He had one girl named Patricia along with his wife, Alma Reville. This led to around $15 million payday, which altered for inflation is just about $120 million today. However, in 1980 the director passed on in Bel Surroundings and the reason for his loss of life was stated to end up being renal failing. He was generally known as ‘Hitch’. Hitchcock produced his name in British cinema and was shortly recognized as England’s greatest director. He directed silent movies and early talkies while getting in England. Then moved to the united states in 1939. He produced a significant name for himself in Hollywood through his many mental thriller genre movies, interviews, and a Television system he hosted for a decade. In London, he was their studies at Salesian University and later on at St. The approximated net well worth of Alfred Hitchcock is just about $200 million US dollars. He was also nominated five instances for an ‘Academy Award for Greatest Director’. Carroll, Hannah Jones, Donald Calthrop, Cary Grant, Edmund Gwenn, Phyllis Konstam, John Longden James Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, Charles Halton, Patricia Hitchcock, Ian Hunter, Grace Kelly, Basil Radford, and John Williams. His dad was a greengrocer. In the 50s, his achievement continued with the launch of movies, including “Stage Fright”, “I Confess”, “Rear Window”, “THE PERSON who Knew an excessive amount of”, “North by Northwest”, “Strangers on a Teach”, “Dial M for Murder”, “To Capture a Thief” and “THE INCORRECT Man”. At age 11, Alfred attended St. Hitchcock specific in suspense and gallows humor, that have been signature to his name in Hollywood. In 1914, he started employed in the sales division at W.T. and Mrs. He got a part-time work as a developer at a film studio in Islington, London. It had been in those days when he began thinking of a profession in the arts. He created his profession defining artistic abilities there and finally went on to become listed on their advertisement division. Hitchcock directed his first full-size feature film ‘The Pleasure Backyard’ in 1925. He passed away peacefully on 29 April 1980, in Bel-Atmosphere, California. Alfred Hitchcock wedded Alma Lucy Reville, his associate director on 2 December 1926, at Church of the Immaculate Center of Mary in Brompton, London. They just had one child, who was simply born on 7 July 1928. Alfred Hitchcock got an excellent profession spanning over six years. He directed over fifty feature movies for the reason that period. He not merely created his personal directorial design of filmmaking but also brought landmark improvements in cinema. His 1st Hollywood film ‘ Rebecca ‘ earned an academy award for Greatest Picture. In 1929, he directed his first audio feature film ‘Blackmail’. Before shifting to Hollywood, Hitchcock directed 23 movies in England. The majority of his films are actually thought to be classics. Hitchcock was nominated for Greatest Director award for the same film. He directed his first color film ‘Rope’ in 1948. His best years of path are from 1954 to 1960. He directed movies like Rear Windowpane (1954), Vertigo (1958), and Psycho (1960) for the reason that period. Hitchcock became a superstar himself when he began hosting a Television show titled ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’; He started employed in the film market in 1921 when he started employed in film creation in London under Paramount Photos. Alfred Hitchcock collected numerous prestigious awards throughout his profession. He earned two Golden Globes, five lifetime accomplishment awards, and eight Laurel Awards. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock referred to as Alfred Hitchcock was created on 13 August 1899, in Leytonstone, London, England. He also received an honorary knighthood in Queen’s Honors List. Just how much can be Alfred Hitchcock Net Well worth: Alfred Hitchcock directed many movies in his career, therefore earning lots of money. In the 40s, he directed many successful movies like ‘Notorious’ and ‘Spellbound’. His achievement continued in the 50s as well when he released his most effective and well-known film ‘Psycho’. ‘Psycho’ was his most lucrative film ever; additionally it is regarded as the most lucrative dark and white film in the annals. He film is recognized as the most rewarding film created by him and also the most profitable dark and white film ever sold. He also gained a lot of money from it present he hosted for a decade. The estimated net worthy of of Alfred Hitchcock, altered for inflation is just about $200 million US dollars today. Hitchcock was the world’s first genre expert. He was innovative and acquired a distinctive design. In 1960 Alfred Hitchcock’s name became even more known internationally when he released an extremely successful and well-known film known as “Psycho”, which includes been known until today. His peak happened in the 1950s with the release of movies such as for example Stage Fright, Strangers on a Teach, I Confess, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, To Capture a Thief, THE PERSON Who Knew AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF (remake), The Wrong Guy, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. It’s been reported that the full total estimate of the existing Alfred Hitchcock net well worth is really as high as 10 million dollars. He was a favorite English director and maker. He was created in 1899 in Essex, England. In the market, Alfred Hitchcock was generally known as ‘The Expert of Suspense’ and ‘Hitch’. Hitchcock directed about 53 films throughout his profession. Later, he was employed by Gainsborough Photos, where he offered as the title developer. In 1921 he started to function in film market and during his profession this market served as the primary resource of increasing the quantity of Alfred Hitchcock net worthy of. His first work was employed in film creation in Paramount Images. Ignatius’ College. It had been because of his function there that he was promoted to become a director, a profession he appreciated most. Being truly a director also added up too much to the full total size of Alfred Hitchcock net value. Alfred Hitchcock became known for his get better at usage of suspense in his movies. In the 40s, he reached his peak achievement when he released many effective films, such as for example “Mr. Henley’s Telegraph Functions. Smith”, “Shadow of any doubt”, “Saboteur”, “The Keys of the Kingdom”, “Under Capricorn”, “The Paradine Case”, “Suspicion”, “Lifeboat”, “Notorious” and “Spellbound”.” He attended Salesian University in London in addition to St. He previously two older siblings called William John Hitchcock and Ellen Kathleen Hitchcock. Born in Leytonstone, Essex, England on August 13, 1899, Hitchcock was also referred to as “Hitch” or “The Get better at of Suspense. His path has contributed too much to the emotional thrillers produced today. It elevated Hitchcock’s net worthy of immensely. Afterwards, he released another effective film known as “The Birds”, where actors such as for example Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette and Tippi Hedren made an appearance. Alfred Hitchcock was nicknamed ‘Master of Suspense’ for his psychological thriller movies.Alfred Hitchcock is certainly a well-known name through the entire film industry. Alfred Hitchcock net worthy of: Alfred Hitchcock was an English director and maker who got a net worthy of of $200 million. Alfred’s largest payday originated from the film Psycho. He deferred his income in trade for 60% of the movie’s income. He was a director and maker in English film sector. Therefore, these movies also added up to the entire size of Alfred Hitchcock net worthy of. Thus, his focus on these movies also added up a whole lot of revenues to the full total sum of Alfred Hitchcock net worthy of and produced his name popular. Ignatius’ University. it aired from 1955 to 1965. He afterwards began working as name designer for Gainsborough Photos, which resulted in his rise to being truly a director. Ignatius University, a secondary college in Stamford Hill, London. The rise of his profession was doing the 1940s as he produced powerful and culturally diverse movies including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Paradine Case, Shadow of any doubt, Suspicion, Saboteur, Lifeboat, The Keys of the Kingdom, Spellbound, Notorious, and Under Capricorn. He received many accolades for his contribution to the film market. In 1960 he released his most broadly regarded film, Psycho. It had been named the most profitable dark and white film ever sold along with Hitchcock’s most rewarding in his profession. Hitchcock afterwards released The Birds, which highlighted Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, and Suzanne Pleshette. On April 29, 1980 Hitchcock passed away in Bel atmosphere of renal failing. He was wedded to Alma Reville and got one girl by the name of Patricia. Hitchcock implemented Roman Catholicism, and his Mass happened at Great Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills, California. He was known for using do it again actors and actresses for his movies including Clare Greet, Leo G. He was created to parents William Hitchcock and Emma Jane Hitchcock.
