Remembering Alfred Hitchcock On His Birthday
My introduction to Alfred Hitchcock was his TV show. He won an Emmy for the episode LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER :
Watch LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by clicking here
Andy Warhol & Alfred Hitchcock
I didn’t know then that Hitchcock had started in silent movies. This from Wikipedia:
THE LODGER: A STORY OF THE LONDON FOG
is a silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1926 and released on 14 February 1927 in London and on 10 June 1928 in New York City. The film, based on a story by Marie Belloc Lowndes and a play Who Is He? co-written by Belloc Lowndes, concerns the hunt for a "Jack the Ripper" type of serial killer in London.
Alfred Hitchcock cameo: Alfred Hitchcock appears sitting at a desk in the newsroom with his back to the camera and while operating a telephone (3 minutes into the film). This is Alfred Hitchcock's first recognizable film cameo and was to become a standard practice for the remainder of his films. Hitchcock's cameo came about as the actor supposed to play the part of the telephone operator failed to turn up and Hitchcock filled the breach.
The Lodger introduced themes that would run through much of Hitchcock's later work: the innocent man on the run, hunted down by a self-righteous society, and a fetishistic sexuality. Perhaps for the first time, a truly cinematic eye was at work in British cinema. Hitchcock had clearly been watching contemporary films by Murnau and Lang, whose influence can be seen in the ominous camera angles and claustrophobic lighting. While Hitchcock had made two previous films, in later years the director would refer to The Lodger as the first true "Hitchcock film".
I heard that he did cameos in his movies so I watched for them
Here is a complete collection of Hitchcock trailers:
Watch all Hitchcock's trailers by clicking here
Vertigo might not have been a huge hit upon release, but the years have been incredibly kind to it. It's a film that deals with themes heavily personal to Hitchcock and common in his films - like identity, voyeurism, doomed love, and perfectionism - with its plot following a detective taking on a case for an old friend, and ultimately getting wrapped up in something he couldn't foresee happening. - Collider
The film considered his best is VERTIGO which you can watch by clicking here:
Click this link to watch VERTIGO
My favorite film of his is the nihilistic THE BIRDS.
The Birds is a 1963 American natural horror-thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Loosely based on the 1952 story of the same title by Daphne du Maurier, it focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California, over the course of a few days.
The film stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren in her screen debut, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and Veronica Cartwright. The screenplay is by Evan Hunter, who was told by Hitchcock to develop new characters and a more elaborate plot while keeping du Maurier's title and concept of unexplained bird attacks. You can watch THE BIRDS by clicking this link:
Watch THE BIRDS by clicking here
Tippi Hedren would make claims of sexual harassment and blacklisting by Hitchcock, but there is a major problem: Her movie ROAR. She and her family lived with lions and over 70 people were injured while making the movie, including her daughter who needed reconstructive surgery. This was known in Hollywood. It is easy to imagine people being afraid of her and not wanting to work with her. When she talks about feeling she was in a dangerous situation with Hitchcock, all one need do is watch this movie and realize as people were attacked around her, she kept filming. And living with the lions. This to her is a safe situation!
That brings us to NORTH BY NORTHWEST. This is the movie that made the producers want Cary Grant to play James Bond. They negotiated with but he would only do 1 movie, they wanted him for several movies.
North by Northwest is a 1959 American spy thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures".
North by Northwest is a tale of mistaken identity, with an innocent man pursued across the United States by agents of a mysterious organization trying to prevent him from blocking their plan to smuggle microfilm, which contains government secrets, out of the country. This is one of several Hitchcock films that feature a music score by Bernard Herrmann and an opening title sequence by graphic designer Saul Bass, and was the first to feature extended use of kinetic typography in its opening credits.
North by Northwest is listed among the canonical Hitchcock films of the 1950s and is often listed among the greatest films of all time. It was selected in 1995 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". After its first screening, reviewers for The New Yorker and The New York Times immediately hailed it as a masterpiece of comedic, sophisticated self-parody. - Wikipedia
To watch NORTH BY NORTHWEST click this link:
To watch NORTH BY NORTHWEST click here
Hitchcock was one of the first directors to direct his own trailer. I believe trailers and stunt performers should be nominated for Academy Awards, this trailer should have won an Academy Award:
Before the word “branding” existed he was The Master Of Suspense. He became his own brand and was on record albums:
Book covers:
He is a staple in toy figurines:
There are even Hitchcock playing cards!
Happy Birthday Mr. Hitchcock- you are still remembered.
Behind the paywall: How Alfred Hitchcock Became The Master Of Suspense
See behind-the-scenes footage of some of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films: including Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, Dial M for Murder, The Birds, and more! Containing interviews, unique production shorts, trailers, rare film clips, news segments and more, this collection offers a rare look into Hitchock.
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