Mr. Bauks
Film Analysis p4
March 19th, 2014
one of the most outstanding features in Psycho, as well as many other films by Alfred Hitchcock, was the use of Red Herrings. Hitchcock falsely leads his audience into focusing on another element in the plot, allowing them to make predictions for the rest of the movie. After he left a trail with a (seemingly) predictable end, he would tear away the hopes of his fans by killing off a specific character, or destroying an important element of the plot. Strangely enough, however, it’s painfully obvious who the culprit is from his first appearance in the movie. Come on, all taxidermists are murderers; it’s only logical.
Through false foreshadowing followed by unpredictable events, Hitchcock created a masterpiece to be unraveled throughout the duration of his movie. Had i watched this movie when it was first released, I would have honestly been blown away - if not confused - by this plot technique. While most movies do use some form of foreshadowing, I have never before noticed this Red Herring technique used so clearly in any movie (or book). Though I’m unsure if Hitchcock was the creator of the technique, it’s fairly clear that he’s mastered it’s art. 
No comments:
Post a Comment