| # | Fact |
|---|
| 1 |
If you watch his films closely noting the endings or portrayal of cops, you will see that if a cop is required to die, the death will be slow, gruesome or uncompromisingly grisly. If cops survive they are nearly always portrayed as baddies, though in reality they are the good guys. This is because Hitchcock had a life-long phobia of policemen. |
| 2 |
British author Anthony Horowitz is a huge fan of Hitchcock and will often pay homage to his work. |
| 3 |
Director Alexander Payne could not imagine Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) in color because it's more chilling in black and white, but it was later remade in color as Psycho (1998), to universal disapproval. |
| 4 |
Deliberately shot much of the setups in Rear Window (1954) so they would appear voyeuristic. |
| 5 |
His Dial M for Murder (1954) was re-released in 3D in 1980. |
| 6 |
(April 27, 2014) Most successful director in IMDB Top 250 movies ever made with 9 entries - Rear Window (1954) (no 31.), Psycho (1960) (no. 32), North by Northwest (1959) (no. 61), Vertigo (1958) (no. 66), Rebecca (1940) (no. 138), Dial M for Murder (1954) (no. 163), Strangers on a Train (1951) (no. 194), Notorious (1946) (no. 198) and Rope (1948) (no. 242). |
| 7 |
From 1942 until his death, the Hitchcocks lived at 10957 Bellagio Road, Bel Air, California. They had been living at 609 St. Cloud Road in Bel Air in a home leased from friends Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. |
| 8 |
In the Press Conference for Family Plot (1976), Alfred Hitchcock revealed that his least favorite film out of all the films he directed was Champagne (1928). |
| 9 |
Is portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock (2012). |
| 10 |
Donald Spoto wrote that Hitchcock hid behind the door when Bernard Herrmann went to see him after Torn Curtain (1966) break up. Herrmann's third wife Norma denied this in an interview with Gunther Kogebehn in June 2006. In June 2006 interview with Kogebehn, Norma Herrmann states that she and Bernard Herrmann "together" visited Alfred Hitchcock. |
| 11 |
Many of Hitchcock's films have one-word titles: Blackmail (1929), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Saboteur (1942), Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), Rope (1948), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), Marnie (1964), Topaz (1969) and Frenzy (1972). He favored one-word titles because he felt that it was uncluttered, clean and easily remembered by the audience. |
| 12 |
Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville, was one day younger than him. They were born August 13 and August 14, 1899. |
| 13 |
He appears momentarily in a trademark/cameo role in all of his movies. In addition the neon silhouette in Rope (1948), he is seen walking down the street during the opening credits. During the movie, the characters of Mrs. Atwater and Janet are discussing a movie whose one-word title they can not remember. It was a plug for one of Hitchcock's other movies, Notorious (1946). |
| 14 |
He directed nine of the American Film Institute's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies: Psycho (1960) at #1, North by Northwest (1959) at #4, The Birds (1963) at #7, Rear Window (1954) at #14, Vertigo (1958) at #18, Strangers on a Train (1951) at #32, Notorious (1946) at #38, Dial M for Murder (1954) at #48 and Rebecca (1940) at #80. |
| 15 |
Appears on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955). |
| 16 |
During production of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) he was said to have hid from producer Joan Harrison every time there was a problem with production. His favorite hiding place was behind the couch in his office. |
| 17 |
Tied with Robert Altman and Clarence Brown for the most nominations for best director (five) at the Academy Awards without a win. Martin Scorsese had been part of this group before his win for The Departed (2006) on his sixth nomination. |
| 18 |
As a long-time friend of Sidney Bernstein (the pair had formed production company Transatlantic Pictures together in the 1940s), Hitch was the first celebrity visitor to the set of long-running British soap opera Coronation Street (1960), during a June 1964 visit to the Manchester studios of Granada Television which Bernstein co-founded with his brother Cecil. |
| 19 |
As of the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), Hitchcock is the most represented director, with 18 films. Included are his films Blackmail (1929), The 39 Steps (1935), Sabotage (1936), Rebecca (1940), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964) and Frenzy (1972). |
| 20 |
In addition to his fear of the police, Hitchcock possessed one other phobia: eggs. |
| 21 |
Walt Disney refused to allow him to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie Psycho (1960)". |
| 22 |
He was naturalized as a United States citizen in 1956. |
| 23 |
He suggested some improvements to a scene in Gone with the Wind (1939) but the shots integrating his improvements were not used. |
| 24 |
Though he was Oscar-nominated five times as best director, DGA-nominated six times as best director, and received three nominations from Cannes, he never won in any of these competitive categories, a fact that surprises fans and film critics to this day. |
| 25 |
A statistical survey he did among audiences revealed that according to moviegoers the most frightening noise in films was the siren of a police patrol-car, followed by the crash of a road accident, cracklings of a burning forest, far galloping horses, howling dogs, the scream of a stabbed woman and the steps of a lame person in the dark. |
| 26 |
He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6506 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 7013 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. |
| 27 |
On August 2, 1968, he visited Finland to look filming locations for his next film "The Short Night". Of course, the film was never made. In the airport, he was interviewed by Finnish reporters. He was asked why his films were so popular. His answer was: "Everybody likes to be scared". |
| 28 |
Is the "voice" of the "Jaws" ride at Universal Studios. |
| 29 |
For Psycho (1960), he deferred his standard $250,000 salary in lieu of 60% of the film's net profits. His personal earnings from the film exceeded $15 million. Adjusted for inflation, that amount would now top $150 million in 2006 terms. |
| 30 |
Although some of the movie going public knew him, his fame really took off after 1955. That was when Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) started. When the show was broadcast in homes week after week, it gave him a much bigger exposure in the public eye. He also became quite rich from the show when it was syndicated in the United States and overseas. |
| 31 |
He was reportedly furious when Brian De Palma decided to make Obsession (1976), because he thought it was a virtual remake of Vertigo (1958). Ironically, De Palma stopped making mystery/adventure films after Hitchcock's death in 1980, with the possible exception of Body Double (1984). |
| 32 |
Grandfather of Mary Stone, Tere Carrubba and Katie Fiala. |
| 33 |
Due to his death in 1980, he never got to see Psycho II (1983). It remains unsure as to whether or not he was approached regarding the second movie, or any other "Psycho (1960) - Expansion" motion picture. |
| 34 |
Told François Truffaut that although he had made two films prior to The Lodger (1927), he considered that to be his first real film. |
| 35 |
Education: St. Ignatius College, London, School of Engineering and Navigation (Studied mechanics, electricity, acoustics and navigation); University of London (Studied art). |
| 36 |
Ranked #2 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Greatest Directors Ever!" in 2005. |
| 37 |
As with W.C. Fields and Arthur Godfrey before him, he was legendary for gently tweaking his sponsors during the run of his television show. One typical example runs, "We now interrupt our story for an important announcement. I needn't tell you to whom it will be most important of all.". |
| 38 |
Praised Luis Buñuel as the best director ever. |
| 39 |
Directed eight different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, Albert Bassermann, Michael Chekhov, Claude Rains, Ethel Barrymore and Janet Leigh. Fontaine won an Oscar for Suspicion (1941). |
| 40 |
He would work closely with screenwriters, giving them a series of scenes that he wanted in the films, thus closely controlling what he considered the most important aspect of the filmmaking process. Although the screenwriter would write the actual dialogue and blocking, many of the scripts for his films were rigidly based on his ideas. |
| 41 |
Directed the pilot episode of the radio series "Suspense" (1942-1962), and made a brief appearance at the end. It was an adaptation of his film The Lodger (1927) and starred Herbert Marshall and Edmund Gwenn, who reprised his brother Arthur Chesney 's role as Mr. Bunting. |
| 42 |
