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Felix Rouch

How Does Hitchcock Use Cinematography To Create Tension In The Parlour scene ?

 

Hitchcock uses a Number of shot types, lighting effects, framing and Composition to create tension in the parlour scene. Throughout the scene we can see the tension rising even from the very start. The first few shots of the scene, as Marion walks into the parlour with Norman, show off two stuffed birds, one is a large owl with its wings open and another is a Raven. This gives off a creepy sensation to the audience and especially as one of the birds is a Raven (which is a bird related to death) and the other is a large predator. There is only one light on in the room which creates the shadows in the room. Both Birds in each shot both have a large shadow behind them, again, giving off a feeling of death and making the audience feel unnerved. It also should be noted that as Marion and Norman sit down, it is the only time in the scene that Hitchcock uses Medium Shots (MS) to show off part of the room as they sit down, for the rest of the scene Hitchcock uses Medium Close Ups (MCU) and Close Ups (CU) to raise the tension In the scene and between the two characters.

 

As Marion and Norman get into conversation, the topic moves on to his mother and Marion mentions putting her in a ‘mad house’ as she puts it. This is when the tension really rises. Hitchcock uses Close Ups on both characters after this line. This is to share the emotional state of both characters with the audience and allows them to clearly see their feelings throughout the rest of the shots. One shot in particular to note is the first close up of Norman, When Marion mentions that perhaps his mother would be better off in an institution. The shot of Norman has him on the right half of the shot and the stuffed raven (casting a shadow) on the other. The expression on Norman’s face combined with the Raven, really gives off an creepy death feeling and raises the tension massively.

 

 

After the mention of a mad house, Hitchcock goes on to uses close ups very frequently. This is very effective in creating tension, but it is the framing and the lighting which gives tension to the scene here. The close ups allow the audience to share the feelings of Marion and Norman and it shows off their emotional state much better to the audience. This is particularly evident as Norman leans in for the first close up. The shock on Marion’s face is represented by another close up of her. It is important to note that Hitchcock leaves out any birds or anything else in the room to allow the audience to focus completely on Marion’s emotions and expressions. However when the shots go back to Norman there is always a stuffed bird present. Even though Hitchcock has chosen the framing of Marion’s shots to leave out the birds in this section, the lighting is effective, as one side of her face is light up by the light next to her and the other side has casted a shadow, this is to emphasise the fact that it is a dark room, which gives a creepy feel to the scene if it is in low light. Norman’s shots are also similar, Combined with the birds in the room the casting of a shadow from the light in the room on one side of his face really tells the audience that it is a dark room. Every shot has a shadow casted, This creates tension by creating a mental image in the audiences head. A dark room filled with stuffed dead ravens and owls is a scary setting. It is also a very good lead up to murder which follows in the film.

 

 

One significant shot would be when Norman tells Marion about his father dying and having to look after his mother. The camera switches to a side view of Norman to show off a large stuffed owl in the background with its wings spread in the position of it attacking something.

The birds are arguably the main sources of creating tension in this scene. Without them, The scene would not have the same feeling of oddity. This combined with using the birds in the effective places, is the main source of tension in this scene. They are very prominent and as the scene ends and Marion leaves. It is only then you realise that you didn’t actually see most of the room. Evidence of this is when Marion walks into the parlour after Norman invites her in. There is a close up shot of her and then a couple second shots of some of the birds in the room, signifying that Norman perhaps isn’t quite normal. It also creates tension from the very start for the audience. Why are there birds there in the first place? Why are they birds like owls and ravens? These birds aren’t even nice looking and I would say the Owl represents killing and the Raven represents death to the audience. Of course the birds become hard to ignore when the clos ups of Marion and Norman start. As Norman becomes very angry at the fact that Marion suggested that she may be better off in an institution the birds become very prominent and an effective way of raising the tension. 

Another important shot would be when Marion decides to leave. As she stands up Hitchcock uses very effective framing and composition to show a stuffed raven in the background. The Raven is a bird that signifies death and this is not coincidental as this is minutes before her death.

Some of the costuming and the style of the room is perhaps the more subtle way of creating tension used by Hitchcock. Of course the stuffed birds are clearly prominent. But it also combined with the old fashioned paintings on the walls, the objects surrounding each character and the clothing as well. For example the old fashioned paintings combined with the birds represent a stereo-typical ‘scary haunted house’ in a thriller/horror film. Marion sits at ease in her chair, her posture and the fact she is lit up by the light next to her, surrounded by milk and toast creates a sympathetic feeling towards her. This could be Hitchcock attempting to portray Marion as the victim here (Even though she stole 40,000 dollars). Norman similarly is surrounded by stuffed birds and has more of a shadow cast over him and less light on him, he is also wearing dark clothes signifying that there is something not completely right with him.  The shadow from the light also creates a line to the middle of his face possibly showing that he has  a dual personality as a friendly host/murdering psycho.