Beginning Paragraph (Updated still needs tweeking!)

 

Practice essay on Hitchcock

The topic I have decided to focus on is “How Hitchcock portrays women as disposable” I have chosen this area because I personally love Alfred Hitchcock as a director and I think the genre he is known for is extremely exciting. My focus film is the controversially shocking “ Psycho 1960” I think this film really reinforces my hypothesis for example the leading lady Janet Leigh is brutally murdered with in the first 45 minutes of the classic horror. If this doesn’t scream disposable I don’t know what does. Also another scene that really caught my eye was the scene where Marion Crane and Sam loomis are discussing him leaving his wife for her I honestly believe this shows just how Hitchcock disposes women over and over again. It could be suggesting that Hitchcock believes it’s okay to have affairs and just dump women when they are no longer seen as his play toy. My supporting films are “the Birds” and “Frenzy I chose these films because I think they fit in nicely with “psycho” and really back up my topic. I think Frenzy will be vital to my research task because there is some very important scenes for example Brenda runs a matchmaking service which I thinks relates back to my hypothesis because I think this could suggest that Hitchcock sees women as objects and sources of fame and fortune.

Other sources of research that I will be exploring is autobiographies because I believe this will be reliable research and really show Hitchcock as a person and what he really thinks of women. I have also found interviews/articles with the leading ladies because I think it will give me an idea how Hitchcock treat them. I have found an article about Janet Leigh she clearly states “Whatever I put you in, the audience would immediately think of “psycho” it wouldn’t be fair to the picture or the character.” This is a direct quote from Hitchcock himself stating that he would never work with Janet Leigh again which I feel it reinforces the fact that Hitchcock sees women as replaceable. I also found an article from Tippi Hedren who quoted that she thought Hitchcock was a "sexual predator". I have found articles and news clippings against Hitchcock but also articles that prove him innocent such as story wrote about him telling that he was actually scared of women so you wouldn’t think the above statement is true

So I have come to the conclusion that some of my hypothesis could be true about Alfred Hitchcock but I have found several sources of research that defends Hitchcock and fights against the accusations of Hitchcock being a "sexual Predator". However the problems I have come across in finding my research are if the sources are actually true or a scam to earn money. Also I have found it difficult to find interviews with Janet Leigh and other actors who stared in the actual Hitchcock films this happened because I could only really locate interviews with Scarlett Johansson who portrays Janet Leigh in the new cinematic release of Hitchcock’s life.

My findings for The BFI

Title Hitchcock and homosexuality: his 50 year obsession with Jack the Ripper and the superbitch prostitute: a psychoanalytic view
MaterialBook
Author Theodore PRICE (Author)
Pagination416p.
Bibliographic notes Supplementary content: bibliog. index
Publication place Metuchen, NJ
Publisher Scarecrow
Press Publication date 1992

Title Alma Hitchcock: the woman behind the man
Material Book
Author Pat HITCHCOCK O'CONNELL (Author), Laurent BOUZEREAU (Author)
Paginationix, 289 p.
Bibliographic notes Supplementary content: illus. bibliog.
Publication place New York
Publisher Berkley Books
Publication date 2003ISBN0425190056

Title Roll over Hitchcock
Author William Wilson GOODSON Jr.
Source Cinefantastique (vol.25 no.2) Pagination 48-51
Publication date 1-4-1994
Material Article,
Interview, Review
Language English
Illustrations yes
Abstract Several articles on BIRDS II: LAND'S END; on its relation to Hitchcocks BIRDS and on the bird puppets; interview with bird trainer Garry Gero, makeup and visual effects and BIRDS star Tippi Hedren on BIRDS and ALfred Hitchcock

Title Inside the Head of Psycho
Author Simon BRAUND
SourceEmpire (no.110) Pagination 87-93
Publication date 1-8-1998
Material Article
Language English
Illustrations yes
Abstract Article looking back at PSYCHO, including extracts from original interview with Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh and others      Keywords
Person Alfred Hitchcock ; Janet Leigh
Film / Television Psycho

Title Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho: a casebook
Series Casebooks in criticism
Material Book
Author Robert KOLKER (Author)
Paginationx, 261 p.
Bibliographic notes Supplementary content: illus. bibliog.
Publication place New York
Publisher Oxford University Press
Publication date 2004
ISBN 0195169204

Title Overexposures: the crisis in American filmmaking Material Book
Author David THOMSON (Author)
Abstract Parts of this book originally appeared elsewhere.
PSYCHO pp. 202-214 Alfred HITCHCOCK pp.188-201
Bibliographic notes Supplementary content: index
Publication place New York
Publisher William Morrow
Publication date 1981

Presentation Script
-

I have recently been focusing my research on Alfred Hitchcock and how he portrays women as being disposable.  I have choose 3 main films the first psycho the second the birds and finally frenzy. The chosen films will contribute to my research

My second source of research is mainly newspaper articles from NY Times. I have found an article about Janet Leigh she clearly states “Whatever I put you in, the audience would immediately think of “psycho” it wouldn’t be fair to the picture or the character.” This is a direct quote from Hitchcock himself stating that he would never work with Janet Leigh again which I feel it reinforces the fact Hitchcock sees women as replaceable.

I also found an article from the daily mail from an interview with Tippi Hedren which she states that Hitchcock turned in to a sexual predator that tried to ruin her career which if this is true shows how Hitchcock saw women only as objects and that they can easily be disposed. 

The problems I have come across with my research is unreliable sources because I have found articles and news clippings against Hitchcock but also articles that prove him innocent such as story wrote about him telling that he was actually scared of women so you wouldn’t think he was a sexual predator with this statement. Also other problems i have come across is that i can not find recent information on Hitchcock because of all the recent films and tv series made about psycho and the birds because it isnt always reliable and i havent been able to find many articles or interviews with Janet Leigh.

I will also be part taking in a trip to The BFI (British Film Industry) where I will find more reliable research such as sections from Hitchcock’s daughter discussing her father and mothers relationship off the set Alma Hitchcock: The Woman Behind the Man - By Pat Hitchcock O'Connell and Laurent Bouzereau I will also find the book Hitchcock Studies: The Alfred Hitchcock Story / The Complete Alfred Hitchcock by Ken Mogg / Paul Condon, Jim Sangster i have also found several articles that i will be able to get at The BFI which i think will be really useful to my task.