He almost never socialized when not shooting films, and spent most of his evenings quietly at home with his wife Alma Reville and daughter Patricia Hitchcock. |
| 43 |
He was infamous with cast and crews for his practical jokes. While some inspired laughs, such as suddenly showing up in a dress, most were said to have been a bit more scar than funny. Usually, he found out about somebody's phobias, such as mice or spiders, and in turn sent them a box full of them. |
| 44 |
Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, M. Night Shyamalan, Martin Scorsese, George A. Romero, Peter Bogdanovich, Dario Argento, William Friedkin, David Cronenberg and Quentin Tarantino have named him as an influence. |
| 45 |
Was a supporter of West Ham United Football Club. He told colleagues in Hollywood that he subscribed to English newspapers in order to keep track of their results. |
| 46 |
Often said that Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was his favorite film among those he had directed. |
| 47 |
Had a hard time devising one of his signature walk-ons for Lifeboat (1944), a film about a small group of people trying to survive on a small boat. What he eventually came up with was to have his picture in a newspaper advertisement for weight loss that floated among some debris around the boat. He had happened to have lost a considerable amount of weight from dieting around that time, so he was seen in both the "Before" and the "After" pictures. |
| 48 |
Was at his heaviest in the late 1930s, when he weighed over 300 pounds. Although always overweight, he dieted and lost a considerable amount of weight in the early 1950s, with pictures from sets like To Catch a Thief (1955) showing a surprisingly thin Hitchcock. His weight continued to fluctuate throughout his life. |
| 49 |
Was voted the Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. The same magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Films of all time includes more films directed by Hitchcock than by any other director, with four. On the list were his masterworks Psycho (1960) (#11), Vertigo (1958) (#19), North by Northwest (1959) (#44) and Notorious (1946) (#66). |
| 50 |
When he won his Lifetime Achievement award in 1979, he joked with friends that he must be about to die soon. He died a year later. |
| 51 |
He allegedly refused the British honour of CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1962. |
| 52 |
One of the most successful Hitchcock tie-ins is a pulp publication titled "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine". The publication is highly respected and has become one of the longest running mystery anthologies. It continues to be published almost a quarter century after Hitchock's death. |
| 53 |
He was listed as the editor of a series of anthologies containing mysteries and thillers. However, he had little to do with them. Even the introductions, credited to him, were, like the introductions on his television series, written by others. |
| 54 |
Lent his name and character to a series of adolescent books entitled "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators" (circa late 1960s - early 1970s). The premise was that main character and crime-solver Jupiter Jones won the use of Mr. Hitchcock's limousine in a contest. Hitch also wrote forewords to this series of books. After his death, his famous silhouette was taken off the spine of the books, and the forewords (obviously) stopped appearing as well. |
| 55 |
In a recent USC class on Hitchcock (fall 2000), guest speaker Patricia Hitchcock revealed that two guilty pleasures of Hitch's were Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and Benji (1974). |
| 56 |
Destiny (1921) by Fritz Lang was his declared favorite movie. |
| 57 |
He delivered the shortest acceptance speech in Academy Award history: while accepting the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1967 Academy Awards, he simply said "Thank you". |
| 58 |
Asked writers Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac to write a novel for him after Henri-Georges Clouzot had been faster in buying the rights for "Celle qui n'était plus" which became Diabolique (1955). The novel they wrote, "From Among the Dead", was shot as Vertigo (1958). |
| 59 |
He was director William Girdler's idol. Girdler made Day of the Animals (1977) borrowing elements from Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). |
| 60 |
When finishing a cup of tea while on the set, he would often non-discriminatingly toss the cup and saucer over his shoulder, letting it fall (or break) wherever it may. |
| 61 |
First visited Hollywood in the late 1930s, but was turned down by virtually all major motion picture studios because they thought he could not make a Hollywood-style picture. He was finally offered a seven-year directing contract by producer David O. Selznick. His first project was supposed to be a film about the Titanic, but Selznick scrapped the project because he "couldn't find a boat to sink." Selznick assigned Hitch to direct Rebecca (1940) instead, which later won the best picture Oscar. |
| 62 |
His bridling under the heavy hand of producer David O. Selznick was exemplified by the final scene of Rebecca (1940). Selznick wanted his director to show smoke coming out of the burning house's chimney forming the letter 'R'. Hitchcock thought the touch lacked any subtlety; instead, he showed flames licking at a pillow embroidered with the letter 'R'. |
| 63 |
From 1977 until his death, he worked with a succession of writers on a film to be known as "The Short Night". The majority of the writing was done by David Freeman, who published the final screenplay after Hitchcock's death. |
| 64 |
In the 1980 Queen's New Year's Honours list (only a few months before his death), he was named an Honorary (as he was a United States citizen) Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. |
| 65 |
Alma Reville and Hitchcock had one daughter, Patricia Hitchcock, who appeared in three of his movies: Stage Fright (1950), Strangers on a Train (1951) and Psycho (1960). |
| 66 |
He never won a best director Academy Award in competition, although he was awarded the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1967 Academy Awards. |
| 67 |
On April 29, 1974, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York sponsored a gala homage to Alfred Hitchcock and his contributions to the cinema. Three hours of film excerpts were shown that night. François Truffaut who had published a book of interviews with Hitchcock a few years earlier, was there that night to present "two brilliant sequences: the clash of the cymbals in the second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) , and the plane attack on Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)." After the gala, Truffaut reflected again on what made Hitchcock unique and concluded: "It was impossible not to see that the love scenes were filmed like murder scenes, and the murder scenes like love scenes...It occurred to me that in Hitchcock's cinema...to make love and to die are one and the same.". |
| 68 |
As a child, Hitchcock was sent to the local police station with a letter from his father. The desk sergeant read the letter and immediately locked the boy up for ten minutes. After that, the sergeant let young Alfred go, explaining, "This is what happens to people who do bad things." Hitchcock had a morbid fear of police from that day on. He also cited this phobia as the reason he never learned to drive (as a person who doesn't drive can never be pulled over and given a ticket). It was also cited as the reason for the recurring "wrong man" themes in his films. |
| 69 |
He appears on a 32-cent U.S. postage stamp, in the "Legends of Hollywood" series, that was released 8/3/98 in Los Angeles, California. |
| 70 |
Was close friends with Albert R. Broccoli, well known as the producer of the James Bond - 007 franchise. Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) was the influence for the helicopter scene in From Russia with Love (1963). Actors Sean Connery, Karin Dor, Louis Jourdan and Anthony Dawson have appeared in both a Hitchcock film and a Bond film. |
| 71 |
According to Hitchcock himself, he was required to stand at the foot of his mother's bed, and tell her what happened to him each day. |
| 72 |
He once dressed up in drag for a party he threw. Footage of this was kept in his office, but after his death, his office was cleaned out and the footage not found. It is not known if the footage still exists. |
| 73 |
According to many people who knew Hitchcock, he could not stand to even look at his wife, Alma Reville, while she was pregnant. |
| 74 |
British author Anthony Horowitz is a huge fan of Hitchcock and will often pay homage to his work. |
| 75 |
Sir Alfred Hitchcock passed away on April 29, 1980, less than four months away from what would have been his 81st birthday on August 13. |
| 76 |
Director Alexander Payne could not imagine Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) in color because it's more chilling in black and white, but it was later remade in color as Psycho (1998), to universal disapproval. |
