Symbol and Psychology in Hitchcock

This course offers a depth immersion into four great films by a grand master. Cinema virtuoso Alfred Hitchcock specialized in the human psyche—in tales of ordinary people transported by fate into defining, life-or-death oppositions with shadow forces. He ingeniously embedded symbolic cues into every element of his films, serving to underscore psychological transactions and heighten emotional stakes.

We will watch each film in full, followed by a review of key scenes, where we will practice identifying and tracking symbolic content. We’ll explore how Hitchcock used lighting, camera placement, sound, editing, and production design to convey encoded levels of meaning.

Lectures and discussions will amplify mythic motifs and depth psychological dimensions in the maestro's art.

Films and topics will include:

~Innocence and Awakening in Shadow of a Doubt

~Archetypes of Willing and Unwilling Sacrifice in Notorious

~The Carnival as Underworld Realm in Strangers on a Train

~ Midlife Descent as Dreamscape in Vertigo

~ Doubles and Doppelgangers, Staircases and Shadows

Terry Ebinger, MS, brings twenty-five years as a depth psychological educator, dream consultant, and group leader to unique programs bridging film studies, archetypal psychology, and cultural anthropology. Contact Terry at: dreamterry@gmail.com.