Mccarron Gary - Cultural Theory In The Films Of Alfred Hitchcock - Hardcover

Binding: Hardcover
Description: Mc Carron approaches the work of Alfred Hitchcock in a way that is unique in the world of film critique. Rather than provide a biographical overview or consider Hitchcock's work in the context of conventional film criticism Mc Carron uses Hitchcock's films to illustrate ideas at play in the social sciences and philosophy even as he uses those same ideas to illustrate central aspects of Hitchcock's films. In short while Mc Carron focuses on many of Hitchcock's most celebrated films his broader concern is with a series of ideas crucial to Hitchcock's work as an innovative artist of the cinema. For example Mc Carron interrogates the idea of the Mac Guffin Hitchcock's famous term for the motivating issue in a film's narrative. However there is far more to the idea of the Mac Guffin than is found in Hitchcock's description as Mc Carron shows how political theorist Ernesto Laclau's theory of equivalential substitution effectively explains how the Mac Guffin functions as a device to bridge the divide between the film's exegesis and the audience's emotional engagement in the story. In a similar vein Mc Carron undertakes a close reading of Hitchcock's theory of pure cinema indicating that while the concept is widely embraced by Hitchcock scholars rarely do those scholars agree on what Hitchcock ultimately intended by the phrase. Tracing the development of the concept across the years Mc Carron shows how Hitchcock's theory of pure cinema resonates with anthropological concepts of purity and even finds a place in current debates regarding so - called hybrid media. Mc Carron further explores Hitchcock's alleged moralism showing how the problem of moral agency was often treated in Hitchcock's films as a highly complex and decidedly ambiguous condition. Mc Carron indicates the importance of re - viewing Hitchcock's films from points of view that plainly show that Hitchcock is not properly understood when simply described as the master of suspense as his films are of enduring interest for a range of reasons that go well beyond their relevance for traditional film studies. Interpretations of his films gain in power and scope when we extend our analyses to the intricate interpretations of his work as it touches on subjects as diverse as politics feminism rhetoric and philosophy. Mc Carron treats these larger intellectual constellations in considerable detail bringing a fresh perspective to the study of the famed director's work.
Title: Cultural Theory In The Films Of Alfred Hitchcock
Author(s): Mccarron Gary
Publisher: Anthem Press
Barcode: 9781839988462
Pages: 240 Pages
Publication Date: 7/11/2023
Category: Individual Film Directors, Film-Makers