50 Years of Hitchcock

Many have heard of the name Alfred Hitchcock and if asked his 1960 film Psycho would likely come to mind. However, did you know that his first movie called “The Pleasure Garden” was released in 1925 during the silent era?  His first big hit was “The Lodger” from 1927 (still in the silent era) and his final film called "Family Plot" was released in 1976.  During those 50 years a total of 53 movies where made by him which is something very few others, if any, have achieved.

Unlike many, Hitchcock successfully migrated from the silent era to sound films however he did that whilst still being a silent filmmaker at heart which is why many of his films could communicate suspense and feel without relying upon the need for sound or talking.  In other words the addition of sound was used to enhance the film not the focus of it.  For example, his first sound film “Blackmail” from 1929 (made in both silent and sound versions as not all cinemas had made the conversion) has some great uses of sound that is used to give greater insight into what is going through the mind of one of the main characters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlyQaJbJgs.  Remember this was the very beginning of the sound era in filmmaking.

The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Notorious, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, The Birds, The Man Who Knew Too Much and North by Northwest are just a few of his films that have received quite a lot of attention since being made more readily available through DVD/Bluray etc.  In fact, in 2012 his 1958 film “Vertigo” (a flop at the time it was released) was, in Sight & Sound’s 10 yearly critics vote, voted the best film ever made but even if many wouldn’t agree the fact that it is up there is certainly noteworthy.

If you haven’t seen many or any of his films, I can only recommend that you give them a shot as he was really quite skilful at making a good movie.  My personal top 10 Hitch films would be:

1. North by Northwest (1959) – starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and James Mason.  
   This is a classic wrong man spy adventure film that easily sits in my top 10 movies of all time. With the combination of mystery, suspense and comedy it is quite similar in a way to his 1939 hit “The 39 Steps”.
2. Rear Window (1954) – starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly.
   We have a man in plaster (due to a broken leg) bound to his flat which backs onto a courtyard surrounded by other flats. Naturally when you look out your window you look into the lives of other people, places that are not yours. What if you thought you saw something terrible happening in one of your neighbour’s flats?  Would you investigate?
3. Vertigo (1958) – starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes.
   This is a film that is easily a masterpiece and wouldn’t be too hard to slip into the number 2 position.  Former police officer (Scottie) is asked by a friend to follow his wife (Madeleine) as she has been acting quite strangely and not remembering where she has been going during parts of the day.  Why does she look at the grave of someone who lived and died many years ago and why does she sit and stare at one particular portrait in the art gallery?  So much mystery!
   I did review this movie a while back here http://filmferret.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/vertigo-1958.html
4. Notorious (1946) – starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains.
   This film will get you in with its spy intrigue from the start.  It is very Noir like in the way it feels and looks yet the classic Hitchcock touch doesn’t get sacrificed as a result.  It is a very well-made film and it’s not surprising that this often gets brought up in the list of spy thrillers.
5. The 39 Steps (1935) – starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll.
   This is one of his early films that was one of six suspense/thrillers in the latter years of his time in England.  An ordinary man caught up in a spy intrigue that leads him to various places in England and Scotland trying to find the meaning of “the 39 steps”. It also has some great comedy play between the two leads that adds to the fun of this great classic.
6. Psycho (1960) – starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.
   I don’t think there would be too many who would not know of or at least heard of Psycho. Made on a very small budget and shot (unusually) in beautiful black and white that suits the film to a “T”, this film also made a heap at the box office.  Strict rules were also enforced by Hitchcock on cinemas not to let people in after the movie had started and it paid off big time.  The result was a movie that spawned three sequels, a shot by shot remake in 1998, that start of a TV series (which failed) in 1987 and now a new 5 season series (modernised) that leads up to the 1960 film.  
7. The Man Who knew too much (1956) starring James Stewart and Doris Day.
   This is actually a remake of the Hitchcock’s own 1934 classic that he made whilst in England.  The scene in Royal Albert Hall is retained (though I think much better in the 1956 than the original) as is the general plot but it is also 45 minutes longer which allows some greater depth (the original is fast paced and stars Peter Lorre and some class that as the better version) in the story.  Some great acting and suspense makes this easily hit the top 10 for me.  You also get to hear Doris Day sing!
8. The Birds (1963) starring Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren.
   Another classic that still stands well today. This is not so much a thriller as it is a horror, almost apocalyptic in some ways.  For no real reason birds start an attack on people that causes all sorts of mayhem for a coastal town in California. Unusually, not just are we given no reason for it but the ending will not provide comfort either.  It was Hitchcock’s most daring film in that he wasn’t just dealing with actors but birds as well, and it contains some great effects that for 1963 are still really convincing for today.  A must see!
9. The Lady Vanishes (1938) starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave.
   With the majority of the film taking place on a train this would have been a task and a half to film.  Iris gets on a train and sits across from Miss Froy.  When Iris awakes Miss Froy is missing however no one else claims to have seen this Miss Froy and claims that Iris is going a little mad and the nasty knock on the head she got prior to getting on the train is causing her to have illusions.  Is Iris really imagining this?  Did she really see Miss Froy get on the train at all?  
10. Strangers on a Train (1951) starring Farley Granger and Robert Walker.
    Criss Cross.  From the opening of the movie you get this reoccurring idea of Criss Cross.  Two strangers, Bruno and Guy, meet on a train one day and each of them has someone in their lives that is causing a lot of grief.  Bruno (played by Robert Walker) makes the suggestion that they could swap murders which would therefore allow each of them to have alibis.  Guy dismisses the idea as a joke but Bruno follows through with the idea and then naturally wants Guy to follow through on his side of the deal.  

This is a hard list as the vast majority of his films are well made and really worth watching.  One film that just missed out on the top 10 was his first sound movie from 1929 called “Blackmail” (both a silent and sound version of the film was made as cinemas were still in the process of converting to sound, but I am referring to the sound version) which considering when it was made is actually a really well made and well thought out movie.  There are also plenty of others missing out such as Marnie (1964), I Confess (1953), To Catch A Thief (1955), Rope (1948), Shadow of a Doubt (1942), Rebecca (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Dial M for Murder (1954), Suspicion (1941) and Torn Curtain (1966) that are highly regarded and well worth seeing.

Overall, this makes Alfred Hitchcock one of the most successful Directors we have ever seen and likely ever will see as his creative touch was something that has lasted the test of time and has influenced many other filmmakers in how they are shot but sadly few stand up to the original.  Do yourselves a favour and check out some of his great films.