Elvis Mitchell talks us through Hitchcock's first sound feature, and discusses how to view Hitchcock's later works by repeated themes and techniques.
There is a conflict in looking at artists in any medium. Do we value them for their protean ability or for their particular style? Do we admire William Wyler, who could work in many, disparate genres and produce great movies, or the specialist, like Hitchcock. Hitchcock worked mostly with thrillers, his themes murder, death, pursuit, and flight. Yes, yes, his morbid wit was always on display, and he directed several straight comedies, and even one musical. But is anyone going to claim greatness for MR. AND MRS. SMITH or WALTZES FROM VIENNA? I think not.
The best thing to do is to admire both Wyler and Hitchcock when they are on their games. We admire Hitchcock for his constant visual inventiveness. Yet , as Mitchell points out, he reused stuff constantly, from the blonde leading lady to the mirror shot. Was this the first time Hitchcock used these? Frankly, I couldn't say. But Mitchell claims it, so for the sake of argument, I will concede the points. Does this lay hob with the assertion of his constant inventiveness?
Yes. In fact, it argues a particular style. Critics love style, because it offers them a cheat-sheet approach to a work of art. Pointing out style can make someone look clever, like being able to identify a particular painter. Us less exalted audience members enjoy them because they work. They're a technique that works. Unless they're used at every opportunity until they become lazy and cloying Look at one Margaret Keane painting, and you may appreciate them. Look at a thousand of her big-eyed subjects and they become monstrous and lazy. Hitchcock may have been monstrous. I think he enjoyed that. But he was never lazy.