Hitchcock and Philosophy

The shower scene in Psycho; Cary Grant running for his life through a cornfield; “innocent birds lined up on a fence waiting, watching — these seminal cinematic moments are as real to moviegoers as their own lives. But what makes them so? What deeper forces are at work in Hitchcocks films that so captivate his fans? This collection of articles in the series thats explored such pop-culture phenomena as Seinfeld and The Simpsons examines those forces with fresh eyes. These essays demonstrate a fascinating range of topics: Sabotages lessons about the morality of terrorism and counter-terrorism; Ropes debatable Nietzschean underpinnings; Strangers on a Trains definition of morality. Some of the essays look at more overarching questions, such as why Hitchcock relies so heavily on the Freudian unconscious. In all, the book features 18 philosophers paying a special homage to the legendary auteur in a way thats accessible even to casual fans.