Alfred Hitchcock, a renowned director of suspense films, directed over 50 films and had peculiar habits. His films often featured a distrust of authority figures and a protagonist falsely accused of a crime. He collaborated with many respected actors, including Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Psycho is considered one of his scariest films, and he also had his own television show. Hitchcock fans recommend several of his films, including The 39 Steps, Rear Window, and Psycho.
Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of suspense films. He has directed over 50 films, starting with silent films in England in the 1920s. He was also known for his rather peculiar habits, especially his obsession with actress Tippi Hedrin, who appeared in The Birds and Marnie in the 1960s.
Alfred Hitchcock loved to tell the story of one of his father’s “teaching” lessons when he was a teenager. His father sent him to a local police station with a note. When the police read the note, they locked him in a cell for a few minutes. This lesson is certainly expressed in many of Hitchcock’s films where there is a distrust of authority figures, both parents and the police.
Many of his films contain similar thematic elements. A protagonist is falsely accused of a crime and must somehow find a way to exonerate himself. Alternatively, a protagonist believes he has committed a crime and further information shows that the crime was committed when the person was insane or someone else arranged circumstances to make the protagonist falsely believe in his guilt. Notable departures from this theme are often seen in later films. The first film to explore this thematic structure is the 1926 silent film, The Lodger
Film critics acclaim 39 Steps, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s early “talkie” films as a critical masterpiece. This again introduces the innocent protagonist who thinks he is a criminal. The film is also humorous, something that often occurs in Hitchcock’s films. Towards the end of his career, many of his films show a “gallows humor”, which does not always seem appropriate. Alfred Hitchcock is best when the comedy is light, most of the time.
In the 1940s, Alfred Hitchcock moved from his native England to California and began collaborating with director David O. Selznik. The partnership was not always successful, as Selznick often ran out of money for films. Despite his problems, this partnership led us to Hitchcock’s only Oscar-winning film, Rebecca.
The 1940s also saw the production of the classic films Shadow of a Doubt, Spellbound and Notorious. The first two represent her collaboration with Ingrid Bergman, as well as her work with Cary Grant and Gregory Peck. Alfred Hitchcock called Doubt his favorite film. It’s a suspenseful film that dances on the verge of incestuous innuendo and points out the woes of a small town. It features a multilayered performance by Joseph Cotton that is truly mesmerizing to watch.
Alfed Hitchcock was known for his collaborations with several respected actors. He has worked with the aforementioned actors, as well as Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. He often worked with actors repeatedly and made most of the films with Stewart and Grant, who did the lion’s share of his work in the 1950s and ’60s. One of his least known works of his is the somber comic strip The Trouble with Harry from 1955, starring a young Shirley MacLaine.
Many consider Psycho in 1960 one of the scariest movies ever. A wonderful trivia about the film is that the studio wasn’t bothered at all by the famous “shower scene” but expressed concern that Hitchcock was shown flushing the toilet. Murder in the Shower was probably made more palatable because it was shot in black and white, yet this is the first of Hitchcock’s films to feature extremely explicit violence. Later films like Frenzy would also push the envelope on both violence and nudity.
Hitchcock also had his own television show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and directed over 20 mid-1950s and 1960s episodes, which are now available on DVD. All of his films are also on DVD. Most Hitchcock fans will recommend the following: The 39 Steps, Lifeboat, Rear Window, Vertigo, North Northwest, The Birds and Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock fans will no doubt single out other of his films as the “best.” In all of his subsequent films he looks for Hitchcock cameos, as he liked to appear for brief moments on the screen.
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