"Fatal Coincidences". An exploration of the relationship between art and death in Alfred Hitchcock’s "Rope" (1948) and "Vertigo" (1958)

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Tying up loose ends in Hitchcock's Rope
• The aesthetic value of murder
• The symbolic language of art
• The impact of the visual arts
• Chapter 2: Vertigo and its relationship with art and death
• A lyrical commentary on the relation between love and death
• A visual exploration of deathly undercurrents

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The essay aims to examine the relationship between art and death in two Alfred Hitchcock films: Rope (1948) and Vertigo (1958). It explores how art serves not just as a backdrop, but also as a means of enriching the audience's understanding of Hitchcock's themes and intentions.

• The aesthetic value of murder in film
• The symbolic language of art in Hitchcock's films
• The relationship between art and death in Hitchcock's visual style
• The influence of art on the director's cinematic vision
• The interplay between art and the themes of life and death

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1: Tying up loose ends in Hitchcock's Rope

This chapter explores the aesthetic value of murder as presented in Hitchcock's Rope. It delves into the murder itself as an artistic experiment, analyzing the symbolic language of art within the film, particularly the visual arts that contribute to the themes of life and death. The chapter examines the impact of visual arts, specifically paintings, on the viewers' perception of the film's themes.

Chapter 2: Vertigo and its relationship with art and death

Focusing on Vertigo, this chapter explores the complex relationship between love and death, and how art plays a significant role in conveying these themes. It examines the film's visual elements, drawing on the work of Brigitte Peucker, who highlights the "masked preoccupations" with sculpture and painting that reinforce the film's deathly undercurrents.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key themes and concepts explored in this essay include the visual arts, death, murder, aesthetics, symbolism, Hitchcockian themes, cinematic vision, and the relationship between love and death.