Hitchcock’s American And British Suspense Genre And How They Reflect Social Concerns Of The Period

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We are aware that the only way he will be able to perform effectively is if he were to work a desk job instead of being out on the streets doing his job. The narration begins from Scottie’s point of view but later switches to Judy’s point of view after Scottie’s hospitalization. The viewer no longer identifies with Scottie but instead with Judy and not only identifies with Judy but also begins to sympathize with her character later in the film especially when Scottie becomes sadistic and manipulative. In addition the viewer is aware early in the film that Madeline is just a character played by Judy.
In addition to information being revealed early in the film, such as Marion’s terrible fate in the shower or Judy’s portrayal of Madeline another characteristic Hitchcock’s American films is that the events that are suspenseful make the viewer look back to previous events that occurred in the film. By looking back on previous events it causes the viewer to think of other possibilities of what could have happened if certain events had turned out differently. The viewer becomes aware of the limited knowledge possessed about the various characters on the screen. When the viewer is aware of limited knowledge then it affects how the different events of the film are understood and interpreted. In Psycho a classic example of this principle would be the viewer watching the film and thinking what would have happened if Marion had not taken the $40,000 or if she had not wandered off the main highway. Did the futility of her character lead Marion to her untimely death? The audience thinks, if she had not stopped at the Bates Motel or even if she had decided to stay a while longer to talk to Norman and satisfy his appetite would she have had a different fate and not come to an unfortunate end? What if Marion had decided not to talk to Nor...