With an iconic profile and a prolific film career, Alfred Hitchcock was an imposing figure, both literally and figuratively. His films were exciting, glamourous, and sometimes frightening, and he was truly the master of suspense. Here are my top five favorite Hitchcock films, in no special order.
Full of despair, obsession, madness, and erie nightmares, Vertigo (1958), might be the most frightening Hitchcock film. In a dazzling performance in which he plays the opposite of the his usual everyman type character, Jimmy Stewart plays a detective on the brink of losing his mind after he believes he has failed to protect Kim Novak, the woman he loves. Lush green and hints of red repeatedly show up in the background of the film, and certain images like a bouquet of flowers, horses, a white tower and an open grave filter through the film, making the viewer feel a part of the madness. Although it initially recieved mixed reviews, this film has since gathered a following and might be Hitchcock's finest.
The film Notorious (1946) stars the suave Cary Grant, paired with Ingrid Bergman as the obligatory Hitchcock blond. He plays a spy and she plays the daughter of a Nazi, who uses her connection to her father to go under-cover and spy on the Germans. Cary Grant's character is supposed to encourage her to romance a Nazi to gather information, but he is conflicted between love and duty. Between a shocking (for the 1940's) love scene, Ingrid Bergman's snazzy wardrobe and Nazis galore, it is one of the most suspenseful Hitchcock films.
Rear Window (1954) is all about being a voyeur. Jimmy Stewart plays a journalist with a broken leg who, bored during a sweltering summer stuck in his apartment, begins to playfully spy on his neighbors, only to witness what could be murder! Grace Kelly plays his socialite girlfriend who is trying to prove that they are a compatible couple, even though they are from different worlds. Suspensful and fun, this film transforms the viewer into a nosy neighbor and makes an interesting statement about film.
Rebecca (1940), the only Best Picture Oscar winning Hitchcock film, was based on Dapne du Maurier's novel. A shy young woman played by Joan Fontaine marries a rich widower played by Laurence Olivier, who's dead wife begins to torment Joan Fontaine's character through the estate's creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. Frightening and full of sudden twists, this early Hitchcock is also one of his best films.
In North By Northwest (1959) Cary Grant plays a dull advertising agent who has a life that gets more exciting and considerably more dangerous when he is mistaken for a spy by some Russian agents. He meets the stunning and morally ambiguous Eva Marie Saint on a train as he tries to escape, and the film ends with shenanigans atop Mount Rushmore. Fun, glamorous and exciting, North By Northwest might be Hitchcock's most stylish and iconic thriller.
Other Hitchcock films to watch:
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Rope (1948)
Stage Fright (1950)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Dial M For Murder (1954)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
