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The Master of Surprise: Alfred Hitchcock and Premise Uncertainty
Ist Teil von
Projections (New York, N.Y.), 2023-03, Vol.17 (1), p.1-19
Ort / Verlag
New York: Berghahn Books, Inc
Erscheinungsjahr
2023
Link zum Volltext
Quelle
Berghahn Journals
Beschreibungen/Notizen
Abstract
This article challenges the moniker “the master of suspense” as applied to Alfred Hitchcock. I show that Hitchcock's guiding principle was often not suspense but surprise. The penchant to surprise explains why Hitchcock utilized the surprise plot, as well as why he is often considered a deeply conflicted artist. In addition to standard surprise and suspense, which generate little uncertainty for the audience, Hitchcock developed parallel versions of these structures that incorporated premise uncertainty and allowed telling two stories at once. Double plots, which I term overt, structure some of Hitchcock's most sophisticated works, such as
Notorious
and
Suspicion
. The distinction between standard and overt surprise and suspense helps us better understand both Hitchcock's mastery and his enduring relevance for all narrative media today.