Last Friday, cinephiles and Hitchcock fans gathered at Cineclube da Maia for an exciting first session of the JRAAS Non-Places in Hitchcock cinema cycle. We would like, once again, to extend a heartfelt thank you to Cineclub da Maia for their support in making this event a reality, and to everyone who joined us for our team’s first cinema cycle!
This was more than just an opportunity to watch a classic on the big screen. As a team, we believe that engaging with the community outside of Academia, through cultural events like this one, is necessary to foster and inspire our future research projects.
The basis of our discussion and analysis was the concept of “non-places” first developed by anthropologist Marc Augé. Non-places are spaces we move through and stay in temporarily- think airports, train stations, hotels, and highways. These places strip people of their identity, as they are places people only pass through. In modern times, we spend a lot of time in non-places, where our identity is irrelevant. Analyzing how these spaces work is crucial not only in the real world but also in artistic media such as cinema.
In Hitchcock’s films, these transitory spaces often serve as more than just mere backdrops—they are central to the narrative and concepts of identity, and anonymity.
Last Friday's screening of The Lady Vanishes (1938), is mostly set in non-places, beginning in a hotel and moving on to a train, Through Hitchcock’s masterful storytelling, we were able to reflect on the influence non-places hold in our day-to-day lives and ask questions:
What happens to our identity in spaces where it's stripped away, and all that remains is the passing through?
For those who couldn’t attend last night’s screening—you’ll have another chance to join us for our second and final screening next week, on Friday, the 21st, in Cineclube da Maia. This time, we’ll be screening Hitchcock’s classic, North by Northwest (1959) with commentary by Mário Augusto!
Once again, thank you to everyone who showed up! We hope you enjoyed the film and we look forward to seeing you next week!