In Alfred Hitchcock’s films produced in the 1930s, the master director/producer develops his protagonist in each film following a generally prescriptive pattern of having the leading man stumble or fall (intentionally or not) into conspiracy, controversy, and calamity. Then, the hero must struggle to redeem himself, usually with the assistance (invited or not) by the leading female. How do these film plots portray and challenge ideals of modernism?
