Alfred Hitchcock Author, Filmmaker, Director, and sometimes Actor
Biography 1899-1980 Born in England, but died a US citizen in Los Angeles, CA Roman Catholic His parents were greengrocers He is the youngest of three children
Naughty Boy As a five-year-old boy, he was sent to the local police station by his father with a note in hand about young Alfred participating in mischief-making The sergeant read the note that the father wrote and put the five-year-old into a prison cell This is what we do to naughty boys Hitchcock s childhood inspired him to write about terror being inflicted upon the unknowing and sometimes, innocent Main themes of his works are guilt, fear, and redemption
Education / Career High interest in numbers and technology Studied at Jesuits St. Ignatius College until the age of 16 From JSIC, he went to the University of London to study engineering and navigation At 19, he started work as an estimator at Henley Telegraph Company. From estimator, he went to advertising. From HTC, he got a job with Paramount Studios in London as a silent film title designer. By the age of 22, he was an assistant director.
Love on Set His first job assistant director was working on a film titled, No. 13 No. 13 never finished production, but he met Alma Reville during production and they married in December 1926. Alfred and Alma produced several projects together Their daughter even worked as an actress in some of his projects
His Works Shadow of a Doubt Hitchcock s favorite of hisworks 1925 s The Pleasure Garden directorial debut 1926 s The Lodger launched his career in England, making him the most successful and highest paid director in that country 1940 s Rebecca AH emigrated to America to film and won an Oscar
The Classics and the 1950-1960 was Hitchcock s most productive decade Dial M for Murder To Catch a Thief Strangers on atrain The Masterpieces Rear Window Vertigo North by Northwest Masterpieces Controversy Psycho
1955 was a good year Hitchcock became a US citizen Launched Alfred Hitchcock Presents Due to the popularity of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he became a celebrity in the US Hitchcock drew his profile in nine strokes and became the symbol of his celebrity
Up until the day he died (almost) He wrote, produced, and directed films up until 1979. His late works The Birds, Marnie, and Family Plot were wellknown among Americans He died in his sleep, which is ironic, because of his penchant for murder, mayhem, and shock. What is even more ironic, is that he and his family lead a quiet and unostentatious life.
Up until this day Hitchcock s legacy is vast: books, tributes, film festivals, and imitators abound. Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, a monthly magazine, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents are still going strong.
Did You Know? Alfred Hitchcock was once stopped at the French border by a suspicious customs official. Eyeing the space where Hitchcock listed his profession as "producer," the official demanded, "And what do you produce?" "Gooseflesh," Hitchcock coolly replied. Hitchcock never sat among an audience to watch his films. Amazingly enough, Hitchcock never won a best director Oscar in competition, although he was awarded the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1967 Oscars. He did receive the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award in 1979 and his homeland made sure he was properly acknowledged: In the New Year's Honors list of 1980, he was named a Knight Commander of the British Empire. He went by the nickname, Hitch.
Typical Hitchcock Ingredients Man in unexpected trouble Blonde love interest Horizontal travel Danger is vertical Domineering mother character Authority is unhelpful or not to be trusted
Elaborate set in Rear Window Meticulous pre-planning Inventive use of sound Technical competence
Uses the same themes: Suspense, guilt, murder
Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Thriller films tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. (Wikipedia)
Hitchock is an auteur. Auteur a filmmaker whose individual style and complete control over all elements of production give a film its personal and unique stamp. Trademarks: Appears in cameos in his films, usually in the beginning so the audience doesn t get too distracted looking for him and lose focus on the story. Bathrooms are often a plot device. What?! Liked using a shot to feature a female s hairstyle.