For the last number of decades Alfred Hitchcock Film’s have become synonymous with the Golden era of Hollywood Cinema. Hitchcock’s films have become iconic and indeed powerful on how they play upon our emotions more specifically those of fear, shock and horror. I started watching Hitchcock films during my undergraduate years in Video and Film, I loved watching them as what drew me to them were powerful suspenseful images, shocking scenarios and of course iconic, memorable and in more than one case chilling characters.
Hitchcock’s work in cinema has earned him the title “Master of Suspense”, a title that suits him perfectly as every picture he has made has us an audience hanging off the edge of our seat. this is evident in moments such as the famous Shower Scene in “Psycho” or the chase atop Mount Rushmore in “North by Northwest”. I have decided to take a break from my Cancer Diaries to write some other posts and I decided to start with this one as I have been watching some of my Favorite Hitchcock’s Lately
In selecting my Top 10 Favorite Hitchcock Films this list has become slightly interchangeable but now I have firmly narrowed it down to the Top Ten Hitchcock Films I could watch again and again.
1: REBECCA (1940)
Adapted from the 1938 Novel the story of Maxim De Winter’s New Bride constantly reminded of his late Wife Rebecca within the walls of Manderly is masterfully brought to life by Hitchcock. Hitchcock’s excellent direction brings to life the ominous atmosphere of Manderly haunted by the specter of Rebecca with reminders of her everywhere. Lawrence Olivier (Maxim De Winter) is perfectly cast as a man desperately trying to escape something which we cannot quite fathom until later as events come to a head. Judith Anderson adds to the haunting atmosphere as Housekeeper Mrs Danvers determined to keep her deceased Mistresses memory alive. Anderson’s performance is truly disturbing on the brink of insanity as she drives the new young wife almost to the brink of madness.
Fontaine’s performance as the Protagonist is absolutely beautiful as she braves the enviroment of Manderly which in turns transforms her from a naive young girl into a young woman. The black and white cinematography is evocative and strongly contributes to the hantuing atmosphere of the film.
2: SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)
Known to be Hitchcock’s personal favorite of all his films and it’s no surprise why. a Niece finding out her favorite Uncle, Charlie is in actual fact a Dangerous Killer makes for the perfect thriller. The setting is also perfect, the charming, pleasant town of lovely people that cannot avoid the evils of the world. Joseph Cotton is beautifully cast as outwardly charming but internally evil and sinister Uncle Charlie and his menacing presence dominates the picture as the perfect antagonist. Teresa Cotton put’s in a great performance as Young Charlie whose faith in her uncle and naive innocence is shattered upon discovering her Uncle’s secret. The tension builds perfectly as young Charlie finds herself in danger as Uncle Charlie will even kill her, his favorite Niece to keep his secrets.
Adding to things is Young Charlie’s Father (Henry Travers) and his Friend and fellow Crime Buff Herbie (Hume Cronyn) constantly discussing committing the perfect murder when the complete irony is that there is a Dangerous Killer in the house. You have to appreciate Mr Hitchcock’s talent for ghoulish humor.
3: SPELLBOUND (1945)
A Hitchcock Film shrouded in mystery and intrigue as we the audience along with Ingrid Bergman’s Dr. Constance Petersen try to uncover the mystery of the fate of Dr. Anthony Edwardes and who is the man pretending to be him. Ingrid Bergman is perfectly cast as Dr. Constance Petersen whose cool exterior is melted as she falls in love with Gregory Peck’s Character with an admirable determination to prove he is not a deranged man. Gregory Peck excellently plays a character who the audience are unsure if they can trust him or not of whether his unlocked memories can prove he is trustworthy. The plot is so well constructed it keeps us an audience enthralled to uncover the truth and what really happened to Dr. Anthony Edwardes.
The Dream Sequence is the film is a very memorable scene and brings strong elements of symbolism and almost German expressionism to a sequence that opens the truth to interpretation and the key to everything.
4: DIAL M FOR MURDER (1953)
The first of Grace Kelly’s three fabulous outings with Hitchcock. Tony Wendice played to Villainous perfection by Ray Milland plots to murder his unfaithful wife Margo played by the Beautiful Ms. Kelly. This is a fantastic piece of Hitchcockian Cinema filled with nail biting tension and excellent camera direction. Aside from Grace Kelly’s beautiful performance the crown for top performance must go to Ray Milland. He is calculating, poised and sinister in his plans. The scene where he fully explains his plan down to every little detail with birds eye view camera angles is completely magnificent. Only Hitchcock could make the planning of a murder so elegant and full of panache. Another performance worth noting is John Williams Chief Inspector Hubbard who may not be the clueless police officer the audience have him pegged as.
Hitchcock’s direction on this film is purse mastery and as I said before it is evident in so many of the scenes. The birds eye view camera style is a Hitchcock flouirsh used to cinematic perfection.
