Sabotage Film Analysis

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Sabotage is a 1936 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This analysis will focus on a suspenseful 5-minute extract from the film, where the character Stevie is delivering a package to the Piccadilly Circus Underground Rail Station in London. However, Stevie is not aware that the package he is to deliver is actually a bomb. Karl Verloc, a cinema owner and secret saboteur, is part of gang from an unknown European country that is planning a series of attacks in London. Due to his skeptical behavior, Ted Spencer, a detective of the Scotland Yard, has Mr. Verloc under investigation for sabotage. Throughout the 5-minute extract, suspense is built by an array of different film elements that will be discussed in further detail, such as mise en scéne, camerawork, editing, and narrative. Alfred Hitchcock incorporates multiple aspects of mise en scéne into this scene. The actors’ movements throughout the scene seem realistic and natural. There is no evidence that Hitchcock attempted to create any false perceptions or ideas. During the scene when Stevie is watching the parade, his face appears bright and happy. The innocent look on his face shows that he is a pure soul that has no idea of the danger he is in. The harmless expression on his face gives the viewer a sense of empathy making the viewer hope that Stevie manages to elude the tragic demise he is currently falling towards. Stevie’s costume appears to be authentic with the time the film was shot. However, there are aspects of his costume that represent his youth and innocence. Furthermore, it is interesting to see that Stevie is wearing a hat in this scene, and we can speculate that the costume designer must have known it would accentuate his youth. Not only does it give him a childlike appearance, but it also makes him easy to spot in a crowd. It was an excellent idea to put Stevie in a baseball cap

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