Alfred Hitchcock Psychology Essay

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Alfred Hitchcock, the incredible director who brilliantly integrated sex, humor and suspense in his movies passed away over three decades ago. Despite the thirty years since his death, the legacy of films he made continues. His work has influenced many of the great directors today, and inspired the foundation of the spin off television series Bates Motel. To better interpret the films he created, it is essential to understand the creator of them and examine how his past life traumas and deep inner-thoughts in reality transpired through the fictitious worlds that he created on the big screen. Hitchcock, whether consciously or subconsciously, portrayed his frustrations, fears, and fantasies with the opposite sex through his leading actors and films. This ultimatley allows us to take a look at his past. One may speculate what kind of trauma sparks such actions? When Hitchcock was five years old, his father sent him down to the local police station with a note, and after the chief of police read the piece of paper he locked the young boy in a cell for five to ten minutes, declaring as he finally arrived back to unlock it that “this is what we do to naughty boys” (Scott 5). The effect of this stunt was devastating. It is fair to assume the director developed detrimental anxiety from being locked up in a police cell at the tender age of five. Imagine the frustration one might endure if they saw the world as a place that they did not belong in. Perhaps if Hitchcock were alive today, he could provide us with some answers, however luckily he provides these answers through his films. Jeanne Allen, author of the journal "The Representation of Violence to Women: Hitchcock's "Frenzy", explains that, "Hitchcock...traces a life of obsessi... ... middle of paper ... ... have been conscious of his darker demons, they definitely surfaced in characters such as Marnie, Norman Bates and others. Perchance Hitchcock was a prisoner in his own mind, and to deal with his inner demons, he relieved them by doing what he did best, creating films. He couldn't yell out in his own voice so he uses the many voices that he created himself. Despite his personal shortcomings, Hitchcock proved to be one of the great masters of filmmaking and earned himself the title "King of Suspense". Throughout his seemingly endless amount of films, he showed us that people are never quite what they seem. If we are to honor him, it is best to remember him as the great filmmaker he was. Whilst the debate continues about whether or not the great film creator was or was not disturbed, one thing is for sure; Hitchcock was one of the most talented directors of all time.

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