Alfred Hitchcock: Master of… the heart?

Sure, Hitchcock’s name is synonymous with suspense. Yet, curiously, in film after film, love’s travails invariably follow his protagonists along their onscreen adventures. A Hitchcockian odyssey is not only about resolving physical, political or legal entanglements, but whether their quest also contributes to emotional growth.

In Notorious, will Devlin overcome his stubborn pride and trust issues to allow his love for Alicia to flourish? Likewise, can Marnie, in that 1964 film, escape her guilt complex and accept Mark’s help to move on? Will she learn to love?

Steeped as the director’s films are in romantic convention, the notion of “happily-ever-after” nevertheless remains all too elusive. The boy may get the girl—but their future after the final fade-to-black can be anybody’s guess. Over the decades, that ambiguity has fueled countless post-movie “icebox conversations.”

Grounded in scholarly rigor, this conference picks up on that dialogic tradition to focus on the ways in which Hitchcock teaches us how to love and improve our personal relationships. We invite you to join this conference with the promise that you’ll leave with your head filled with new ideas and a heart ready to embrace a more fulfilling, richer life.