3. Almodóvar and Hitchcock

A Sorcerer's Apprenticeship

Summary

Much has been written about the impact of Hollywood classics on Almodóvar's corpus of works. Hitchcock was Almodóvar's primary textbook and industrial model. Even after the global success of Mujeres al borde established him as a major filmmaker, Almodóvar continued to study and learn from Hitchcock's films. Hitchcock's films are not an obvious referent, even in parody. The inspiration of Hitchcock's films, especially of Spellbound, however, is pervasive in Laberinto's plot elements and leitmotifs. The final scene of Laberinto de pasiones strongly alludes to Hitchcock. Hitchcock's most well-known stories from the television series is “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” namely “Lamb to the Slaughter,” which Hitchcock directed in 1957. While aspects associated with the creation of “suspense” do not go unnoticed, Almodóvar's work shows a far deeper appreciation of Hitchcock's cinematography and construction of narrative.