching the way the film transitioned from sepia to red and the various zooms to different parts of Madeleine’s face, then to the rotating symbols. All of this seemed very symbolic to me. The sepia…