ACADEMIC ENGLISH PROGRAM
ENGLISH AND COMPOSITION II
HITCHCOCK BLONDES
RESEARCH PAPER
Hitchcock, Blondes and Cinema: Bermuda Hell Triangle
Submitted by Mirac Ethem Özdağ
ID# : 20700401
DPT: MAN
ENG102-94
Submitted to Bengisu T. Akalın
SPRING 2008
HITCHCOCK, BLONDES and CINEMA: HELL TRAINGLE
There are thousands of topics and articles written about Hitchcock films, because of his being undoubtedly one of the greatest directors in our decade. In today’s cinema world, many directors do not hesitate to admit that they are inspired by Hitchcock. Most of the symbols in Hitchcock films have been used by many directors. The most eye-catching symbols in his films are certainly blonde women. He always …show more content…
Whereas some claimed that he has had great contributions to the film industry in terms of including blondes in his films, others believed that he is a pervert depending on an interview of Hitchcock saying that he kept himself away from sex and he could not have enthusiasm from sex, just because of his weight. Some also claimed that his wife’s being ugly played role on his style. They said that Hitchcock was trying to reflect his secret enthusiasms and he was relieving his drives by giving roles to blondes. Moreover, some people claimed that Hitchcock is a misogynist since he followed Victorien Sardou’s advice that says women must be tortured and also Oscar Wilde’s aphorism: “You ruin what you love”. People also show the facts that Hitchcock blonde’s troubles that they encounter. It’s just plain cruel the way leading ladies are mistreated by the master of suspense: systematically duped and humiliated (Tippi Hedren in Marnie), driven mad (Joan Fontaine in Rebecca), set upon by flocks of supernaturally vicious birds (the unlucky Hedren, again, in The Birds) and ultimately, stabbed over and over in a motel room shower (the late Janet Leigh in Psycho). The most problematic and extreme instance of Hitchcock’s attitude toward his cool blondes was his treatment of Tippi Hedren. Doubtless, this is one of the best-known. “Hitchcock failed to tell Tippi Hedren that he intended to film the attack scene using the real …show more content…
He could never win an Oscar Prize but his films are still amongst the most-watched list. Psycho has been chosen to be the best horror film recently and the shower scene in the film has also been chosen to be the most terrific scene in cinema world. Moreover, there are several remakes of Psycho in Hollywood. Also, in today’s cinema world, many directors use his images in their films. Other effects are that there have been increasingly cassette, CD and DVD sales since technology offers people these kinds of opportunities. DVD Box Set sales are amongst the bestsellers in USA, according to IMDB. To conclude, Hitchcock’s aesthetic over blondes and the way he portrayed them in his films makes Hitchcock still untouchable and unreachable director in movie industry. Whatever some say against, one should never analyze his films without watching them carefully. It is for sure that blonde concept in people’s minds has changed a lot since Hitchcock filmed them. Whatever way these ladies end their days, they will always be among the great female cinematic characters: complex, beautiful, and flawed as we all