The Films of Alfred Hitchcock

by David Sterritt

• ISBN13: 9780521398145
• ISBN10: 0521398142
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-02-26
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The introduction gives an overview of Hitchcock’s long career, with special attention to the varied influences on his work; themes that run through many of his films, from the ‘transference of guilt’, to the connection between knowledge and danger; the overlooked importance of his presence within his films, including his famous cameo appearances and characters who represent him within the story; his fascination with performance and the ambiguities of illusion and reality; the question of viewing him and his work through the auteur theory; and other issues. Also discussed is the relationship between Hitchcock as a serious, even tormented artist and Hitchcock as a magician with a weakness for cinematic practical jokes. Six chapters then provide in-depth examinations of key films: Blackmail, his first talkie; Shadow of a Doubt, one of his personal favourites; The Wrong Man, which questions the nature of guilt and innocence; Vertigo, arguably his most profound work; Psycho, his most savage look at the nature of evil; and The Birds, his last masterpiece and one of his most widely misunderstood works.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Blackmail

3. Shadow of a Doubt

4. The Wrong Man

5. Vertigo

6. Psycho

7. The Birds

8. Epilogue

Notes.