The Hitchcock Classics
On this page you will find descriptions and images from what I consider to be the "must see" Hitchcock films. If you're looking for a decent representation of his works, these are excellent choices. They range from edge of your seat suspense, to leave the lights on terror. So, if you're in a slump and need a good suggestion for the rental counter, consider these!
Rebecca
(1940) An incredibly haunting tale of a wealthy widower, Maxim
deWinter, and a lovely young woman (whose name we never learn) which he meets while
vacationing. The two have a whirlwind romance and are soon married. Upon returning to
Manderley, Maxim's estate, the new Mrs. deWinter is confronted by Mrs. Danvers. A
sufficiently creepy housekeeper whose obsession with the former Mrs. deWinter is quite
unsettling. We learn that Maxim's previous wife's name was Rebecca and that her death came
about as a result of a tragic accident. Whenever Mrs. deWinter tries to discuss this with
Maxim, he seems strangely distant and detached. His demeanor suggests that he may still be
deeply in love with Rebecca. The situation is complicated even further as Mrs. Danvers
takes great pains to inform Mrs. deWinter that she is in no way needed or wanted at
Manderley. Even to the point of trying to influence her into a suicidal leap from the
house. But the mood changes when there is new light shed on to the circumstances
surrounding the accident which claimed Rebecca's life. After several startling revelations
the film completes with a fiery end.
Suspicion
(1941) One of Hitchcock's many films where he relies on
psychological fear to provide the suspense. This story introduces us to Lina MacKinlaw, a
shy somewhat introverted girl whose biggest desire is to escape her current homelife. She
meets a suave playboy named Johnny Aysgarth whom, despite some viscous rumors regarding
his past, she marries. As the two begin their life together, she becomes aware of
circumstances which causes her to believe that he is responsible for the murder of a close
friend. It is soon after this that she also begins to suspect him of planning to kill her.
All of this combined with Johnny's mysterious nature paralyzes her life with fear. It is
only when the two take a ride together in a car along a rocky cliff that Lina finally
learns the truth.
Saboteur
(1942) Playing on the paranoia of World War II America, Hitchcock
wove this suspenseful tale about a falsely accused man trying to clear his name and bring
the real villain to justice. It centers around Barry Kane, an employee of an aircraft
manufacturing plant who becomes the prime suspect when his factory is mysteriously
destroyed by fire. As he is being arrested, he realizes that he knows who the real
saboteur is and that finding him is the only way to exonerate himself. He is able to
escape his captors and begin a perilous trek to find the real saboteur. Along the way he
takes a female hostage, Patricia Martin, who at first is reluctant to believe his story
but eventually is swayed to trust him. The plot thickens as the two discover a conspiracy
of saboteurs and their plans to wreak further havoc on the United States war machine. All
of which culminates into a truly awesome finale atop the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Shadow
of a Doubt (1943) This is a great film because Hitchcock shows
perfectly how even the most evil person can be someone whom we thought we knew and
trusted. Charlie Cokley is a fugitive from the law. He is being hunted by police for a
series of murders committed by a fiend the press has dubbed "The Happy Widow
Killer". Charlie finds the perfect hiding place, with his sister and her suburbanite
family. They of course welcome Charlie into their home and are glad to have his company.
Especially his teenage niece, "Charlie"( lovingly named after her uncle ). But a
series of certain incidents causes "Charlie" to become suspicious of her uncle
and his motives for wanting to stay with the family. This is confirmed when one of the
detectives who had been trailing Cokley arrives in town and has the chance to speak with
her. Unfortunately, this does not go unnoticed by her uncle who in turn realizes that the
only way to keep himself safe is to eliminate "Charlie" and her prying
questions. Now she must struggle to stay alive before the police are able to close
the case.
Spellbound
(1945) Based on the novel The House of Dr. Edwardes, we
begin here in a mental hospital where there is to be a 'changing of the guard' of sorts.
The staff meets Dr. Edwardes, the physician charged with becoming the successor of
the recently resigned director, Dr. Murchison. As Dr. Edwardes settles into his new
position, he meets Dr. Constance Peterson ( notably played by the always beautiful Ingrid
Bergman ). Intrigued, she quickly falls in love with him. But the relationship takes a
nasty spin when it is learned that the person that they believe to be Dr. Edwardes, is in
fact a mental patient who had been stricken with a memory lapse and had assumed the
identity of the real doctor. And after it is discovered that the actual Dr. Edwrades had
fallen victim to murder, the patient is convinced that he is the killer with no
recollection of the event. Refusing to believe this scenario, Constance harbors him from
the authorities until she is able to delve into his past and his real identity. With her
help, and the aid of a trip to the ski slopes, the man is able to recover his memory and
it is discovered who Dr. Edwardes' actual killer is.
