A textual analysis of the Alfred Hitchcock interview

What is media studies? It's using media language to suggest meaning!

Print key terminology

• Mise en scene - put in scene
• Lexis - the choice of language
• Long shot 
• Close up 
• Mid shot
• Two shot 
• Extreme CU/LS
• Colour
• Performance 
• Composition - how everything is placed on the page
• Font: serif and san serif 
• Proairetic codes
• Hermeneutic 
• Symbolic
• Referential/intertextuality 
• Mode of address
• Anchorage
• Narrative
• Main image 
• Camera angle 

Examples of media language in the Hitchcock interview

• The MES of Grace Kelly's hair reinforces her status as a hegemonically attractive woman. This is further anchored through the MES of her eyes, which are seductively framed in mascara. This combination elements form a definite conclusion, the Kelly’s inclusion in this magazine is primarily to appeal to a heterosexual male audience. While the audience for this magazine is clearly heterosexual working class women, the somewhat sexualised and exotic representation of Kelly’s provides an aspirational goal to the target audience which they are unlikely to achieve…
• The lexis of the pull quote, “they’re like snow capped volcanoes "has deep and even sexually vulgar connotations. Referring to British women as ‘snow capped’ suggests that on the outside, they are sexually inactive. However, a binary opposition is formed between the term snow and volcano, and Hitchcock explicitly suggests that deep down. British women deeply desire sexually activity. This deeply sexist language may have been typical in the 1960’s, and reflects the fact that mainstream attitudes towards women have changed significantly
• The MES of Kelly’s eye shadow draws attention to the fact that this woman is particularly hegemonically attractive. This is further anchored through her dark, rich lipstick, which has connotations of wealth, power, and sexuality. Further anchorage is provided through the caption, which asserts her “tantalising beauty”. Ultimately, Kelley is presented as a spectacle for a perceived heterosexual male audience, which reinforces patriarchal hegemony. However, it must be noted that the target audience for this magazine is heterosexual women. In this case, Kelly would appeal as an aspirational role model for the target audience, though this goal would be impossible for many of the target audience to achieve. By repeating and reinforcing images of beautiful and hegemonically attractive women, Woman magazine cultivates the dominant patriarchal ideology that in order to be successful, one must be attractive.  By placing unrealistic beauty on women, Woman magazine cultivates a sense of insecurity for it;s target audience. This is purely for the reasons of power and profit, as by making the target audience upset, it ensures that they will continue to buy the magazine.
• Her slightly parted lips function as a proairetic code, placing the audience in a romantic and even sexual mode of address. 
• The bold and sans serif headline is exciting and striking, and communicates explicitly to the target audience that Hitchcock is an important man
• The sequence CU shots of Hitchcock emphasises his status as a hegemonically unattractive man. However, if anything this reinforces his power and privilege. Hitchcock is under no obligation to be sexually attractive, which reinforces a double standard that exists between men and women

Deeper analysis of the Hitchcock interview

• Sexism and sexual exploitation is facilitated on an institutional level. It is not something that ‘happened in a different time’, as current high profile allegations against men such as Harvey Weinstein, Justin Roiland, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and staff members at Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft have proved.
• Van Zoonen argues that media products encode deeply unequal relationships between men and women, and reinforce hierarchical differences. Men are consistently presented in a position of power, and women are represented as subordinates. Curran and Seaton argue that every media industry is dictated by the principles of power and profit. Their book Power without Responsibility explores the implications of unexplored and unchallenged power. Simply put, with unregulated power, the media industries are open to exploitation, including sexual exploitation. Power in the media industries reinforces hegemonic norms, of powerful men in charge, which may serve to ‘excuse’ this behaviour in the eyes of those who make the rules.
• Hitchcock discusses British women, their sexual attractiveness and why they make good actresses. Hitchcock clearly fetishizes certain qualities, such as hair colour, and he is keen to share his sexual preferences with the target audience. He compares British women to women of different nationalities, and compares their strengths and weaknesses. His mode of address is xenophobic, stereotypical, objectifying, and even racist. 
• Why an interview with a man the cover story of this edition of Woman magazine? Perhaps it’s because Hitchcock is discussing women. In this article, Hitchcock rambles on about what makes British women particularly beautiful. He discusses different women, yet he doesn’t discuss his films or his film making in any detail. 
• The combination of various shot types, including mid shots, long shots and close ups constructs an interesting narrative or mode of address for the target audience
• The double page spread utilises a conventional z line composition, that allows the working class target audience to easily make sense of what’s on the page
• The headline constructs a dominant ideology that Alfred Hitchcock is important to the target audience. This is further reinforced through the procession of four CU images of Hitchcock, arranged as a film strip. This arrangement symbolically references cinema, which is of course essential to Hitchcock’s personality
• The main image of this double page spread features Grace Kelly, represented through a mid shot. Her representation is constructed through the MES of her enigmatic facial expression, which has romantic connotations. This is further reinforced through her low cut dress which has sexual connotations, and her seductive, heavily applied makeup. These elements combine to create a highly suggestive and sexualised representation of women, which is highly typical of the time when this magazine was released. By presenting this highly leading representation of women, the producers of Woman are clearly communicating that in order to be successful, the working class female target audience must be hegemonically attractive. 
• The pull quote “they're like snow capped volcanoes” is explicitly referring to British women. The lexis here has many polysemic interpretations. He may be referring to British women’s fiery tempers. However, the phrase has even more problematic connotations. The lexis 'snow capped’ suggests that on the outside, British women are cold and sexually unavailable. However, on the inside, British women are both sexually available and sexually active. 
  

