One of Hitchcock's favorite themes is the innocent man caught in a desperate situation, especially one is which he appears guilty of some crime. Sometimes the innocence or guilt is ambiguous; more often, it is clear to the viewer but unclear to the other characters in the film. (more…)

"I find Hitchcock's films to be a bed of paradoxes and ambiguities in which identity is questioned and explored" (297), Lucretia Knapp writes in her essay "The Queer Voice in Marnie." Indeed, Hitchcock often deals with the matter of identity in his films, as his characters struggle to establish or reestablish their selves. In this vein, he frequently utilizes costuming to demonstrate the changeable nature of identity. (more…)