Alfred Hitchcock: The Legacy of Victorianism

by Paula Marantz Cohen

Overview

This provocative study traces Alfred Hitchcock's long directorial career from Victorianism to postmodernism. Paula Marantz Cohen considers a sampling of Hitchcock's best films—Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho—as well as some of his more uneven ones—Rope, The Wrong Man, Topaz—and makes connections between his evolution as a filmmaker and trends in the larger society.

Drawing on a number of methodologies including feminism, psychoanalysis, and family systems, the author provides an insightful look at the paradox of a Victorian-style gentleman who evolved into one of the leading masters of the modern medium of film. Cohen posits that Hitchcock's films are, in part, a masculine response to the domestic, psychological novels that had appealed primarily to women during the Victorian era. His career, she argues, can be seen as an attempt to balance "the two faces of Victorianism": the masculine legacy of law and hierarchy and the feminine legacy of feeling and imagination.

Cohen asserts that Hitchcock's films reflect his Victorian legacy and serve as a map for ideological trends. She charts his development from his British period through his classic Hollywood years into his later phase, tracing a conceptual evolution that corresponds to an evolution in cultural identity—one that builds on a Victorian inheritance and ultimately discards it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813151892
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Paula Marantz Cohen is Dean of the Pennoni Honors College and Distinguished Professor of English at Drexel University. She is the author of six nonfiction books on film, literature, and culture, and six novels, including the bestselling Jane Austen in Boca. Her most recent book is Of Human Kindness: What Shakespeare Teaches Us About Empathy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

1 The Rise of Narrative Film 10

2 Novel into Film: Sabotage 29

3 Psychoanalysis versus Surrealism: Spellbound 50

4 The Father-Daughter Plot: Shadow of a Doubt, Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train 67

5 Digression: Rope, I Confess 86

6 The Daughter's Effect: Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much 99

7 Transition: The Wrong Man, Vertigo 124

8 The Emergence of Mother: Psycho 142

9 Beyond the Family Nexus: Topaz, Frenzy, Family Plot 151

10 After Hitchcock 165

Notes 169

Index 189

Illustrations follow page 88

Editorial Reviews

A study of some of the director's best films (including Rear Window, Psycho, and Vertigo) and his more uneven ones (Topaz and Rope) that seeks out connections between Hitchcock's evolution as a filmmaker and trends in the larger society. Cohen (humanities and communications, Drexel U.) draws on feminism, psychoanalysis, family systems, and other methodologies to provide insights into the paradox of a Victorian- style gentleman who evolved into a master of the modern medium of film. His career, Cohen argues, was an attempt to balance the two faces of Victorianism: the masculine legacy of law and hierarchy and the feminine legacy of feeling and imagination. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Cohen knows her movies and moviemaking techniques.... This is a fun, learned, and provocative book, especially for Hitchcock buffs.

Rapport

A valuable contribution to Hitchcock studies.

Choice

"A valuable contribution to Hitchcock studies." — Choice

"Cohen knows her movies and moviemaking techniques.... This is a fun, learned, and provocative book, especially for Hitchcock buffs." — Rapport

From the Publisher