Alfred Hitchcock - Double or Nothing
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
“A glimpse into the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality.”
― Alfred Hitchcock
The reality is this -- all humans are flawed. Some have repressed personality traits that are recessive until they come to the forefront because of an unusual challenges or unexpected event. Some struggles bring out the best in us, while other challenges force us to show our “dark side.” When pushed there, most humans are capable of doing things that would normally seem unthinkable. Alfred Hitchcock, the self-acclaimed “Master of Suspense” explores the theme of duplicity in three of his well-known American films: Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Strangers on a Train (1951), and Psycho (1960). Ironically, the definition of duplicity is two-fold. First, it refers to deceitfulness and double-dealing. Second, it refers to doubleness or pairs – the quintessential doppelganger. By definition, a doppelganger is a double of a person and it is typically an omen of bad luck or evil. (New Oxford American Dictionary) Hitchcock expertly uses the theme of characters as doubles to demonstrate the struggle between good and evil, and to illuminate the role of mothers in popular culture.
The duplicity in these famous films comes in many forms. The more you look for the doubles, the more you see. You literally start seeing double! Hitch’s directorial genius utilized various techniques to expand on the theme of characters as doubles using pairs, look-alikes, mistaken identity, double-dealings, crisscrosses, shadows and reflected images. Most often, these pairings represent the battle between good and evil. The director’s characterizations demonstrate the philosophy that there are “general truths about human nature” (Fromm 162).
Hitchcock’s audience can learn practical lessons for the actions, thoughts and motivation of the director’s fictional characters. Looking from his perspective and how he frames the characters, we the audience begin to question our own morality.
“A glimpse into the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality.”
― Alfred Hitchcock
The reality is this -- all humans are flawed. Some have repressed personality traits that are recessive until they come to the forefront because of an unusual challenges or unexpected event. Some struggles bring out the best in us, while other challenges force us to show our “dark side.” When pushed there, most humans are capable of doing things that would normally seem unthinkable. Alfred Hitchcock, the self-acclaimed “Master of Suspense” explores the theme of duplicity in three of his well-known American films: Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Strangers on a Train (1951), and Psycho (1960). Ironically, the definition of duplicity is two-fold. First, it refers to deceitfulness and double-dealing. Second, it refers to doubleness or pairs – the quintessential doppelganger. By definition, a doppelganger is a double of a person and it is typically an omen of bad luck or evil. (New Oxford American Dictionary) Hitchcock expertly uses the theme of characters as doubles to demonstrate the struggle between good and evil, and to illuminate the role of mothers in popular culture.
The duplicity in these famous films comes in many forms. The more you look for the doubles, the more you see. You literally start seeing double! Hitch’s directorial genius utilized various techniques to expand on the theme of characters as doubles using pairs, look-alikes, mistaken identity, double-dealings, crisscrosses, shadows and reflected images. Most often, these pairings represent the battle between good and evil. The director’s characterizations demonstrate the philosophy that there are “general truths about human nature” (Fromm 162).
Hitchcock’s audience can learn practical lessons for the actions, thoughts and motivation of the director’s fictional characters. Looking from his perspective and how he frames the characters, we the audience begin to question our own morality.
Cited: Fromm, Erich. “The Autodidact Project.” Socialist Humanism: An International Symposium. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965. Gallagher, Tag. “Hitchcock, Machines, and US.” Sense of Cinema. 23 Jan 2003. Mogg, Ken. The Alfred Hitchcock story. London: Titan Books, 1999. "New Oxford American Dictionary." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2012. Web. 23 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Oxford_American_Dictionary>. Schaffer, Bill. “Cutting the Flow: Thinking Psycho”. Sense of Cinema. April 2000. Walker, Michael. Hitchcock’s Motifs. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005. Wells, AJ. “Hitchcock – Good vs. Evil”. Cinemarollling 9 Mar 2009. 30 June 2012. http://cinemaroll.com/cinamarolling/higchcock-good-vs-evil.