“Uncanny” as a recurrent gothic ingredient has been pervading the literary narratives for quite a long time since the period of The Castle of Otranto and Mysteries of Udolpho. The idea of the “return of the repressed” dominates the concept the “uncanny” which Sigmund Freud elaborated in his 1919 essay “The “Uncanny””. However, this unfamiliarity of the real is something which grounded the domain of suspense in the prose narratives and helped in rendering the text a creepy sentimentality. But it should be kept in mind that this feeling is nothing alien to our emotional praxis. Rather, it derives or finds its root from the mundaneness of our life. Maybe, such concern influenced Freud to theorize dream and propound the idea of “dream thought” and “dream content”.
The concept of “uncanny” is related in many ways to the concept of “return”, be it a memory, an unhappy recollection or a traumatic revisitation. Such “return” definitely accounts for a psychological interpretation with probable reference to “hauntology” and unconscious. One thing has to be clarified at this point of our discussion about “uncanny, that is, this phenomenon should be distinguished from “magic realism” which rather problematizes the reality and our familiarity with the reality. But in the context of “uncanny”, the reality should be recognized as an expression of the unconscious.
The translation of textual “uncanny” is something which deals with the visual physicality of the objects. The “uncanny” what we perceive through words is quite different from what is spelt out by means of visuals and sound. The elaboration of popular culture and the invention of cinema technologies have facilitated and innovated a new mode of presentation of the “uncanny”, that is film. Film as a new sign system can different modes of presentation to render the familiar unfamiliar ranging from shots, set-design, settings to sound cuts. As “uncanny” became the key supplement to gothic literature, so gothic films (generic term for horror movies) inculcate the depiction of the so-called unfamiliar (the unheimlich). Film plays, as Lesely Stern argues, with “indeterminacies: here/there, appearance/disappearance, life/death, past/future [...]” thus knocking our “imagination, our unconscious, to produce a sensory affect of dissonance at the very moment of identity.” The fluctuation between such indeterminacies is what renders the “uncanny” possible and helps question our own senses. [...]
Table of Contents
Introduction
Uncanny – Quotidian turned into Unhomely
Vertigo – constructing the “architectural uncanny” and deconstructing the subjectivity
Rebecca: return of the uncanny repressed
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this work is to explore how Alfred Hitchcock translates the Freudian psychoanalytic concept of the "uncanny" into cinematic visual aesthetics, specifically focusing on how the mundane is transformed into the "unheimlich" within his films.
- Analysis of the "uncanny" as a recurrent gothic ingredient in literature and film.
- Examination of Freud's theories on the "unconscious" and the "return of the repressed" in visual media.
- Detailed study of Alfred Hitchcock's use of visual techniques, set design, and architectural symbolism.
- Comparative analysis of subjectivity and identity in the films Vertigo and Rebecca.
- Deconstruction of the viewer's psychological response to cinematic "unfamiliarity" and horror.
Excerpt from the Book
Vertigo – constructing the “architectural uncanny” and deconstructing the subjectivity
Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) is tagged as a psychological thriller in generic term. Vertigo encapsulates a multi-level interpretation of psychological phenomenon of which visual “uncanny” will be focused in this chapter. Later, this paper will show how while chasing Madeleine, Scottie (as an agent of panopticon) deconstructs his own subjectivity and dwells in the realm of confused identity, a Lacanian suggestiveness of “mirror image”.
Before going into discussion, a portion of the narrative of the plot needs to be circulated. Scottie, a retired acrophobic police officer, is appointed by a certain rich man (an old friend of his) to spy on the insane behavior of his wife. While chasing the lady, Scottie finds an emotional attachment to her ultimately being unable to save her from killing herself jumping from monastery roof. Later, Scottie discovers that Elster (Madeleine’s husband) schemed the murder of his wife by appointing a double of Madeleine called Judy.
Hitchcock creates a number of “architectural uncanny” using different urban symbol. Rooftops, high lift, aisles, urban landscape, etc contribute to the creation of structures which translate the acrophobia of Scottie and at the same time renders a visual eerie feeling among the audience. The reason for such impact might be explained as someone’s personal connection to the height. The visual depiction of the Scottie about to fall from the roof instigates the acrophobia with the audience thus making them feel the unexplained fear of their own consequence. (pic 1) However, Hitchcock uses the visual maze of height right from the beginning of the film when some cops chase someone along the descending the stairs. The high angle shot depicts the staircase like a spiral aisle leading towards the infinity. (pic 2) Hitchcock’s use of angle makes the height look like abyss and gives the audience certain unfamiliar feeling about Adam’s fall.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter provides the theoretical foundation by linking literary gothic traditions with Freudian concepts of the uncanny, the unconscious, and the role of cinema as a new sign system.
Uncanny – Quotidian turned into Unhomely: The author traces the scholarship surrounding the "return of the repressed," contrasting structuralist and post-structuralist views while focusing on Freud's psychoanalytical approach to the uncanny.
Vertigo – constructing the “architectural uncanny” and deconstructing the subjectivity: This chapter analyzes how Hitchcock utilizes architectural elements and visual techniques to manifest Scottie's acrophobia and identity crisis in Vertigo.
Rebecca: return of the uncanny repressed: The analysis shifts to Rebecca, exploring how physical environments like Manderley and specific motifs like windows and bed scenes evoke the return of the repressed.
Conclusion: The author synthesizes the findings, arguing that cinematic technical craft is essential in transforming abstract psychoanalytical theories into effective and suspenseful visual horror.
Keywords
Uncanny, Hitchcock, Freud, Psychoanalysis, Vertigo, Rebecca, Unconscious, Return of the repressed, Gothic, Cinema, Subjectivity, Architectural uncanny, Film theory, Identity, Suspense
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work examines how Alfred Hitchcock visually translates the psychoanalytical concept of the "uncanny"—originally theorized by Sigmund Freud—into the language of cinema.
Which films are analyzed to demonstrate these concepts?
The paper performs a detailed analysis of two specific Hitchcock films: Vertigo (1958) and Rebecca (1940).
What is the core research question addressed in this text?
The research seeks to understand how Hitchcock effectively transforms mundane settings and objects into an "aesthetics of strangeness" that triggers an uncanny response in the audience.
What scientific or theoretical methods are applied?
The author uses a psychoanalytical approach, drawing heavily on Freud’s essays on the uncanny and the unconscious, combined with film studies frameworks regarding visual representation and the "male gaze".
How is the "uncanny" defined within the context of this study?
The uncanny is defined as a phenomenon where the familiar becomes strangely unfamiliar or "unheimlich," often relating to memories, trauma, or the return of the repressed.
What is the significance of the "architectural uncanny" in Hitchcock's work?
The author argues that urban structures, such as staircases and rooftops, are used by Hitchcock to physically manifest psychological states like acrophobia and fear, heightening the audience's sense of suspense.
How does the film 'Vertigo' demonstrate the deconstruction of subjectivity?
Through the character of Scottie, the film depicts a collapse of identity as he attempts to objectify Madeleine, ultimately becoming lost in a cycle of surveillance and fantasy.
What role do "bed scenes" play in the film 'Rebecca'?
The author identifies bed scenes in Rebecca as archetypal gothic motifs that symbolize dreams and serve as the primal medium for the "return of the repressed" regarding the deceased character of Rebecca de Winter.
- Quote paper
- Kazi Ashraf Uddin (Author), 2012, Visual Uncanny. Freud's Screen Translation in Hitchcock, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/196703