5: REAR WINDOW (1954)
My Top Favorite Hitchcock and Absolute Favorite of all time, Rear Window is the ultimate Hitchcock thrill ride of suspense and shock. James Stewart as Photographer LB Jeffries is resourceful and determined as the lead and keeps the picture driving forward to a suspenseful conclusion that will have everyone on the edge of thier seats. Grace Kelly as Lisa Freemont is not just beautiful and glamorous but strong willed and not afraid to take risks when trying to prove the murder of Mrs Thorwald. Stewart and Kelly work together beautifully in this film as the perfect couple who have some differences about careers and life but through thier investigations come closer together and everything works out. Raymond Barr also excels as the antagonist, Killer Lars Thorwald who even though is seen at a distance for most of the picture dominates with his cold and calculating presence.
The film dazzles with Hitchcockian touches like all of Jeffries neighbors and how we get a glimpse of thier lives and struggles. This without doubt is the definitive Hitchcock Film.
6: TO CATCH A THIEF
Hitchcock undertaking a romantic thriller seems like a change but he still delivers those moments of suspense and shock. Cary Grant delivers an excellent and masterful performance as John Robie risking prison and danger to clear his name, he is the perfect anti-hero. This marks the third and final Hitchcock outing for Grace Kelly as the beautiful but daring Frances Stevens who falls for John and becomes embroiled in the race to expose the real thief, her driving skills could use work though. The scenes in which Frances outruns the police on the mountains road add some comedy to the proceedings. The exhilarating conclusion of the film and the reveal of the real thief is filled with excitement as anti-hero and villain have it out as they scale the rooftops.
The backdrop of the film in the stunning and picturesque French Riviera makes for the perfect exciting and beautiful setting for action, intrigue and romance.
7: VERTIGO
Hitchcock’s tale of love, obsession and tragedy is an unforgettable film with twists and turns you wont see coming. This is one of those films where you think you know everything but you dont know how things will turn out at all. James Stewart excels as anti-hero John Ferguson who falls deeper and deeper from love into obsession creating the perfect tragic hero. As his obsessive behavior reaches a peak he starts to become very unsympathetic as a character. Kim Novak is both beautiful, tragic and the perfect example of a film character shrouded in mystery and tragedy. She is almost ethereal and we hope she can be saved by Stewart but the atmosphere of mystery and tragedy adds to the excellent craft of her character. This film also ingeniously makes use of colors such as red and green to symbolize the mood or sometimes predict what could be coming next.
8: NORTH BY NORTHWEST
The Ultimate Hitchcock thrill ride starring Hollywood Heartthrob Carey Grant. Hitchcock weaves a cinematic tale of suspense, intrigue and a little romance and the chase/action that starts in New York that ends in a suspenseful conclusion atop Mount Rushmore, undeniably one of the most Iconic film endings ever. Carey Grant in his Sixth and Final Hitchcock Outing plays the Advertising Man turned agent who evades death and capture, his suave charm and sharp instinct make him a great character who saves the day and gets the girl. Eva Marie Saint as Double Agent Eve Kendall is both beautiful and resourceful and whilst we as an audience are unsure if we can trust her, the chemistry between her and Grant is electric like any pairing from the Hollywood Golden Era.
Like any Great Hitchcock the film is packed with iconic action packed moments like the Crop Duster Plane Chase or the Finale atop Mount Rushmore. I think Hitchcock’s cameo in this film is the funniest when he tries to get on the bus but the door is slammed in his face.
9: PSYCHO (1960)
What can you say about Psycho aside from the fact it is a chilling and ingenious piece of cinema and my second favorite Hitchcock. Anthony Perkins gives an engaging but menacing and chilling performance as Norman Bates, here is a character where you feel something is wrong before that memorable ending. Janet Leigh also put’s in a great performance as the doomed Marion Crane who is weighed down by guilt over her crime but fate and horror intervene before she can atone. The cinematography of this scene is pure film excellence as can be seen in scenes like the inner monologues that take place in Marion’s car or the shots inside and outside the Bates house which would send a shiver down anyone’s spine.
The shower scene is a towering example as Marion’s brutal demise in the shower was filmed and edited in a way that managed to appease the strict production code at that time.
10: THE BIRDS (1963)
Hitchcock masterfully weaves this tale of nature gone horribly mad and a possible guarantee you will never look at birds the same way again. Tippi Hendren is well cast as the beautiful but seemingly lost Melanie Daniels who builds a sweet and strong relationship with Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) and even a slightly paternal relationship with his Mother Lydia (Jessica Tandy). Rod Taylor is perfectly cast as Mitch Brenner who must try keep his family safe from the horrific bird attacks and we as an audience love his building romance with Melanie. The excellent effects in this film mainly the bird scenes and attacks make the CGI effects today look tacky and amateurish. So much effort went into creating scenes that will have people look at birds more warily as if fearing life will imitate cinema.
The sound effects of the birds are also excellently created so that the sounds send a shiver down your spine. It is a credit to all the hard work on this film to make people slightly fearful of our feathered friends.
So this wraps up my Top 10 Hitchcock Films. there are of course other honorable mentions, other Hitchcock Films I enjoy which I will do in another post. In the meantime if you haven’t seen any of these Amazing Hitchcock Films then I suggest you get onto Amazon Prime and start watching them PRONTO
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