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The early famous French directors created a uniqueness to approach into the cinematic universe known as the auteur theory. It’s value after a lot of experience that was being advanced during the late 1930s by the well-known French film critics: François Truffaut, Christian Metz, and Jacques Rivette. They were willing to risk about everything to create and come across something that inspired them and the younger and developing generation of critiques by doing something new and let go of the ‘literary’, basic themes which made movies not being ‘actual cinematic’ more like, it was created on conventional basis for the people and a means of gaining money for the directors during the 1920s and 1930s. The theory which was inspired by a film critic Alexandre Astruc, his camera-style’s theory ‘la camera-stylo’, which was contended to the point where it made the other directors think that how, “filmmakers should use their equipment as spontaneously, flexibly and personally as a writer uses a pen” (Sterritt, 5) during the time period of late 1930’s of the young directors and critiques who later wanted to break down the constraints of conventional cinema’s which were playing during the time period to create something new, something which would reach to their audiences in a breathtaking and emotional method, so they can understand the time, money and work effort put into the film. Though it was not a success right away, the ‘research and testing’ of different stylistic movies and different cinematic performances, the directors started to contrivance and finally approach their own personal artistic values in films, as directors.
A good example by a director using the auteur theory is Alfred Hitchcock, because he reached the title 'Master of Suspense', particularly by his crew’s and his efforts by mastering the means to build and maintain suspense throughout his movies. He used innovative camerawork (especially the movements and viewpoints), soundtrack, editing techniques, mise-en-scene, and editing techniques. Because of this trait and his unique style Hitchcock is supposed to be considered as an auteur.
One of the greatest works by Hitchcock was ‘Psycho’ (1960), it was considered as the revolutionary movie in the world of ‘horror’ genre, it was quite modern at the time based off it’s time of release, but not completely due to the fact it was not in color. It was also considered as one of the most brutal and daring movie in its era due the murder scenes which were displayed in the movie.
A key scene in ‘Psycho’ is the parlor scene. Nothing horrible happens in this scene but it provides the audience with clues that something is not quite right. In particular it begins to reveal the darker side of Norman's personality and his pathological obsession with his mother. Hitchcock uses camera work, lighting and mise-en-scene, particularly birds, to create a sense of menace.
The scene starts with Norman inviting Marion into the parlor. The scene changes and focuses on Norman and after he enters the room, he turns on the lamp. Through the use of this low-key lighting, with the sharp contrast between light and shade, Hitchcock creates an atmosphere of gloom and foreboding. Marion, on entering the room, sees two stuffed birds of prey, first a raven and then an owl both frozen in attacking position. These POV (point of view) shots suggest that there’s something sinister about this motel. Norman and Marion sit opposite each other. Norman chats while she drinks the tea, he brought her. A shot-reverse-shot sequence is used in that scene. Both characters are shown almost frontally, suggesting openness and an easy relationship. However, clues are given that all is not well. The camera is on the same level as Marion to make the audience feel as if they are in the parlor too, whereas the camera is tilting up slightly towards Norman. Then Marion looks slightly up and focuses on Norman in which he looks slightly down. These angles show a low angle camera angle and high camera angle and placing Norman in dominant position against Marion. When Marion is looked down upon by Norman, the lighting becomes brighter and it contains objects, the lamp, jug, and the picture. With all these elements in the scene this shot submits quietness and normality. In contrast, behind Norman are the birds of prey in attacking position and rectangular pictures (one of which is of women being raped, but the audience cannot see this), which are more sinister.
Norman comments “You eat like a bird”, to which Marion replies, 'You'd know', and gestures with her eyes to the stuffed birds. He explains his interest in bird taxidermy - not a subject which goes well with eating. At one point, he raises his right arm and rests it on what looked like a stuffed bird or animal, almost as a hawk raises its wings ready to swoop on its prey. In the dialogue, Norman uses vocabulary such as 'private traps', 'scratch' and 'claw', which suggest menace.
The birds are key parts of the mise-en-scene, and references to them in the dialogue, e.g., her name is Crane and she is going to Phoenix, and Norman's movements are symbolic of the predator (Norman) and the danger to Marion. The conversation moves naturally to Norman's mother. Then Norman states that, “a boy's best friend is his mother”, seemingly every person in the family should have a good relationship with each other, but Norman’s intent was completely something else. There are other hints too such as the reference to his mother's partner's death and the repeated use of the word 'hate'. Marion comments, “If anyone ever talked to me the way I heard she spoke to you”, at which point the camera angle changes to show Norman more sideways on, his head bobbing in front of the head of one of the birds, as if he is the predator himself.
After many suspense, horror, comedic, and thriller movies directed by Hitchcock many critiques and people think Alfred Hitchcock deserves his title as an auteur. The reasons are very intriguing, because he was such an auteur to use such innovative camera work, especially the movements and the camera angles (viewpoints) for the audience they never experienced before. More or so, he revolutionized the horror films. In his films the lighting, sounds, editing, and mise-en-scene were no exceptions as well. He even used very intricate plots, just for the audience. These traits are what made Hitchcock and his movies very unique.
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