Film as Literature: Hitchcock Unit

Film as Literature: We have begun the Hitchcock Unit with Vertigo! During this unit, students will practice identifying and explaining the use and purpose of montage, voyeurism, point of view, sound/music and pure cinema. In addition, they will continue to study the use of close-ups, medium-shots and long shots in film.

In addition to the study of film techniques, we will also discuss Hitchcock's use of reoccurring themes and symbols...and his reoccurring use of Jimmy Stewart!

Important to remember: Hitchcock began his career in silent films. We will continue to discuss how this impacted his career as a "talkie"director. Pure cinema, a term coined by Hitchcock, focuses on the film techniques and acting as the means to convey the story and experience of film, not the dialogue...could this be his silent film influence?

What is the significance of the spiral motif in Vertigo?