Notorious
(1946) An absolute must if you wish to see an example of Hitch at
his finest. It is the end of World War II where the daughter of a convicted Nazi criminal
is residing in the United States. She wishes no connection with her past. That is until
she is approached by an FBI agent named Devlin who requests that she undertake a special
mission. A man named Alexander Sebastian, who was an acquaintance of her father's, is
suspected of harboring Nazi war criminals and aiding them in eluding the authorities. If
possible, she is to try and find out what she can about these activities. She goes to
Brazil and meets Sebastian and to gain total access to his life, she makes an incredible
sacrifice. She marries him. During a swank party thrown by Sebastian, Devlin is able to
gain access to the home and along with Alicia, they begin to explore the house. The trek
takes them to a wine cellar where Devlin discovers a plot much deeper than originally
suspected. Soon Sebastian becomes aware that Alicia is more than she appears, and to hide
his activities and what she knows, he begins to slowly poison her. It is only when Devlin,
who has become quite fond of Alicia, does not hear from her, that he realizes that
something has gone wrong and that he must save her.
Strangers
on a Train (1951) Truly this film must be mentioned when
discussing any Hitchcock classic. An aspiring professional tennis player named Guy Haines
is commuting on a train when he meets Bruno Anthony ( brilliant performance by
the late Robert Walker ) who seems to know a great deal about Guy and his personal
life from reading the society column in the newspaper. Guy has been estranged from his
wife, Miriam and is now romantically linked with Ann Morton, a Washington D.C. senator's
daughter. During the course of the conversation, Bruno mentions how much he hates his
father and suggests how convenient it would be if he were dead. This prompts him to
explain his theory of the perfect murder to Guy. Two strangers who have never met, which
both have a person they wish to do away with, agree to swap murders therefore eliminating
any motive and allowing the other to provide an alibi. Guy takes this as nothing more than
an outrageous fantasy when he leaves Bruno, until his wife turns up murdered at an
amusement park. It is then that Bruno gives Guy a gift. Miriam's cracked glasses which he
took from her face. Guy comes to the shocking realization that he is dealing with a
maniac. From then on he is constantly harassed by Bruno wanting to know when he intends to
keep his half of the "bargain". When it is clear to Bruno that Guy will do no
such thing, he plans to frame him by planting an incriminating piece of evidence in the
amusement park where Miriam was killed. The question is, can Guy stop him before he does
and inform the police of the actual events which took place.
Rear
Window (1954) A magazine photographer and man of the world, L.B.
Jeffries, is confined in his apartment by a broken leg. His only method of mobility is a
wheelchair which doesn't take him far. He soon finds that he is able to occupy himself by
playing voyeur and peek in on the lives of his neighbors via his telephoto camera lens. An
odd assortment of folk occupy his building. A newlywed couple, a music writer, a woman and
her rather annoying little dog, and a delicious blonde. But out of all, one neighbor in
particular catches his attention. A man and his wife who seem to have a less than perfect
relationship. After a heated argument between the two, Jeffries believes that the man has
in fact murdered his wife and is now disposing of the evidence. When he relates his
tale to his fiancée, Lisa, she is skeptical at first but soon comes to believe what he
has said. To try and prove their case, Lisa daringly breaks in to the other mans apartment
in an attempt to find evidence of the murder. When she is caught, the man realizes that he
has been witnesses by Jeffries and now intends to make him his next victim.
Dial
M for Murder (1954) Tony Wendice is a wealthy high society type
who enjoys the luxuries that life has to offer him. The only catch is that the sum of
Tony's wealth is provided by his wife, Margot. And he feels that the lifestyle in which he
has become so accustomed to is now in jeopardy now that she has taken to another man, Mark
Halliday. Motivated solely by his greed and the fear of losing his financial status should
he lose his wife to Mark, Tony enlists the assistance of Lesgate, a man who had attended
the same college as Tony and now runs criminal activities. When Lesgate proves to be
unwilling, Tony resorts to blackmail from which Lesgate has no choice. The plot to murder
Margot so that Tony may benefit from her inheritance is quickly hatched. The specifics are
provided and Tony even allows himself an alibi. But the murder itself goes amiss when
Margot is able to kill her assailant in self defense. To avoid suspicion and still benefit
from his plan, Tony is able to switch the blame to Margot to make it appear as though this
was a premeditated murder. It is then that Mark, desperate to help the woman he loves,
steps in and assists the police in trying to uncover the actual events of the case.
