Illustrations for "Hitch Puts a Bird on It: Paul Klee’s Influence on the Master of Suspense"

Each of these images corresponds to a figure cited in my chapter in Critical Insights: Alfred Hitchcock, edited by Doug Cunningham. To get the full story, buy the book!

Figure 1. Hitch, perfectly at home with Paul Klee's Strange Hunt. 

Update 9/22: Mask and Scythe, Paul Klee, 1938. At the time of writing, I was unable to locate this work. Finally, here it is. 

Figure 2. Strange Hunt, Paul Klee, 1937.

Figure 6. Odyssey, Paul Klee, 1924.

Screen capture from I Confess, Alfred Hitchcock, 1953. Watch the full title sequence: following Hitch's cameo at :39, be sure to notice the interplay of the horizontal street signs and the upward-pointing architecture.

Screen capture from North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock, 1959. Watch the full title sequence. 

Mural from the Temple of Longing, Paul Klee, (1922).

Eros, Paul Klee, 1923

Screen capture from The Lodger, Alfred Hitchcock, 1927. The rhythmic triangles in the title cards link the character Daisy (played by “June”) to the murders and the love triangle she’s caught in. The shapes loom larger in each successive appearance, echoing the impending danger she’s in.

Twittering Machine, Paul Klee, 1922. Turn the handle slowly and you might hear Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ show theme "Funeral March of the Marionettes". Crank it fast and you’ll hear Bernard Herrmann’s furious soundtrack to The Birds.

Screen captures from The Trouble with Harry, Alfred Hitchcock, 1954. Watch the full title sequence.

Birds Swooping Down and Arrows, Paul Klee (1919).

A Young Lady’s Adventure, Paul Klee, 1921