An Introduction to Film

124 CHAPTER 4 ELEMENTS OF NARRATIVE

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4

The camera as narratorThe camera (and everything

that implies) is the primary narrator in every film. In this

moving camera shot from Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious, the

camera shows us the Nazi conspirator Alexander urging his

wife Alicia to drink her coffee [1], moves to fill the screen

with a close-up of her cup [2], follows it to her lips [3], and

then turns to connect the action to her vengeful mother-in-

law [4]. The next shot features Alicia holding her throbbing

head [5]. The camera has told us a story: Alexander and his

mother are poisoning Alicia.