Vertigo
(1958) Not originally accepted by audiences, this film has secured
a place as one Hitchcock's greatest works and it's is still intense and captivating. The
story begins with a heart-racing chase across the roofs of San Francisco. Scottie
Ferguson, a police officer, is in pursuit of a criminal with two fellow officers. When he
missteps, he finds himself hanging from the roof several stories above the street. When
one of the other officers attempts to aid him, he falls to his death with Scottie
witnessing the horrible event. He develops a crippling fear of heights which forces him to
leave the police force. During this time, an old school friend asks him to take on a
peculiar assignment. He would like for Scottie to follow his wife, Madeline, for fear that
she may commit suicide because of delusions that she has been having. He agrees. While
following her she throws herself into the icy water near the Golden Gate Bridge. Scottie
is able to save her and soon falls for her. In an attempt to free her from the delusions
that she has been suffering, Scottie takes her to a church Mission in Mexico that she
claims to have strong visions of. When they arrive, Madeline impulsively climbs the steps
to the bell tower and leaps to her death. Racked with guilt at his inability to save her
because of his acrophobia, Scottie returns to San Francisco. After some time passes, he
sees a girl that is the remarkable likeness of Madeline. Her name is Judy Barton. He
introduces himself and convinces her to go to dinner. After spending several days
together, Scottie becomes obsessed with making Judy the exact image of Madeline. It is
then that he notices a locket which Judy is wearing which supposedly was a gift from
Madeline's great-grandmother to her. Scottie realizes that Judy was indeed the woman he
knew to be Madeline and he had been setup to conceal a murder.
North
by Northwest (1959) Once again we revisit the scenario of your
average everyman thrust into a precarious situation from which he must escape. This time
it is Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who is mistaken to be George Kaplan. A man
who has drawn the attention of some extremely shady characters. Upon being drugged and
framed for a murder he did not commit, Thornhill realizes that he must discover who the
real George Kaplan is and that he must do it alone. That is until he meets Eve Kendall on
board a train during one of his escapes from the authorities. Eve agrees to arrange a
meeting with Kaplan upon their arrival in Chicago. However when Thorhill arrives at the
meeting, he finds that it is a deception meant to take his life. Fortune smiles upon him
once again and he is able to escape. After tracking down Eve back in Chicago, he finds her
with Phillip Vandamm, the mastermind behind the sorted plot which has been playing havoc
with his life. Vandamm believes that Thornhill is Kaplan, a government agent that has been
spying on his organization for the past several months ( Click HERE
to hear a sample of their conversation ). When it is clear that
Vandamm intends to have his thugs kill Thornhill, he uses a clever bit of comedy to escape
the public place in which they are in and be taken into police custody. It is only then
that he learns from a character named the Professor, that Eve has also been an unwilling
participant in this game and that her life is now in equal danger. In an attempt to save
her, he must go to North Dakota and Mount Rushmore to face the baneful Vandamm gang once
more!
Psycho
(1960)
Click here to listen to Norman! In
my opinion, Hitchcock's finest work as well as a cinematic masterpiece by any standard.
This story begins by introducing us to Marion Crane and her lover Sam Loomis. Although it
is apparent that these two are very much in love, the relationship is somewhat strained
because of the distance which separates them and the financial difficulty he has in
his business. They both discuss how much they wish to marry but also of how infeasible it
is. Marion returns to the real estate office where she works just as a large cash
transaction is taking place. Her employer asks her to deposit it in the bank immediately.
But on the way, she develops a slightly more different plan. She takes the cash and heads
towards Fairvale, California and Sam. But during her journey she loses her way and ends up
at the Bates Motel, a quiet out of the way place which is run by Norman Bates and his
invalid mother. This is all I am going to offer for this particular synopsis because I
believe that you have to truly experience this film in order to receive
its full impact. I can only relate to you that it is complete genius and it is one of the
wildest rides ever offered by a film.
Click HERE to hear Norman discuss his Mother!
The
Birds (1963) A visual masterpiece by any standard and a film that
will prevent you from feeding another bird your entire life. In it we meet Melanie
Daniels, a rather amorous lady who meets Mitch Brenner while in a pet shop in San
Francisco. After a flirtatious encounter and conversation, Melanie decides to follow Mitch
to Bodega Bay, where he said his mother and sister reside and he was on his way to
visiting. Upon arriving, she is attacked ,what appears to be randomly, by a seagull. She
dismisses the incident and decides to stay the night in Bodega Bay. But the following
morning, the attacks and the birds numbers increase. Soon they are wreaking havoc on the
schoolhouse, the town, and the residents. While trying to seek refuge at Mitch's home, the
birds' attacks grow more frequent and viscous. Coming down through the chimney and even
pecking through the roof they are able to gain entrance. Finally, Melanie, Mitch, and his
family realize that they are unable to battle this onslaught and decide to leave Bodega
Bay. But as they pull away in the car, a horrifying sight awaits them. For miles upon
miles, thousands of birds can be seen sitting and waiting.
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