The cinema, having the ability to manage spatial and temporal dimensions of perception and to develop freely throughout space and time, can be considered in a parallel to architecture. The concept of space, as a common denominator of the two arts, contains elements that define the experience of the viewer, whether it is about an architectural building or about a film.
The director, being the person who delimits the filmic space, defines a new reality for the subject-viewer, borrowing numerous elements and tools from architecture. Such an example of a director is the case of Alfred Hitchcock, one of the greatest and most recognized filmmakers of classical cinema. His name is immortalized through the pioneering techniques he used and the elaborate way in which he developed the filmic space.
Nowadays, his work is admired all around the world and constitutes a source of inspiration for young filmmakers and artists of various crafts, with the famous “hitckcockian” style having found a lot of imitators. The “hitchcockian” space, not only portrays a really intriguing environment, but also provides the opportunity for the director to control the spectator’s hidden desires, manipulating him in whichever way he pleases. Holding, justifiably, the title of “master of suspense”, he has been the subject of study for plenty of writers, art critics and analysts in general, for both his personality and his rich filmography, which remains unaffected by time and showcased him as one of the most prominent representatives of the seventh art.
Which are, however, the specific spatial features that govern the “hitchcockian” space, and which are the ways he used them in order to “bring to life” the guilty thoughts of the viewer through the screen?
