Dialogue should simply be a sound among other sounds, just something that comes out of the mouths of people whose eyes tell the story in visual terms.
Alfred HitchcockRead
I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hitchcock suggests that his distinctive style influences audience expectations, even in familiar narratives.
Alfred Hitchcock's quote highlights how his unique filmmaking style, characterized by suspense and psychological thrillers, alters audience perceptions. By mentioning 'Cinderella', he illustrates that if he were to direct a well-known tale, viewers would anticipate a darker twist or an unexpected element, showcasing his knack for subverting traditional stories and creating tension.
Themes
FilmSuspenseAudienceExpectationNarrative
In practice
Example use cases
In a film studies class, discussing the impact of directorial style on storytelling.
More from Alfred Hitchcock
All quotes →Luck is everything... My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. I'm fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn't make a good suspense film.
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I can't read fiction without visualizing every scene. The result is it becomes a series of pictures rather than a book.
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Seeing a murder on television can help work off one's antagonisms. And if you haven't any antagonisms, the commercials will give you some.
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There is something more important than logic: imagination
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One must never set up a murder. They must happen unexpectedly, as in life.
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