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Table of Contents
Alfred Hitchcock
First Job
Hitchcock, who was born on the suburbs of London, began his career in the film business in 1919 as a title card designer after working as a technical clerk and copywriter for a telegraph-cable firm.1)
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
His first successful film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, influenced the thriller genre, and his 1929 film, Blackmail, was the first British “talkie”.2)
1930s Thrillers
Two of his 1930s thrillers, The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, are considered among the best British films of all time.3)
Move to Hollywood
By 1939, Hitchcock had established himself as a major international director, and film producer David O. Selznick urged him to go to Hollywood.4)
Hollywood Releases
Following Rebecca, Foreign Correspondent, Shadow of a Doubt, and The Paradine Case, a run of popular films were released in Hollywood, including Rebecca, Foreign Correspondent, Shadow of a Doubt, and The Paradine Case.5)
Rebecca
Rebecca, his film, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won Best Picture.6)
Hitchcockian Style
The use of camera movement to resemble a person's stare, so turning spectators into voyeurs, and framing pictures to maximum dread and horror are all examples of “Hitchcockian” style.7)
Robin Wood
The significance of a Hitchcock picture, according to film critic Robin Wood, “is there in the method, in the evolution from scene to shot.” “A Hitchcock picture is an organism in which the whole is suggested in every detail and every detail is tied to the whole.”8)
Greatest Films
By 1960, Hitchcock had directed four films that are widely considered to be among the best of all time: Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho.9)
Preservation In LOC
By 2016, seven of his films, including his personal favorite, Shadow of a Doubt, have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.10)
AFI Life Achievement Award
He earned the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979 and was knighted four months later, in December of that year.11)
Education
Hitchcock attended St. Ignatius College, a Jesuit school in London, as well as the School of Engineering and Navigation and the University of London.12)
Childhood
According to Hitchcock, he had an extremely secluded and lonely upbringing, which was exacerbated by his weight. He claimed that his mother would have him stand at the foot of the bed for hours, narrating his daily activities.13)