Film 131 History of Production
Midterm Essay – Hitchcock Analysis
The films of Alfred Hitchcock present the culmination of the first half of our historical
exploration of cinematic expression. Hitchcock made no secret of his studies and inspiration
during his growth and maturation as a filmmaker. Hitchcock perfected the form of the so-called
“Classical Hollywood Cinema.” For your midterm essay, you are to watch and analyze at least
two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock between 1943-1960.
I have uploaded several films on the course home page. Your assignment will be to discuss the
ways in which Hitchcock’s stylistic and aesthetic choices were influenced by and a product of
the first 50 years of cinematic experimentation, innovation, and standardization.
For example, how do you see the German Expressionist style in his directorial decision making?
Illustrate the ways in which the Soviet Montage experiments of 1+2=3 are present in his
crafting of the mental image. How does Hitchcock push the limits of sound as another element
of cinematic artistry? Do Hitchcock’s films challenge the Production Code’s restrictions? ETC.
Essentially, you are to draw connections between Hitchcock’s films and the historical material
we have explored in our course.
Your ultimate goal is to define your understanding of the culmination of classical Hollywood
cinema in the midpoint of the 20th century. Don’t be afraid to take an intellectual leap in your
discussion. How have the experiments and movements of the early 20th century synthesized
into Hitchcock’s creative choices? BE SPECIFIC. Provide clear examples from the films and
include textual citations to support your arguments and analysis.
Your paper must include textual research and citations to enhance your discussion and
understanding. You must use the course textbook. There are many interviews with Hitchcock
available online. However, THESE CANNOT BE YOUR ONLY SOURCE. There are also countless
reviews and articles written on him and the subjects we have covered in class thus far.
(WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A SOURCE). A good place to find scholarly articles and essays on Hitchcock
(and many other subjects) is Jstor.org. The films themselves do not count as sources. You
should ideally have quite a few sources from which to draw. A good selection would be the
textbook, a scholarly essay from Jstor, an interview with Hitchcock. That said, go beyond the
minimum. Your grade is partially based on the effort you put into research for the assignment.
Your paper should be in 12 point Times New Roman font, 4 – 5 pages in length, double-spaced,
and include a works cited page with at least 3 different sources. Your paper must be uploaded
(in docx or pdf format) to a dropbox on D2L by Wednesday May 4th at 6:00 pm.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
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Midterm Essay – Hitchcock Analysis
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