Exactly 85 years ago, Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) filmed the spy thriller “The Lady Vanishes”—one of the last films he made before moving from England to Hollywood. Seventy-five years ago, he created his first color film, “Rope.” It was in 1948 that he began producing his own projects independently. Sixty-five years ago, his body of work expanded with “Vertigo,” one of the finest examples of detective classics. Finally, sixty years ago, “The Birds” hit theaters—a quintessential film where Hitchcock’s signature technique of suspense was fully realized.
Hitchcock’s cameo in “The Lady Vanishes” (1938)
Suspense is the tension that builds in anticipation of horror, sending chills down your spine. It’s a tool of power over the audience, who find themselves teetering on the edge of a terrifying abyss. The roots of Hitchcockian suspense trace back to the walls of St. Ignatius’ Jesuit College in London, where the future king of thrillers entered as a seven-year-old boy and first encountered the harsh realities of life.
His mature persona is far from the descriptors “maniacal” or “crazy.” The sharp, piercing gaze on his puffy face reflects the world’s revenge for his own fears, which repeatedly intruded upon the long, vividly painted earthly journey of the director.
One might argue that a monument should be erected for his father, a grocer, who made young Alfred a victim of his own complexes. The story of the future cinematic luminary’s phobias began with a minor offense. For this, his father had the boy locked in a police cell, asking officers to arrest the genuinely terrified child. This was the first significant insult that left a mark on the blank slate of his undeveloped personality.
Father and young Alfred on a pony
While Alfred was studying at the Jesuit college, attending an engineering and navigation school, working at a telegraph company, writing short stories, studying painting, and engaging in visual advertising, he never forgot that first unjust punishment. Throughout his early journey of self-assertion, it seemed he was trying to prove to the world that he was innocent.
But could it be that the cruelty of his unsuccessful father spurred Hitchcock’s rise? Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he arranged his own life differently.
Hitchcock arrived in Hollywood at the age of 40, having already made significant strides in British cinema, including directing the first British sound film, “Blackmail.” In many ways, he remained an English director at heart, particularly because his signature self-exploration on screen is not a priority in American cinema. This self-exploration, both troubling and devastating, permeates most of the films Hitchcock created both in his homeland and in America.
He was not only at the forefront of the thriller genre but also at the dawn of cinema itself. Hitchcock took his first steps in film during the early 1920s at the English branch of an American studio that would later evolve into Paramount Pictures. He started with title design and eventually made his way to directing. In 1925, he collaborated with German filmmakers to create his first full-length film, “The Pleasure Garden.” A year later, he filmed his first thriller, “The Lodger.” From there, he directed films at a breakneck pace, often releasing several a year. In 1930 alone, the prolific director produced five films. By the end of his life, his creative collection boasted 55 feature films.
A sculpture dedicated to Hitchcock at Gainsborough Pictures in London.
Alfred Hitchcock, who remained in the States for the rest of his life, easily attracted first-tier stars to his projects. He was a true connoisseur, allowing himself to sift through the most talented actors. And they didn’t resist; rather, they were drawn to that very suspense like a magnet. Marlene Dietrich, Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman, Jimmy Stewart, Tippi Hedren, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Anthony Perkins, and Vera Miles are just a few of the chosen ones of the cinematic god.
Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine in “Suspicion” (1941)
In the 1960s, at the height of his career, Hitchcock crystallized into a theorist and practitioner of paranoia. He squeezed personal fear drop by drop, transforming it into cinema. Each film became a milestone in the history of screen art.
“The 39 Steps” (1935) is still considered a benchmark for the comedic thriller. His first American film, “Rebecca” (1940), immediately won an Oscar. The director was ultimately recognized as an apologist for screen horrors after the release of “Psycho” (1960). Hitchcock shot it using television techniques on a modest budget (around $807,000). Even before its release, the film was predicted to fail due to its “abnormal” material by the standards of the time. However, those predictions proved wrong. The film grossed $32 million, far exceeding its budget. Hitchcock crossed another personal milestone: he became a Hollywood millionaire.
Hitchcock during the filming of the legendary shower scene. “Psycho” (1960)
The aforementioned film “The Birds” was made with a budget of $3.3 million and grossed more than three times that amount. This film, like “Psycho,” compels the viewer to peer into the eyes of the unknown and confront the inevitability of tragedy lurking just around the corner.
He fully served his time in the 20th century and passed beyond the horizon in 1980, leaving behind films that are numerous testaments to his love of life. For the fear of death is nothing more than the flip side of the love of life.
After Hitchcock, an era of parodies of thrillers began—those low-quality, morbid products that B-movie studios feed to the public.
Turning a blind eye to this surrogate, we once again remember Alfred Hitchcock. We relieve stress and shatter phobias through his films, which no longer seem frightening. After all, you cannot fear what is called true cinema.
A mural on the building that stands where Alfred Hitchcock was born.
Selected Filmography: “The Pleasure Garden” (1925), “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1934), “Young and Innocent” (1937), “The Lady Vanishes” (1938), “Foreign Correspondent” (1940), “Saboteur” (1942), “Suspicion” (1946), “The Paradine Case” (1947), “Rope” (1948), “Stage Fright” (1950), “Strangers on a Train” (1951), “Rear Window” (1954), “To Catch a Thief” (1955), “Vertigo” (1958), “Psycho” (1960), “The Birds” (1963), “Marnie” (1964), “Torn Curtain” (1966), “Topaz” (1969), “Family Plot” (1976).