Throughout the years, film has captivated imaginations and thrilled minds. The process of film making is truly an artistic process, and directors are the masterminds behind it all. In the thriller genre, there are two directors that come to mind more than others: Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan. These directors are similar and different in many ways; such as their approach to film and the elements of their directorial style.
First of all, general background information must be brought up before the directors can be looked at properly. Alfred Hitchcock was a legendary and influential director. He has been referred to as the master of suspense. He has directed more than fifty feature films over his career, and today he is one of the most popular and recognizable directors of all time. Some of the films he has directed include Vertigo, The Birds, Psycho, and the list goes on. Christopher Nolan is an acclaimed director who has enthralled people’s minds, and continues to do so. Nolan has directed such films as Memento, The Prestige, Batman Begins, and the acclaimed The Dark Knight.
Second, there are many reoccurring themes that appear in each director’s films. Nolan’s films often have intangible or emotional themes. Obsession is an evident theme. In The Prestige, Angier is obsessed in defeating his rival Borden. They risk everything to discover each other’s secrets, and this leads to a downward spiral towards destruction. In Memento, Leonard becomes obsessed with finding his wife's killer, and in Batman Begins, Bruce is obsessed with avenging the murder of his parents, and he seems possessed by his desire to fight crime and injustice.
Another theme is that of a vigilante protagonist. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne becomes Batman and preys on the criminals of the city. In The Prestige, Angier risks everything to sabotage the life and career of another magician who he blames for the death of his wife. In the end, he succeeds but it costs him more than he bargained for. In the film Insomnia, the character Dormer works to frame criminals who have managed to slip through the justice system. In his mind, he creates his own justice. Memento’s Leonard decides that he will avenge the death of his wife.
Death of a loved one also reoccurs. In The Prestige, Angier’s wife dies when a magic trick goes terribly wrong. In Batman Begins, Bruce’s parents are murdered, and in Memento, Leonard’s wife is murdered. Guilt is yet another theme. In the film Insomnia, Detective Dormer feels guilty about accidentally shooting a friend. Memento is also based on guilt. Leonard feels he failed to save his wife’s life, and he feels guilty about his memory. He loses is short-term memory and is unable to remember if he has done anything to avenge his wife. Bruce Wayne feels guilty and somewhat responsible for the death of his parents in Batman Begins.
Hitchcock also has many themes that continue to pop up in his films. One of his more famous things would have to be his brief appearance in his films. Hitchcock would often be seen in his films as an extra. He might appear on a photograph, or even walking across the screen. In the film Strangers on a Train, he is seen carrying a large instrument case while boarding a train.
Another theme of Hitchcock’s is the used of blonds. In The Birds, the character Lydia is a blond woman who begins to fall in love with Mitch just as the birds begin to attack. In Vertigo, the character Madeleine is also blonde. Scottie falls in love with her, but she dies. As it turns out, the woman he fell in love with was actually named Judy, and he meets her and makes her dye her hair blond.
Staircases also appear in Hitchcock’s films. In the film, Vertigo the characters climb the stairs to the bell tower several times. In The Birds, the characters go up and down the stairs in the bird shop.
Also, the theme of struggling relationships with parents occurs. In The Birds, Mitch’s father is dead, but he has a mother that refused to let go of him. This theme is also seen in Psycho and North by Northwest.
Next, these two famous directors of the thriller genre have many similarities and differences in their style and approach to film. Nolan seems to focus on making films that have distortion of reality, and he is also known for using storytelling that doesn’t follow the chronological order. He uses non-linear storytelling. Batman Begins and Insomnia have more of a chronological story than his other film, but even the plot for these has flashbacks integrated into it. The Prestige’s order jumps around, but it is used to keep you guessing until the very end. Memento is brilliantly out of sequence. This film starts from the end and moves toward the beginning. Hitchcock also uses flashbacks but not to the extent of Nolan. In the film Vertigo, Judy has a flashback to the night up in the bell tower.
Nolan also uses very little lighting or natural light. He uses light coming through a window, candles, or in the case of Insomnia, the story takes place in Alaska during 24 hour daylight. In using natural light, Nolan’s films have a darker mood and tone to them. Hitchcock has also been known to use natural light and to use light. In The Birds, light comes from the sun during the day, and when they are boarded up into the house, the film relies on lights indoors.
Both directors have similar directing manners. Both men are able to capture the energy of the characters, and they both use “hands off” directing, so to speak. Both directors would stress the script and often prod the actors in the right direction, but for the most part they left the acting up to the actors. They leave the actors free to do what they do best.
One thing that Nolan does when it comes to film making is he often has his brother Jonathan to do the writing for the film. One thing Hitchcock is famous for, and not so much Nolan, is cinematic experimentation. Hitchcock would often experiment with camera angles, zooming, etc. Hitchcock has become a pioneer of film making.
Each director has a different impact on the thriller genre. Hitchcock would have to be more of an influential director than Nolan because Nolan is fairly new to the game and only time can tell what he will bring to the table, but Hitchcock is forever a legendary director of film. He has influenced the film making process in a way that new directors of this genre, like Nolan, have to ask themselves if their film is Hitchcock enough or “What would Alfred do?” Hitchcock has forever changed the film making process involved with the thriller genre. One thing Nolan has done is set a precedent for future films that don’t have a sequential order.
All in all, film continues to inspire out minds, especially the thriller genre. This is because of the work of the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock and the new top gun Christopher Nolan. Each of these directors has their own style. Although they do have some similarities, no one director is the same, and film is better because of it.
