Introduction to Hitchcock's visual style

Hitchcock during the filming of his television show

Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899 in Leytonstone, England. His career as a film maker virtually spanned the existance of film as a medium. Beginning his film career in 1919, Hitchcock first worked as an illustrator for title cards for silent films in London. His first full film, The Pleasure Garden, was completed in 1925, just as film industry was being established. Hitchcock's break through film, The Lodger (1926), was a prototype for many future films; the plot consisted of an innocent protagonist being wrongfully accused of committing a crime and trying to set the record straight. Completing Jamaica Inn, his last british film in 1939, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in 1940 to create Rebecca. Both of these films were somewhat uncharacteristic of Hitchcock and were both based on novels by Daphne du Maurier. Hitchcock created his most well known films between 1950 and 1960, including Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960). Family Plot, Hitchcock's final film, was released in 1976, four years before his death.

Due to Hitchcock’s chosen medium of film, criticism of his work often deals with the narrative twists and turns that make his films the thrillers they are. But this type of criticism often ignores a more formal approach and masks a preoccupation with the visual arts in his films. This website is devoted to Hitchcock’s relation to the world of the visual arts, and, more specifically, surrealist art. It is divided into four main sections, all of which deal with the relationship between Hitchcock and art:

Philippe Halsman's portrait of Hitchcock

-The influences section is devoted to Hitchcock's artistic influences and contains works of art compared to stills from Hitchcock's films.

-The cameos section contains a discussion of Hitchcock's habit of appearing in his films, a list of all of the cameos, and images of several cameos.

-The symbolism section a discussion and some images of important Hitchcockian symbols.

-The contemporary art section contains brief summaries of some contemporary artists who have been inspired by Hitchcock's films.

Hitchcock's films interestingly blend violence, sexuality, suspense and humor to create some of the most important and entertaining films ever created. This site is dedicated to understanding the artistic genius behind these films, as well as some of the drawings and paintings which inspired imagery in the films. In addition to inspiring scenes, objets d’art appear and serve important roles in Hitchcock’s films. Hitchcockian plots often revolve around a single work of art including the portrait in Vertigo, the sculpture containing the microfilm in North by Northwest, and the portrait in Rebecca.

Hitchcock laid to rest any speculation about his interest in Surrealism when he collaborated with Salvador Dali on Spellbound. Together they created a dream sequence complete with Dali’s unique surrealist style, though most of the scene was cut before Spellbound’s release.

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