Nighthawk76
10-11-2004, 03:47 PM
The final in my four part threads of favorite directors (the other three were on Stanley Kubrick, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese) is the man that in my humble opinion started it all, Sir Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born to William and Emma Hitchcock on August 13, 1899. As a child young Alfred was fascinated with both films and books. As a young child he wrote a number of short stories that were published in magazines and newspapers. Hitchcock's first job in the British film industry was designing cards that were flashed across the screen providing audiances with key information, this being the era of silent films. Hitchcock soon moved up to assitant director and directed his first film, The Pleasure Garden in 1925. Early on in his career, Hitchcock directed films of different types, but it was with the 1929 film, Blackmail (England's first "talkie") that he proved his gift at creating suspense films.
Hitchcock did not make another suspense film until The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1935. However, the film proved to be a worldwide sucsess and the filmmaker decided to specialize in suspense films. Over the next five years Hitchcock directed seven British thrillers including early masterpieces such as The 39-Steps, Young and Innocent and The Lady Vanishes.
In 1939, Hitchcock signed with Hollywood producer David O. Selznick and made his only film to win the Oscar for best pictutre, Rebecca. However, the films that Hitchcock made for Selznick like Spellbound and The Paradine Case, proved to be some of his lesser works. Still, while on loan to other producers, Hitchcock made such classics as Foreign Correspondent, Shadow of a Doubt and Notorious. In 1948, he made his first film in color called Rope (which was also the first film he made with Jimmy Stewart).
Wanting to have total control over his films, in the 1950's Hitchcock began to produce his own films. Between 1951 and 1960 he made a string of classics like Strangers on a Train, Dial M. for Murder, Rear Window, the James Stewart remake of The Man Who Knew too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho. Between 1963 and 1976 Hitchcock made six more films, but with the exception of Frenzy (1972) these films did not live up to the Hitchcock name. Alfred Hitchcock died in 1980.
Over his long career, Hitchcock made fifty films. Since I could not include all fifty I choose to list only his more famous films. if your favorite is not among them, I have include the option of chossing "Other."
Vertigo is my favorite Hitchcock film. It is a perfect film.
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born to William and Emma Hitchcock on August 13, 1899. As a child young Alfred was fascinated with both films and books. As a young child he wrote a number of short stories that were published in magazines and newspapers. Hitchcock's first job in the British film industry was designing cards that were flashed across the screen providing audiances with key information, this being the era of silent films. Hitchcock soon moved up to assitant director and directed his first film, The Pleasure Garden in 1925. Early on in his career, Hitchcock directed films of different types, but it was with the 1929 film, Blackmail (England's first "talkie") that he proved his gift at creating suspense films.
Hitchcock did not make another suspense film until The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1935. However, the film proved to be a worldwide sucsess and the filmmaker decided to specialize in suspense films. Over the next five years Hitchcock directed seven British thrillers including early masterpieces such as The 39-Steps, Young and Innocent and The Lady Vanishes.
In 1939, Hitchcock signed with Hollywood producer David O. Selznick and made his only film to win the Oscar for best pictutre, Rebecca. However, the films that Hitchcock made for Selznick like Spellbound and The Paradine Case, proved to be some of his lesser works. Still, while on loan to other producers, Hitchcock made such classics as Foreign Correspondent, Shadow of a Doubt and Notorious. In 1948, he made his first film in color called Rope (which was also the first film he made with Jimmy Stewart).
Wanting to have total control over his films, in the 1950's Hitchcock began to produce his own films. Between 1951 and 1960 he made a string of classics like Strangers on a Train, Dial M. for Murder, Rear Window, the James Stewart remake of The Man Who Knew too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho. Between 1963 and 1976 Hitchcock made six more films, but with the exception of Frenzy (1972) these films did not live up to the Hitchcock name. Alfred Hitchcock died in 1980.
Over his long career, Hitchcock made fifty films. Since I could not include all fifty I choose to list only his more famous films. if your favorite is not among them, I have include the option of chossing "Other."
Vertigo is my favorite Hitchcock film. It is a perfect film.