WEBISODE 6 - CARTE BLANCHE ON BLANCHARD
July 10, 2015 - Vagueness is like kryptonite to an audience. Learn how Hitchcock created clarity by manipulating a logical path of audience belief in 'Mr. Blanchard's Secret.'
Guest commentary by:
John P. Hess
Forris Day, Jr.
Sponsored by:
NOTES:
In this webisode we examine the episode "Mr. Blanchard's Secret" in its skilful manipulation of audience expectations. A somewhat benign story is made interesting as Hitchcock carefully pushes us to believe Babs and her conspiracies. She is proven wrong many times, but then we are still lured into believing.
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Clarity - Hitchcock said that clarity is essential for suspense. When the audience is confused, you'll lose them.
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Reality Barometer - John, as a character, exists only to cue the audience as to whether Babs' conspiracy is real. He is our link into the reality of the world Hitchcock has created.
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Need to Believe - Because Babs is the narrator, we want to believe her, and even though her theories are constantly disproven the audience clings to the hope that there's still a chance it's all true.
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Secret Info - Hitchcock shows us something that Babs doesn't see. As she is in the kitchen, the camera follows Ellen as she picks up a lighter and takes it with her.
The full episode of "Mr. Blanchard's Secret" (1956) can be found on DVD, Hulu, and IMDB.