| 77 |
Deliberately shot much of the setups in Rear Window (1954) so they would appear voyeuristic. |
| 78 |
His Dial M for Murder (1954) was re-released in 3D in 1980. |
| 79 |
(April 27, 2014) Most successful director in IMDB Top 250 movies ever made with 9 entries - Rear Window (1954) (no 31.), Psycho (1960) (no. 32), North by Northwest (1959) (no. 61), Vertigo (1958) (no. 66), Rebecca (1940) (no. 138), Dial M for Murder (1954) (no. 163), Strangers on a Train (1951) (no. 194), Notorious (1946) (no. 198) and Rope (1948) (no. 242). |
| 80 |
From 1942 until his death, the Hitchcocks lived at 10957 Bellagio Road, Bel Air, California. They had been living at 609 St. Cloud Road in Bel Air in a home leased from friends Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. |
| 81 |
In the Press Conference for Family Plot (1976), Alfred Hitchcock revealed that his least favorite film out of all the films he directed was Champagne (1928). |
| 82 |
Is portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock (2012). |
| 83 |
Donald Spoto wrote that Hitchcock hid behind the door when Bernard Herrmann went to see him after Torn Curtain (1966) break up. Herrmann's third wife Norma denied this in an interview with Gunther Kogebehn in June 2006. In June 2006 interview with Kogebehn, Norma Herrmann states that she and Bernard Herrmann "together" visited Alfred Hitchcock. |
| 84 |
Many of Hitchcock's films have one-word titles: Blackmail (1929), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Saboteur (1942), Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), Rope (1948), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), Marnie (1964), Topaz (1969) and Frenzy (1972). He favored one-word titles because he felt that it was uncluttered, clean and easily remembered by the audience. |
| 85 |
Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville, was one day younger than him. They were born August 13 and August 14, 1899. |
| 86 |
He appears momentarily in a trademark/cameo role in all of his movies. In addition the neon silhouette in Rope (1948), he is seen walking down the street during the opening credits. During the movie, the characters of Mrs. Atwater and Janet are discussing a movie whose one-word title they can not remember. It was a plug for one of Hitchcock's other movies, Notorious (1946). |
| 87 |
He directed nine of the American Film Institute's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies: Psycho (1960) at #1, North by Northwest (1959) at #4, The Birds (1963) at #7, Rear Window (1954) at #14, Vertigo (1958) at #18, Strangers on a Train (1951) at #32, Notorious (1946) at #38, Dial M for Murder (1954) at #48 and Rebecca (1940) at #80. |
| 88 |
Appears on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955). |
| 89 |
During production of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) he was said to have hid from producer Joan Harrison every time there was a problem with production. His favorite hiding place was behind the couch in his office. |
| 90 |
Tied with Robert Altman and Clarence Brown for the most nominations for best director (five) at the Academy Awards without a win. Martin Scorsese had been part of this group before his win for The Departed (2006) on his sixth nomination. |
| 91 |
As a long-time friend of Sidney Bernstein (the pair had formed production company Transatlantic Pictures together in the 1940s), Hitch was the first celebrity visitor to the set of long-running British soap opera Coronation Street (1960), during a June 1964 visit to the Manchester studios of Granada Television which Bernstein co-founded with his brother Cecil. |
| 92 |
As of the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), Hitchcock is the most represented director, with 18 films. Included are his films Blackmail (1929), The 39 Steps (1935), Sabotage (1936), Rebecca (1940), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964) and Frenzy (1972). |
| 93 |
In addition to his fear of the police, Hitchcock possessed one other phobia: eggs. |
| 94 |
Walt Disney refused to allow him to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie Psycho (1960)". |
| 95 |
He was naturalized as a United States citizen in 1956. |
| 96 |
He suggested some improvements to a scene in Gone with the Wind (1939) but the shots integrating his improvements were not used. |
| 97 |
Though he was Oscar-nominated five times as best director, DGA-nominated six times as best director, and received three nominations from Cannes, he never won in any of these competitive categories, a fact that surprises fans and film critics to this day. |
| 98 |
A statistical survey he did among audiences revealed that according to moviegoers the most frightening noise in films was the siren of a police patrol-car, followed by the crash of a road accident, cracklings of a burning forest, far galloping horses, howling dogs, the scream of a stabbed woman and the steps of a lame person in the dark. |
| 99 |
He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6506 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 7013 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. |
| 100 |
On August 2, 1968, he visited Finland to look filming locations for his next film "The Short Night". Of course, the film was never made. In the airport, he was interviewed by Finnish reporters. He was asked why his films were so popular. His answer was: "Everybody likes to be scared". |
| 101 |
Is the "voice" of the "Jaws" ride at Universal Studios. |
| 102 |
For Psycho (1960), he deferred his standard $250,000 salary in lieu of 60% of the film's net profits. His personal earnings from the film exceeded $15 million. Adjusted for inflation, that amount would now top $150 million in 2006 terms. |
| 103 |
Although some of the movie going public knew him, his fame really took off after 1955. That was when Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) started. When the show was broadcast in homes week after week, it gave him a much bigger exposure in the public eye. He also became quite rich from the show when it was syndicated in the United States and overseas. |
| 104 |
He was reportedly furious when Brian De Palma decided to make Obsession (1976), because he thought it was a virtual remake of Vertigo (1958). Ironically, De Palma stopped making mystery/adventure films after Hitchcock's death in 1980, with the possible exception of Body Double (1984). |
| 105 |
Grandfather of Mary Stone, Tere Carrubba and Katie Fiala. |
| 106 |
Due to his death in 1980, he never got to see Psycho II (1983). It remains unsure as to whether or not he was approached regarding the second movie, or any other "Psycho (1960) - Expansion" motion picture. |
| 107 |
Told François Truffaut that although he had made two films prior to The Lodger (1927), he considered that to be his first real film. |
| 108 |
Education: St. Ignatius College, London, School of Engineering and Navigation (Studied mechanics, electricity, acoustics and navigation); University of London (Studied art). |
| 109 |
Ranked #2 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Greatest Directors Ever!" in 2005. |
| 110 |
As with W.C. Fields and Arthur Godfrey before him, he was legendary for gently tweaking his sponsors during the run of his television show. One typical example runs, "We now interrupt our story for an important announcement. I needn't tell you to whom it will be most important of all.". |
| 111 |
Praised Luis Buñuel as the best director ever. |
| 112 |
Directed eight different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, Albert Bassermann, Michael Chekhov, Claude Rains, Ethel Barrymore and Janet Leigh. Fontaine won an Oscar for Suspicion (1941). |
| 113 |
He would work closely with screenwriters, giving them a series of scenes that he wanted in the films, thus closely controlling what he considered the most important aspect of the filmmaking process. Although the screenwriter would write the actual dialogue and blocking, many of the scripts for his films were rigidly based on his ideas. |
| 114 |
Directed the pilot episode of the radio series "Suspense" (1942-1962), and made a brief appearance at the end. It was an adaptation of his film The Lodger (1927) and starred Herbert Marshall and Edmund Gwenn, who reprised his brother Arthur Chesney 's role as Mr. Bunting. |
| 115 |
He almost never socialized when not shooting films, and spent most of his evenings quietly at home with his wife Alma Reville and daughter Patricia Hitchcock. |
| 116 |
He was infamous with cast and crews for his practical jokes. While some inspired laughs, such as suddenly showing up in a dress, most were said to have been a bit more scar than funny. Usually, he found out about somebody's phobias, such as mice or spiders, and in turn sent them a box full of them. |
| 117 |
Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, M. Night Shyamalan, Martin Scorsese, George A. Romero, Peter Bogdanovich, Dario Argento, William Friedkin, David Cronenberg and Quentin Tarantino have named him as an influence. |
| 118 |