Quotes - lexis

• “I understand that Nottingham has a thriving industry in  pretty flirty girls” - Hitchcock is clearly excited by the amount of attractive women in Nottingham. This sexist metaphor infers that women are essentially falling off of a factory line. The word ‘girls’ is degrading and diminutive. 
• “To me, they are the most unobtrusively seductive creatures” (In reference to English women) Hitchcock infers that British women are ‘easy’, and are sexually open. This blatant stereotype is particularly intimidating, yet the preferred response is flattery. Hitchcock is asserting his power. Presenting this as a compliment he reinforces patriarchal hegemony
• “Perhaps it is because I am such a happily married man, I am able to look at women objectively” - Mentioning his wife reinforces Hitchcock’s status as a respectable and happily married man. This in his view validates what he is saying
• “The time I have spent grooming actresses has never been wasted” - Hitchcock’s use of the word grooming here has sexist and belittling connotations. He goes on to discuss girts that he has given women, which again legitimises (in his mind) his abuse
• “I’ve come to these conclusions after years of selecting, grooming and directing some of the most beautiful actresses alive” - Hitchcock does not refer to working with his actresses, but instead sees his role as selecting them. This reduces them to the role of chess pieces, which again is a highly sexist mode of address
• “They’re like snow capped volcanoes' ' - This symbolic analogy suggests that British women appear as one thing, yet deep down are something else. On the surface, British women are innocent and uninterested in sex. Yet deep down, they are fiery volcanoes, sexually available and adventurous. 
• Throughout this interview, Hitchcock's lexis and mode of address reinforces the ideological perspective that women exist for the purpose of fulfilling the desires of a heterosexual audience. This in turn reinforces patriarchal hegemony. 
• Audiences at the time would have noticed the sexist mode of address of this article. Additionally, the article is completely at odds with feminist movements such as the women’s liberation movement. 
• However, the article sets in explicit detail exactly what is necessary to be successful as an actress in major motion pictures. It sets out exact beauty standards and the need to be sexually available. It sells a lifestyle to the target audience where they have the potential to be powerful and successful, as long as they are hegemonically beautiful and sexually active. 
• Hitchcock is a powerful and popular draw for audiences. The intertextual reference to his films will appeal to the working class target audience. 
• “I’ve come to this conclusion after years of selecting, grooming and directing…and directed some of the most beautiful actresses in the world” 
• The word ‘grooming’ here refers to how Hitchcock ‘shapes’ women, and clearly it has highly problematic overtones. He is openly stating that he manipulates actresses in order to fulfil his desires.
• “The most unobtrusively seductive creatures in the world” [in reference to British women]
• By referring to women as ‘creatures’, Hitchcock essentially dehumanises and objectifies women. He is being explicit in his ideological perspective that the function of women in his films is to be looked at. This is a perfect example of Van Zoonen’s concept of the Male gaze. He infers that British women have an underlying nature about them that Hitchcock can expertly see. 
• “But that potent kind of sex appeal certainly isn't the private property of the stars”
• Arguably, Hitchcock here is inferring that sex appeal and sexualisation should be shared with everyone. This is also a shout-out/ address to the audience, reminding them that they are British, and therefore beautiful. This ‘compliment’ reminds the audience they have ‘something special’ and should share their gift..  With Alfred Hitchcock…
• “The sort of woman you’d go to for an animated discussion about horses, the weather and the outrageous price of brussels sprouts”
• Hitchcock reinforces his stereotypical and patriarchal ideological perspectives, and reinforces the stereotype that all women talk about is cooking, cleaning and animals
• “English girl’s sudden revelation of seductive depths”
• The lexis of the word ‘girl’ implies youth, naivety and innocence. It is a belittling word. 
• “They’re like snow capped volcanoes”
• Hitchcock is specifically referring to British women here. The use of the word ‘they’ is a subtle example of othering, and suggesting that women, in this case British women, are different. The simile ‘snow capped volcanoes’. This infers that while on the outside British women are uninterested in sex, deep down they are sexually available. This highly problematic language suggests that British women are sexually available to Hitchcock through his ‘grooming’ 
• Hitchcock’s language is poetic but hardly subtle. He continually makes reference to the ‘deep down’ sexual desires of women. This reinforces patriarchal hegemony, as it infers that in order to be successful, women but be attractive, young, British, and sexually available.