Hitchcock: The Murderous Gaze

by William Rothman

No reader of this challenging book will ever view a Hitchcock film (perhaps any film) in quite the same way again. By a close analysis of five representative works and documenting his readings with more than 600 frame enlargements, Rothman shows how Hitchcock composed his films—how each moment bears his imprint and his special demands on the viewer. It is the seriousness of Hitchcock's reflections on the murderous power of the camera's gaze, and on the larger mysteries of love and murder, that makes him a monumental figure in the history of film. Rothman follows the course of these reflections from the gripping images of the silent film The Lodger (1926) to what he terms Hitchcock's final call for acknowledgment in Psycho (1960). The continuity is traced through Murder! (1930), the most ambitious of the early films; The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935), which established a new genre (the "Hitchcock thriller") and gave the world its sense of Hitchcock as the "master of suspense"; and Shadow of a Doubt (1943), the director's cunning demonstration to an American audience of what a Hitchcock film really is. Rothman's readings immeasurably deepen our appreciation of Hitchcock's individual achievement. At the same time the book is a sustained meditation, philosophically scrupulous, on the medium and the art of film, on the conditions of authorship in film, and on the ways that serious films might be approached in acts of viewing and criticism.

Genres: Film

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERY detailed analysis of five Hitchcock films - I was most interested in the chapters on Shadow of a Doubt and Psycho, as I watched those two movies for a class. Pretty much a frame by frame explanation … and cumulative comments as you progress through the films and the author ties things together. A bit TOO detailed for me, and I wondered if Hitchcock would agree with the author’s interpretations. Wish the photos were a bit clearer.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst film books I've ever read. Rothman is more interested in imposing his meanings on the five films he examines than in seeing what's actually there. At times his comments blatantly contradict what's actually on screen. With the multitude of books on Hitchcock out there, this is one to skip.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rothman's analysis of "Shadow of a Doubt" is truly eye opening. His work is a must have for Hitchcock fans seeking in depth criticism of a few key films by the Master of Suspense.