Was a supporter of West Ham United Football Club. He told colleagues in Hollywood that he subscribed to English newspapers in order to keep track of their results. |
| 119 |
Often said that Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was his favorite film among those he had directed. |
| 120 |
Had a hard time devising one of his signature walk-ons for Lifeboat (1944), a film about a small group of people trying to survive on a small boat. What he eventually came up with was to have his picture in a newspaper advertisement for weight loss that floated among some debris around the boat. He had happened to have lost a considerable amount of weight from dieting around that time, so he was seen in both the "Before" and the "After" pictures. |
| 121 |
Was at his heaviest in the late 1930s, when he weighed over 300 pounds. Although always overweight, he dieted and lost a considerable amount of weight in the early 1950s, with pictures from sets like To Catch a Thief (1955) showing a surprisingly thin Hitchcock. His weight continued to fluctuate throughout his life. |
| 122 |
Was voted the Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. The same magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Films of all time includes more films directed by Hitchcock than by any other director, with four. On the list were his masterworks Psycho (1960) (#11), Vertigo (1958) (#19), North by Northwest (1959) (#44) and Notorious (1946) (#66). |
| 123 |
When he won his Lifetime Achievement award in 1979, he joked with friends that he must be about to die soon. He died a year later. |
| 124 |
He allegedly refused the British honour of CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1962. |
| 125 |
One of the most successful Hitchcock tie-ins is a pulp publication titled "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine". The publication is highly respected and has become one of the longest running mystery anthologies. It continues to be published almost a quarter century after Hitchock's death. |
| 126 |
He was listed as the editor of a series of anthologies containing mysteries and thillers. However, he had little to do with them. Even the introductions, credited to him, were, like the introductions on his television series, written by others. |
| 127 |
Lent his name and character to a series of adolescent books entitled "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators" (circa late 1960s - early 1970s). The premise was that main character and crime-solver Jupiter Jones won the use of Mr. Hitchcock's limousine in a contest. Hitch also wrote forewords to this series of books. After his death, his famous silhouette was taken off the spine of the books, and the forewords (obviously) stopped appearing as well. |
| 128 |
In a recent USC class on Hitchcock (fall 2000), guest speaker Patricia Hitchcock revealed that two guilty pleasures of Hitch's were Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and Benji (1974). |
| 129 |
Destiny (1921) by Fritz Lang was his declared favorite movie. |
| 130 |
He delivered the shortest acceptance speech in Oscar history: while accepting the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1967 Oscars, he simply said "Thank you.". |
| 131 |
Asked writers Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac to write a novel for him after Henri-Georges Clouzot had been faster in buying the rights for "Celle qui n'était plus" which became Diabolique (1955). The novel they wrote, "From Among the Dead", was shot as Vertigo (1958). |
| 132 |
He was director William Girdler's idol. Girdler made Day of the Animals (1977) borrowing elements from Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). |
| 133 |
When finishing a cup of tea while on the set, he would often non-discriminatingly toss the cup and saucer over his shoulder, letting it fall (or break) wherever it may. |
| 134 |
First visited Hollywood in the late 1930s, but was turned down by virtually all major motion picture studios because they thought he could not make a Hollywood-style picture. He was finally offered a seven-year directing contract by producer David O. Selznick. His first project was supposed to be a film about the Titanic, but Selznick scrapped the project because he "couldn't find a boat to sink." Selznick assigned Hitch to direct Rebecca (1940) instead, which later won the best picture Oscar. |
| 135 |
His bridling under the heavy hand of producer David O. Selznick was exemplified by the final scene of Rebecca (1940). Selznick wanted his director to show smoke coming out of the burning house's chimney forming the letter 'R'. Hitchcock thought the touch lacked any subtlety; instead, he showed flames licking at a pillow embroidered with the letter 'R'. |
| 136 |
From 1977 until his death, he worked with a succession of writers on a film to be known as "The Short Night". The majority of the writing was done by David Freeman, who published the final screenplay after Hitchcock's death. |
| 137 |
In the 1980 Queen's New Year's Honours list (only a few months before his death), he was named an Honorary (as he was a United States citizen) Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. |
| 138 |
Alma Reville and Hitchcock had one daughter, Patricia Hitchcock, who appeared in three of his movies: Stage Fright (1950), Strangers on a Train (1951) and Psycho (1960). |
| 139 |
He never won a best director Oscar in competition, although he was awarded the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1967 Oscars. |
| 140 |
On April 29, 1974, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York sponsored a gala homage to Alfred Hitchcock and his contributions to the cinema. Three hours of film excerpts were shown that night. François Truffaut who had published a book of interviews with Hitchcock a few years earlier, was there that night to present "two brilliant sequences: the clash of the cymbals in the second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) , and the plane attack on Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)." After the gala, Truffaut reflected again on what made Hitchcock unique and concluded: "It was impossible not to see that the love scenes were filmed like murder scenes, and the murder scenes like love scenes...It occurred to me that in Hitchcock's cinema...to make love and to die are one and the same.". |
| 141 |
As a child, Hitchcock was sent to the local police station with a letter from his father. The desk sergeant read the letter and immediately locked the boy up for ten minutes. After that, the sergeant let young Alfred go, explaining, "This is what happens to people who do bad things." Hitchcock had a morbid fear of police from that day on. He also cited this phobia as the reason he never learned to drive (as a person who doesn't drive can never be pulled over and given a ticket). It was also cited as the reason for the recurring "wrong man" themes in his films. |
| 142 |
He appears on a 32-cent U.S. postage stamp, in the "Legends of Hollywood" series, that was released 8/3/98 in Los Angeles, California. |
| 143 |
Was close friends with Albert R. Broccoli, well known as the producer of the James Bond - 007 franchise. Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) was the influence for the helicopter scene in From Russia with Love (1963). Actors Sean Connery, Karin Dor, Louis Jourdan and Anthony Dawson have appeared in both a Hitchcock film and a Bond film. |
| 144 |
According to Hitchcock himself, he was required to stand at the foot of his mother's bed, and tell her what happened to him each day. |
| 145 |
He once dressed up in drag for a party he threw. Footage of this was kept in his office, but after his death, his office was cleaned out and the footage not found. It is not known if the footage still exists. |
| 146 |
According to many people who knew Hitchcock, he could not stand to even look at his wife, Alma Reville, while she was pregnant. |
| # | Trademark |
|---|
| 1 |
Unusual subjective point of view shots |
| 2 |
Often makes the audience empathizes with the villain's plight, usually in a sequence where the villain is in danger of being caught. |
| 3 |
Liked to use major stars in his films that the audience was familiar with, so he could dispense with character development and focus more on the plot. |
| 4 |
[Attribution] Name often appears before the film titles, as in "Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho". |
| 5 |
Frequent collaborators: actors 'James Stewart' and 'Cary Grant', editor George Tomasini, composer Bernard Herrmann, costume designer Edith Head and director of photography Robert Burks. |
| 6 |
Distinctively slow way of speaking, dark humor and dry wit, especially regarding murder |
| 7 |
He hated to shoot on location. He preferred to shoot at the studio where he could have full control of lighting and other factors. This is why even his later films contain special effects composite and rear screen shots. |
| 8 |
