| Alfred Hitchcock, among the most well-known and influential Hollywood filmmakers, was known primarily for his mastery of the suspense and thriller genres. His most famous and oft-cited films, such as Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho, dominate the discourse in regard to cinematic and critical studies of his work while a number of other films, and the themes therein, remain largely neglected. Hitchcock's Catholic faith played an integral role in such films, specifically I Confess and The Wrong Man. Both films center on characters of high moral resolve. A priest and a religious family man respectively find themselves embroiled in events and circumstances as wrongfully accused individuals. By Hitchcock's devices, their moral codes and theological beliefs ultimately clear the characters' names and restore their reputations. Using these case studies, as well as The Lodger and Rope, this thesis argues that Hitchcock himself took his Catholic upbringing and religious beliefs very seriously throughout his career. He implemented his faith into these films to create Catholic narratives, complementing his cognomen as "The Master of Suspense."... |
