Research Catalog

Title

The architecture of suspense : the built world in the films of Alfred Hitchcock / Christine Madrid French ; foreword by Alan Hess.

Author

French, Christine Madrid

Publication

• Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2022.
• ©2022

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Hess, Alan, 1952-

Description

xxiii, 238 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), portraits (some color); 21 cm.

Summary

"The inimitable, haunting films of Alfred Hitchcock took place in settings, both exterior and interior, that deeply impacted our experiences of his most unforgettable works. From the enclosed spaces of Rope and Rear Window to the wide-open expanses of North by Northwest, the physical worlds inhabited by desperate characters are a crucial element in our perception of the Hitchcockian universe. As Christine Madrid French reveals in this original and indispensable book, Hitchcock's relation to the built world was informed by an intense engagement with location and architectural form--in an era marked by modernism's advance--fueled by some of the most creative midcentury designers in film. Hitchcock saw elements of the built world not just as scenic devices but as interactive areas to frame narrative exchanges. In his films, building forms also serve a sentient purpose--to capture and convey feelings, sensations, and moments that generate an emotive response from the viewer. Visualizing the contemporary built landscape allowed the director to illuminate Americans' everyday experiences as well as their own uncertain relationship with their environment and with each other. French shares several untold stories, such as the real-life suicide outside the Hotel Empire in Vertigo (which foreshadowed uncannily that film's tragic finale), and takes us to the actual buildings that served as the inspiration for Psycho's infamous Bates Motel. Her analysis of North by Northwest uncovers the Frank Lloyd Wright underpinnings for Robert Boyle's design of the modernist house from the film's celebrated Mount Rushmore sequence and ingeniously establishes the Vandamm House as the prototype of the cinematic trope of the villain's lair. She also shows how the widespread unemployment of the 1930s resulted in a surge of gifted architects transplanting their careers into the film industry. These practitioners created sets that drew from contemporary design schools of thought and referenced real structures, both modern and historic. The Architecture of Suspense is the first book to document how these great architectural minds found expression in Hitchcock's films and how the director used their talents and his own unique vision to create an enduring and evocative cinematic world" --

Series Statement

Midcentury : architecture, landscape, urbanism, and design

Uniform Title

Midcentury (Charlottesville, Va.)

Subject

• Hitchcock, Alfred, 1899-1980 > Criticism and interpretation
• Hitchcock, Alfred, 1899-1980
• Architecture in motion pictures
• Motion pictures > Setting and scenery
• Motion pictures and architecture
• Criticism and interpretation
• Motion pictures

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Note

• End of statement of responsibility from page 1 of printed paper wrapper.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-213), filmographies (pages 179-184), and index.

Contents

Foreword / by Alan Hess -- Introduction -- Alfred Hitchcock's American experience -- The villain's lair: modernist houses -- Urban honeycombs: skyscrapers and apartments -- American roadside: mansions and motels -- Architects and the art of film -- Conclusion -- Appendix A-C.

Call Number

MWES (Hitchcock, A.) 22-5024

ISBN

• 9780813947662
• 0813947669
• 9780813947679
• 0813947677

LCCN

2022017086

OCLC

1338670479

Author

French, Christine Madrid, author.

Title

The architecture of suspense : the built world in the films of Alfred Hitchcock / Christine Madrid French ; foreword by Alan Hess.

Publisher

Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2022.

Copyright Date

©2022

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Midcentury : architecture, landscape, urbanism, and design

Midcentury (Charlottesville, Va.)

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-213), filmographies (pages 179-184), and index.

Added Author

Hess, Alan, 1952- author of foreword.

Research Call Number

MWES (Hitchcock, A.) 22-5024