His "MacGuffins" were objects or devices which drove the plot and were of great interest to the film's characters, but which to the audience were otherwise inconsequential and could be forgotten once they had served their purpose. The most notable examples include bottled uranium in Notorious (1946), the wedding ring in Rear Window (1954), the microfilm in North by Northwest (1959) and the $40,000 in the envelope in Psycho (1960). |
| 9 |
Inspired the adjective "Hitchcockian" for suspense thrillers |
| 10 |
In a lot of his films (more noticeably in the early black and white American films), he used to create more shadows on the walls to create suspense and tension (e.g., the "Glowing Milk" scene in Suspicion (1941) or the ominous shadow during the opening credits of Saboteur (1942)). |
| 11 |
[Profile] The famous profile sketch, most often associated with Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962). It was actually from a Christmas card Hitchcock designed himself while still living in England. |
| 12 |
In order to create suspense in his films, he would alternate between different shots to extend cinematic time (e.g., the climax of Saboteur (1942), the cropduster sequence in North by Northwest (1959), the shower scene in Psycho (1960), etc.) His driving sequences were also shot in this particular way. They would typically alternate between the character's point of view while driving and a close-up shot of those inside car from opposite direction. This technique kept the viewer 'inside' the car and made any danger encountered more richly felt. |
| 13 |
Always formally dressed, wearing a suit on film sets |
| 14 |
There is a recurrent motif of lost or assumed identity. While mistaken identity applies to a film like North by Northwest (1959), assumed identity applies to films such as The 39 Steps (1935), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), and Marnie (1964) among others. |
| 15 |
[Blondes] The most famous actresses in his filmography (mostly in leading roles) were Anny Ondra, Madeleine Carroll, Joan Fontaine, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh and Tippi Hedren. |
| 16 |
Often used the "wrong man" or "mistaken identity" theme in his movies (Saboteur (1942), I Confess (1953), The Wrong Man (1956), North by Northwest (1959), Frenzy (1972)). |
| 17 |
[Bathrooms] Often a plot device, a hiding place or a place where lovemaking is prepared for. Hitchcock also frequently used the letters "BM", which stand for "Bowel Movement". |
| 18 |
[Hair] Likes to insert shots of a woman's hairstyle, frequently in close-ups. |
| 19 |
[Cameo] Often has a quick cameo in his films. He eventually began making his appearances in the beginning of his films, because he knew viewers were watching for him and he didn't want to divert their attention away from the story's plot. He made a live cameo appearance in all of his movies beginning with The Lady Vanishes (1938) (Man in London Railway Station walking on the station train platform), The Girl Was Young (1937) (Photographer Outside Courthouse) ... aka The Girl Was Young (USA), The 39 Steps (1935) (Passerby Near the Bus), Murder! (1930) (Man on Street), Blackmail (1929) (Man on subway), Easy Virtue (1928) (Man with stick near tennis court), The Lodger (1927) (Extra in newspaper office) ... aka The Case of Jonathan Drew., excluding Lifeboat (1944), in which he appeared in a newspaper advertisement; Dial M for Murder (1954), in which he appeared in a class reunion photo; Rope (1948) in which his "appearance" is as a neon version of his famous caricature on a billboard outside the window in a night scene and Family Plot (1976) in which his "appearance" is as a silhouette of someone standing on the other side of a frosted glass door. |
| 20 |
Unusual subjective point of view shots |
| 21 |
Often makes the audience empathizes with the villain's plight, usually in a sequence where the villain is in danger of being caught. |
| 22 |
Liked to use major stars in his films that the audience was familiar with, so he could dispense with character development and focus more on the plot. |
| 23 |
[Attribution] Name often appears before the film titles, as in "Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho". |
| 24 |
Frequent collaborators: actors 'James Stewart' and 'Cary Grant', editor George Tomasini, composer Bernard Herrmann, costume designer Edith Head and director of photography Robert Burks. |
| 25 |
Distinctively slow way of speaking, dark humor and dry wit, especially regarding murder |
| 26 |
He hated to shoot on location. He preferred to shoot at the studio where he could have full control of lighting and other factors. This is why even his later films contain special effects composite and rear screen shots. |
| 27 |
His "MacGuffins" were objects or devices which drove the plot and were of great interest to the film's characters, but which to the audience were otherwise inconsequential and could be forgotten once they had served their purpose. The most notable examples include bottled uranium in Notorious (1946), the wedding ring in Rear Window (1954), the microfilm in North by Northwest (1959) and the $40,000 in the envelope in Psycho (1960). |
| 28 |
Inspired the adjective "Hitchcockian" for suspense thrillers |
| 29 |
In a lot of his films (more noticeably in the early black and white American films), he used to create more shadows on the walls to create suspense and tension (e.g., the "Glowing Milk" scene in Suspicion (1941) or the ominous shadow during the opening credits of Saboteur (1942)). |
| 30 |
[Profile] The famous profile sketch, most often associated with Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962). It was actually from a Christmas card Hitchcock designed himself while still living in England. |
| 31 |
In order to create suspense in his films, he would alternate between different shots to extend cinematic time (e.g., the climax of Saboteur (1942), the cropduster sequence in North by Northwest (1959), the shower scene in Psycho (1960), etc.) His driving sequences were also shot in this particular way. They would typically alternate between the character's point of view while driving and a close-up shot of those inside car from opposite direction. This technique kept the viewer 'inside' the car and made any danger encountered more richly felt. |
| 32 |
Always formally dressed, wearing a suit on film sets |
| 33 |
There is a recurrent motif of lost or assumed identity. While mistaken identity applies to a film like North by Northwest (1959), assumed identity applies to films such as The 39 Steps (1935), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), and Marnie (1964) among others. |
| 34 |
[Blondes] The most famous actresses in his filmography (mostly in leading roles) were Anny Ondra, Madeleine Carroll, Joan Fontaine, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh and Tippi Hedren. |
| 35 |
Often used the "wrong man" or "mistaken identity" theme in his movies (Saboteur (1942), I Confess (1953), The Wrong Man (1956), North by Northwest (1959), Frenzy (1972)). |
| 36 |
[Bathrooms] Often a plot device, a hiding place or a place where lovemaking is prepared for. Hitchcock also frequently used the letters "BM", which stand for "Bowel Movement". |
| 37 |
[Hair] Likes to insert shots of a woman's hairstyle, frequently in close-ups. |
| 38 |
[Cameo] Often has a quick cameo in his films. He eventually began making his appearances in the beginning of his films, because he knew viewers were watching for him and he didn't want to divert their attention away from the story's plot. He made a live cameo appearance in all of his movies beginning with The Lady Vanishes (1938) (Man in London Railway Station walking on the station train platform), Young and Innocent (1937) (Photographer Outside Courthouse) ... aka The Girl Was Young (USA), The 39 Steps (1935) (Passerby Near the Bus), Murder! (1930) (Man on Street), Blackmail (1929) (Man on subway), Easy Virtue (1928) (Man with stick near tennis court), The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) (Extra in newspaper office) ... aka The Case of Jonathan Drew., excluding Lifeboat (1944), in which he appeared in a newspaper advertisement; Dial M for Murder (1954), in which he appeared in a class reunion photo; Rope (1948) in which his "appearance" is as a neon version of his famous caricature on a billboard outside the window in a night scene and Family Plot (1976) in which his "appearance" is as a silhouette of someone standing on the other side of a frosted glass door. |
| # | Quote |
|---|
| 1 |
If you've designed a picture correctly, the Japanese audience should scream at the same time as the Indian audience. |
| 2 |
I deny I ever said that actors are cattle. What I said was, "Actors should be treated like cattle.". |
| 3 |
[1955, as host of his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)] For those of you watching this show in the year 2000, write us a letter and tell us how things are going where you are. |
| 4 |
[1972] Puns are the highest form of literature. |
| 5 |
[to an interviewer on why he does not make comedies] But every film I made IS a comedy! |
| 6 |
