Alfred Hitchcock Use Of Suspense Essay

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“In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed.”-Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock, also known as the master of suspense, uses narration and setting to prove that a genuine relationship cannot develop without honesty.
Hitchcock uses restricted and unrestricted narration throughout the entire film. The use of these, allows the producer to create a feeling of suspense or surprise when the audience views the film. An example of Hitchcock creating a suspenseful scene is when eve sells out Roger thornhill to Vandamm on the train. The audience knows
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In the beginning of the film, Hitchcock puts the audience in new York City, in the middle of a busy sidewalk, and introduces us to Roger thornhill. The traffic and honking of cars makes the viewer feel very busy and rushed. Roger then needs a taxi cab and in order to get one he lies to a man about to get in a taxi by telling him his secretary is very sick. When the secretary asked him to explain why he lied he says that he wasn’t lying but it was “expedient exaggeration”. This sets up Roger as a character that is prone to lying, and by lying this much he will not be able to establish a genuine relationship with anyone. The use of setting can also be seen while Roger, the professor, and eve are in the forest near Mount rushmore, after Eve shot Roger with a blank round. While in the dense forest Roger learns that he can no longer be with Eve because she has to get on a plane with Vandamm that is leaving for Russia. When Roger hears the news he looks at Eve and says, Why did you lie to me? As soon as Roger says this, in the woods of south Dakota, Alfred Hitchcock puts Roger in a place to have a life changing experience. Roger learns that consistently lying and holding information from people can really hurt someone. This major transformation is a key point in the film, because it truly brings together the point that without honesty you cannot have a genuine