Alfred Hitchcock's Silent Films

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by Marc Raymond Strauss

Type

Studies

Subject

Director > Alfred Hitchcock

Keywords

Alfred Hitchcock, silent cinema, Great Britain

Publishing date

2004

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Collection

Silent Cinema

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 223 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN-10
ISBN-13

0-7864-1901-6
978-0-7864-1901-2

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Book Presentation:
Alfred Hitchcock called the silent “the purest form of cinema,” and the ten silent films he directed between 1925 and 1929 reveal the young director’s mature artistry. Hitchcock’s silents have often been characterized as the work of a talented amateur, a young director practicing his craft during a pre-sound era of antiquated instruments and poor film techniques—the director experimented with myriad points of view, unique camera angles and movements, and special effects such as dissolves, blurriness, and violent cuts. These films, however, contain the first appearances of some of his greatest and most familiar techniques: the vertigo-inducing crowd scene, the symbolic use of inanimate objects, the manipulation of the audience’s emotions, and the self-conscious, often macabre wit.

This work discovers Hitchcock’s early talent and skill through close readings of the films from The Pleasure Garden to the silent version of Blackmail, using shot-by-shot descriptions and interpretations. Each film’s chapter includes technical information, a summary of the critical response from the film’s release to the present, and detailed analysis of the camera techniques and themes Hitchcock uses.

About the Author:
Marc Raymond Strauss is a professor emeritus of theater and dance from Southeast Missouri State University.

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co

See the complete filmography of Alfred Hitchcock on the website: IMDB ...