[on Michelangelo Antonioni and Federico Fellini] Those Italian fellows are a hundred years ahead of us. Blow-Up (1966) and 8½ (1963) are bloody masterpieces. [1978] |
| 7 |
[on how to properly build suspense] Four people are sitting around a table talking about baseball or whatever you like. Five minutes of it. Very dull. Suddenly, a bomb goes off. Blows the people to smithereens. What does the audience have? Ten seconds of shock. Now take the same scene and tell the audience there is a bomb under that table and will go off in five minutes. The whole emotion of the audience is totally different because you've given them that information. In five minutes time that bomb will go off. Now the conversation about baseball becomes very vital. Because they're saying to you, "Don't be ridiculous. Stop talking about baseball. There's a bomb under there." You've got the audience working. |
| 8 |
The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder. |
| 9 |
Cartoonists have the best casting system. If they don't like an actor, they just tear him up. |
| 10 |
Everything's perverted in a different way. |
| 11 |
I like stories with lots of psychology. |
| 12 |
Reality is something that none of us can stand, at any time. |
| 13 |
[A portion of his AFI Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech] Had the beautiful Ms. Reville [his wife Alma Reville] not accepted a lifetime contract without options as Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock some 53 years ago, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock might be in this room tonight, not at this table but as one of the slower waiters on the floor. |
| 14 |
I wanted once to do a scene, for North by Northwest (1959) by the way, and I couldn't get it in there. I wanted it to be in Detroit, and two men walking along in front of an assembly line. And behind them you see the automobile being put together. It starts with a frame, and you just take the camera along, the two men are talking. And you know all those cars are eventually driven off the line, they load them with gas and everything. And one of the men goes forward, mind you you've seen a car from nothing, just a frame, opens the door and a dead body falls out. |
| 15 |
[on the making of Psycho (1960) and a fake torso made by the special effects department that spurted blood when stabbed with a knife] But I never used it. It was all unnecessary because the cocking of the knife, the girl's face and the feet and everything was so rapid that there were 78 separate pieces of film in 45 seconds. |
| 16 |
[on his history as a practical joker] I once gave a dinner party, oh many years ago, where all the food was blue. |
| 17 |
All love scenes started on the set are continued in the dressing room. |
| 18 |
[Part of his publicity campaign prior to the release of Psycho (1960)] It has been rumored that Psycho is so terrifying that it will scare some people speechless. Some of my men hopefully sent their wives to a screening. The women emerged badly shaken but still vigorously vocal. |
| 19 |
[When asked by a member of the press why, at his advanced age, it took so long for the British government to grant him the title of Knight] I think it's just a matter of carelessness. |
| 20 |
Fear isn't so difficult to understand. After all, weren't we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It's just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual. |
| 21 |
[on his lifelong fear of eggs ("ovophobia")] I'm frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes... have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I've never tasted it. |
| 22 |
I made a remark a long time ago. I said I was very pleased that television was now showing murder stories, because it's bringing murder back into its rightful setting - in the home. |
| 23 |
[on North by Northwest (1959)] Our original title, you know, was "The Man in Lincoln's Nose". Couldn't use it, though. They also wouldn't let us shoot people on Mount Rushmore. Can't deface a national monument. And it's a pity, too, because I had a wonderful shot in mind of Cary Grant hiding in Lincon's nose and having a sneezing fit. |
| 24 |
To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script. |
| 25 |
I don't understand why we have to experiment with film. I think everything should be done on paper. A musician has to do it, a composer. He puts a lot of dots down and beautiful music comes out. And I think that students should be taught to visualize. That's the one thing missing in all this. The one thing that the student has got to do is to learn that there is a rectangle up there - a white rectangle in a theater - and it has to be filled. |
| 26 |
When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, "It's in the script". If he says, "But what's my motivation?", I say, "Your salary". |
| 27 |
I am scared easily, here is a list of my adrenaline-production: 1: small children, 2: policemen, 3: high places, 4: that my next movie will not be as good as the last one. |
| 28 |
Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints. |
| 29 |
[Walt Disney] has the best casting. If he doesn't like an actor he just tears him up. |
| 30 |
Cary Grant is the only actor I ever loved in my whole life. |
| 31 |
[on The Birds (1963)] You know, I've often wondered what the Audubon Society's attitude might be to this picture. |
| 32 |
In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director. |
| 33 |
A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it. |
| 34 |
If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on. |
| 35 |
I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella (1937), the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach. |
| 36 |
Film your murders like love scenes, and film your love scenes like murders. |
| 37 |
The paperback is very interesting but I find it will never replace the hardcover book -- it makes a very poor doorstop. |
| 38 |
[on directing Charles Laughton] You can't direct a Laughton picture. The best you can hope for is to referee. |
| 39 |
[on Claude Jade, who starred in Topaz (1969)] Claude Jade is a brave nice young lady. But I don't give any guarantee what she will do on a taxi's back seat. |
| 40 |
Man does not live by murder alone. He needs affection, approval, encouragement and, occasionally, a hearty meal. |
| 41 |
There is nothing quite so good as a burial at sea. It is simple, tidy, and not very incriminating. |
| 42 |
It's only a movie, and, after all, we're all grossly overpaid. |
| 43 |
I was an uncommonly unattractive young man. |
| 44 |
[to Ingrid Bergman when she told him that she couldn't play a certain character the way he wanted because "I don't feel like that, I don't think I can give you that kind of emotion."] Ingrid - fake it! |
| 45 |
I enjoy playing the audience like a piano. |
| 46 |
Some films are slices of life, mine are slices of cake. |
| 47 |
[on Michelangelo Antonioni and his film Blow-Up (1966)] This young Italian guy is starting to worry me. |
| 48 |
[when accepting the American Film Institute Life Achievement award] I beg permission to mention by name only four people who have given me the most affection, appreciation, and encouragement, and constant collaboration. The first of the four is a film editor, the second is a scriptwriter, the third is the mother of my daughter Pat [Patricia Hitchcock], and the fourth is as fine a cook as ever performed miracles in a domestic kitchen. And their names are Alma Reville. |
| 49 |
[His entire acceptance speech for the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award] Thank you. |
| 50 |
Drama is life with the dull bits left out. |
| 51 |
Always make the audience suffer as much as possible. |
| 52 |
Even my failures make money and become classics a year after I make them. |
| 53 |
To me, Psycho (1960) was a big comedy. Had to be. |
| 54 |
There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. |
| 55 |
The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder. |
| 56 |
[on his cameos] One of the earliest of these was in The Lodger (1927), the story of Jack the Ripper. My appearance called for me to walk up the stairs of the rooming house. Since my walk-ons in subsequent pictures would be equally strenuous - boarding buses, playing chess, etc. - I asked for a stunt man. Casting, with an unusual lack of perception, hired this fat man! |
| 57 |
There is a dreadful story that I hate actors. Imagine anyone hating James Stewart... Jack L. Warner. I can't imagine how such a rumor began. Of course it may possibly be because I was once quoted as saying that actors are cattle. My actor friends know I would never be capable of such a thoughtless, rude and unfeeling remark, that I would never call them cattle... What I probably said was that actors should be treated like cattle. |
| 58 |
If you've designed a picture correctly, the Japanese audience should scream at the same time as the Indian audience. |
| 59 |
I deny I ever said that actors are cattle. What I said was, "Actors should be treated like cattle.". |
| 60 |
[1955, as host of his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)] For those of you watching this show in the year 2000, write us a letter and tell us how things are going where you are. |
