Alfred Hitchcock is the uncontested heavyweight champion of suspense, the unparalleled master of murder and mystery, whose work is still widely imitated today. In a career that spanned over 50 years, the corpulent British filmmaker established a body of work that made him one of the first superstar directors. Inspired by Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek's recent screenings of Vertigo and Rear Window, here, in alphabetical order, is The Austin Classic Movie Examiner's highly subjective list of Alfred Hitchcock's Greatest Hits:
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"/"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1955-1965): For ten seasons, Hitchcock oversaw the production of one of the best anthology series on television, while providing deadpan comic introductions to the stories, which featured a Who's Who of up and coming Hollywood talent, and scripts based on some of the best crime and mystery fiction of the era.
The Birds (1963): In one of the best of the "Nature's revenge" horror films, Hitchcock manages to make birds terrifying. With Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren.
Dial 'M' for Murder (1954): Grace Kelly is the target of a murder plot by her husband, aging tennis bum Ray Milland, who decides to kill her for her money after catching her in an affair with nice guy Bob Cummings.
Family Plot (1976): Hitchcock's final film is a genial, relaxed tale of kidnapping gone wrong, with Barbara Harris as a phony psychic, and Bruce Dern as her boyfriend. With Karen Black, William Devane, and Cathleen Nesbitt.
Foreign Correspondent (1940): On the eve of the Second World War, an American reporter (Joel McCrea) goes up against enemy agents in London.With Laraine Day.
Frenzy (1971): Hitchcock returned the London streets for this tale of mistaken identity involving a no-account bartender who is blamed for the crimes of a gregarious-yet-psychotic serial rapist.
I Confess (1953): Montgomery Clift plays a priest who learns the identity of a murderer in the confessional, but whose vows prevent him from revealing the truth when he is accused of the crime.
Lifeboat (1944): Hitchcock rose to the challenge of filming an entire movie set in a lifeboat. Talullah Bankhead is on hand to chew the scenery.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927): Hitch's take on the oft-filmed tale of Jack the Ripper helped establish his reputation for creating suspense and a sinister atmosphere on a budget.
The Lady Vanishes (1938): Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood star in this mystery set on a train.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934, 1956): Hitchcock made this story of a regular guy caught up in international intrigue twice, the first time in England in black and white, the second time in Hollywood in color and VistaVision. Doris Day seems a tad bland after Grace Kelly, but she scored with "Que Sera Sera," the only hit record to come from a Hitchcock film.
Marnie (1964): Muddled psychological suspense starring Sean Connery as a guy who falls for a kleptomaniac and pathological liar played by Hitchcock's surrogate for Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedren.
North by Northwest (1959): Cary Grant is the hero in this Hitchcock classic which contains some of the director's best known set pieces.
Notorious (1946): Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman take on the Nazis in this spy drama.
Psycho (1960): Shooting in black and white on a tight budget, Hitchcock redefined the suspense film by trying to find out just how much he could get away with. With a highly influential score from frequent collaborator Bernard Herrmann, and stellar performances from Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, Martin Balsam, and Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates.
Rear Window (1954): James Stewart and Grace Kelly star in this tale of voyeurism and murder, with Raymond Burr as the heavy, and Thelma Ritter as the wisecracking housekeeper.
Rebecca (1940): Joan Fontaine stars in this gothic melodrama as the second wife of a man haunted by the memory of his first wife. With Laurence Olivier and Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers.
Rope (1950): Hitchcock experimented with making this drawing room mystery, inspired by the Leopold and Loeb murder case, in one more or less continuous take. The result resembled a beautifully photographed stage play. With James Stewart and Farley Granger.
Saboteur (1940): Robert Cummings is a poor sap framed for sabotage. Norman Lloyd, later a longtime producer on Hitch's TV show, is the bad guy who takes the fall in the end.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943): Joseph Cotten is the beloved uncle who is actually a serial murderer in this classic story of benign evil. With Theresa Wright.
Spellbound (1945): Hitchcock made this psychological suspense film for producer David O. Selznick, starring Ingrid Berman at her most beautiful as a psychiatrist who tries to help an amnesiac (Gregory Peck) who may or may not be a killer.
Strangers on a Train (1947): Robert Walker and Farley Grainger play the title characters in one of Hitchcock's most perfect movies, a masterpiece of suspense and irony.
Suspicion (1941): Hitchcock struggled with Cary Grant's outsized leading man persona as an all-around good chap by casting him as a murderous psychopath. Ultimately, changes were made to make Grant's character more sympathetic. Hitch wasn't fond of the studio interference he had to endure on this film, which led him to seek greater creative control of his projects.
The 39 Steps (1939): Robert Donat plays the archetypal Hitchcock protagonist, in over his head and wrongfully accused. With Madeline Carroll.
To Catch a Thief (1955): Hitchcock's last film with Grace Kelly, prior to her becoming Princess of Monaco, paired the icy blonde beauty with Cary Grant in this breezy, saucy mystery.
Vertigo (1958): James Stewart was never better than as the traumatized police detective forced into retirement by the condition of the title. Kim Novak plays a dual role as the object of his obsession. A highly stylized masterpiece, widely recognized as Hitchcock's most accomplished film.
Honorable Mention:
Jamaica Inn (1944)
Juno and the Paycock (1930)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)
Secret Agent (1937)
Torn Curtain (1966)
The Wrong Man (1956)
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