Hitchcock's objects as subjects : the significance of things on screen

Focusing on onscreen objects in Alfred Hitchcock's films, this study examines the staircases, eyeglasses, lamps, doors, candles, cigarettes, buildings, monuments, statues and dozens of other props the director treated as subjective protagonists, with roles practically equal to the actors'. Hitchock's imperative was to charge the screen with emotion. Subject matter and acting were, for him, subordinate to ""all of the technical aspects that made the audience scream."" Examining each of the director's 52 films, this book provides a comprehensive exploration of Hitchcock's treatment of objects as subjects.