| 61 |
[1972] Puns are the highest form of literature. |
| 62 |
[to an interviewer on why he does not make comedies] But every film I made IS a comedy! |
| 63 |
[on Michelangelo Antonioni and Federico Fellini] Those Italian fellows are a hundred years ahead of us. Blow-Up (1966) and 8½ (1963) are bloody masterpieces. [1978] |
| 64 |
[on how to properly build suspense] Four people are sitting around a table talking about baseball or whatever you like. Five minutes of it. Very dull. Suddenly, a bomb goes off. Blows the people to smithereens. What does the audience have? Ten seconds of shock. Now take the same scene and tell the audience there is a bomb under that table and will go off in five minutes. The whole emotion of the audience is totally different because you've given them that information. In five minutes time that bomb will go off. Now the conversation about baseball becomes very vital. Because they're saying to you, "Don't be ridiculous. Stop talking about baseball. There's a bomb under there." You've got the audience working. |
| 65 |
The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder. |
| 66 |
Cartoonists have the best casting system. If they don't like an actor, they just tear him up. |
| 67 |
Everything's perverted in a different way. |
| 68 |
I like stories with lots of psychology. |
| 69 |
Reality is something that none of us can stand, at any time. |
| 70 |
[A portion of his AFI Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech] Had the beautiful Ms. Reville [his wife Alma Reville] not accepted a lifetime contract without options as Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock some 53 years ago, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock might be in this room tonight, not at this table but as one of the slower waiters on the floor. |
| 71 |
I wanted once to do a scene, for North by Northwest (1959) by the way, and I couldn't get it in there. I wanted it to be in Detroit, and two men walking along in front of an assembly line. And behind them you see the automobile being put together. It starts with a frame, and you just take the camera along, the two men are talking. And you know all those cars are eventually driven off the line, they load them with gas and everything. And one of the men goes forward, mind you you've seen a car from nothing, just a frame, opens the door and a dead body falls out. |
| 72 |
[on the making of Psycho (1960) and a fake torso made by the special effects department that spurted blood when stabbed with a knife] But I never used it. It was all unnecessary because the cocking of the knife, the girl's face and the feet and everything was so rapid that there were 78 separate pieces of film in 45 seconds. |
| 73 |
[on his history as a practical joker] I once gave a dinner party, oh many years ago, where all the food was blue. |
| 74 |
All love scenes started on the set are continued in the dressing room. |
| 75 |
[Part of publicity campaign prior to release of Psycho (1960)] It has been rumored that Psycho is so terrifying that it will scare some people speechless. Some of my men hopefully sent their wives to a screening. The women emerged badly shaken but still vigorously vocal. |
| 76 |
[When asked by a member of the press why, at his advanced age, it took so long for the British government to grant him the title of Knight] I think it's just a matter of carelessness. |
| 77 |
Fear isn't so difficult to understand. After all, weren't we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It's just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual. |
| 78 |
[on his lifelong fear of eggs ("ovophobia")] I'm frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes... have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I've never tasted it. |
| 79 |
I made a remark a long time ago. I said I was very pleased that television was now showing murder stories, because it's bringing murder back into its rightful setting - in the home. |
| 80 |
[on North by Northwest (1959)] Our original title, you know, was "The Man in Lincoln's Nose". Couldn't use it, though. They also wouldn't let us shoot people on Mount Rushmore. Can't deface a national monument. And it's a pity, too, because I had a wonderful shot in mind of Cary Grant hiding in Lincon's nose and having a sneezing fit. |
| 81 |
To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script. |
| 82 |
I don't understand why we have to experiment with film. I think everything should be done on paper. A musician has to do it, a composer. He puts a lot of dots down and beautiful music comes out. And I think that students should be taught to visualize. That's the one thing missing in all this. The one thing that the student has got to do is to learn that there is a rectangle up there - a white rectangle in a theater - and it has to be filled. |
| 83 |
When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, "It's in the script". If he says, "But what's my motivation?", I say, "Your salary". |
| 84 |
I am scared easily, here is a list of my adrenaline-production: 1: small children, 2: policemen, 3: high places, 4: that my next movie will not be as good as the last one. |
| 85 |
Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints. |
| 86 |
[Walt Disney] has the best casting. If he doesn't like an actor he just tears him up. |
| 87 |
Cary Grant is the only actor I ever loved in my whole life. |
| 88 |
[regarding The Birds (1963)] You know, I've often wondered what the Audubon Society's attitude might be to this picture. |
| 89 |
In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director. |
| 90 |
A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it. |
| 91 |
If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on. |
| 92 |
I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella (1937), the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach. |
| 93 |
Film your murders like love scenes, and film your love scenes like murders. |
| 94 |
The paperback is very interesting but I find it will never replace the hardcover book -- it makes a very poor doorstop. |
| 95 |
[on directing Charles Laughton] You can't direct a Laughton picture. The best you can hope for is to referee. |
| 96 |
[on Claude Jade, who starred in Topaz (1969)] Claude Jade is a brave nice young lady. But I don't give any guarantee what she will do on a taxi's back seat. |
| 97 |
Man does not live by murder alone. He needs affection, approval, encouragement and, occasionally, a hearty meal. |
| 98 |
There is nothing quite so good as a burial at sea. It is simple, tidy, and not very incriminating. |
| 99 |
It's only a movie, and, after all, we're all grossly overpaid. |
| 100 |
I was an uncommonly unattractive young man. |
| 101 |
[to Ingrid Bergman when she told him that she couldn't play a certain character the way he wanted because "I don't feel like that, I don't think I can give you that kind of emotion."] Ingrid - fake it! |
| 102 |
I enjoy playing the audience like a piano. |
| 103 |
Some films are slices of life, mine are slices of cake. |
| 104 |
[on Michelangelo Antonioni and his film Blow-Up (1966)] This young Italian guy is starting to worry me. |
| 105 |
[when accepting the American Film Institute Life Achievement award] I beg permission to mention by name only four people who have given me the most affection, appreciation, and encouragement, and constant collaboration. The first of the four is a film editor, the second is a scriptwriter, the third is the mother of my daughter Pat [Patricia Hitchcock], and the fourth is as fine a cook as ever performed miracles in a domestic kitchen. And their names are Alma Reville. |
| 106 |
[His entire acceptance speech for the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award] Thank you. |
| 107 |
Drama is life with the dull bits left out. |
| 108 |
Always make the audience suffer as much as possible. |
| 109 |
Even my failures make money and become classics a year after I make them. |
| 110 |
To me, Psycho (1960) was a big comedy. Had to be. |
| 111 |
There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. |
| 112 |
The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder. |
| 113 |
[on his cameos] One of the earliest of these was in The Lodger (1927), the story of Jack the Ripper. My appearance called for me to walk up the stairs of the rooming house. Since my walk-ons in subsequent pictures would be equally strenuous - boarding buses, playing chess, etc. - I asked for a stunt man. Casting, with an unusual lack of perception, hired this fat man! |
| 114 |
There is a dreadful story that I hate actors. Imagine anyone hating James Stewart... Jack L. Warner. I can't imagine how such a rumor began. Of course it may possibly be because I was once quoted as saying that actors are cattle. My actor friends know I would never be capable of such a thoughtless, rude and unfeeling remark, that I would never call them cattle... What I probably said was that actors should be treated like cattle. |
$200 Million
