MASTER OF CONTRADICTIONS; HE KNEW ALL THE RULES - AND HOW TO BREAK THEM.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic Much has been said about Alfred Hitchcock, most eloquently by Hitchcock himself. ``. . . The whole art of the motion picture is a succession of composed images, rapidly going through a machine, creating ideas,'' he said in a 1966 interview. And in that same conversation, ``After all, the most enjoyable part of making a picture is in that little office, with the writer, when we are discussing the story lines and what we're going to put on the screen, searching for freshness and so forth, and also always that lovely moment when we say, `Wouldn't it be fun to kill him this way.' '' And to Peter Bogdanovich, when he asked if Hitch ever thought of posterity, ``What did posterity ever do for me?'' As we approach the 100th anniversary of Hitchcock's birth, Friday the 13th Friday the 13th regarded as unlucky day. [Western Folklore: Misc.] See : Luck, Bad , posterity still owes him an effort. Hitchcock's life didn't just parallel the century of cinema; his artistry defined and refined the medium more than any other director's. Master of Suspense, master showman, tireless innovator, pantheon auteur auteur (ōtör`), in film criticism, a director who so dominates the film-making process that it is appropriate to call the director the auteur, or author, of the motion picture. , world's drollest TV host - the accolades have been many. Early feminist (his scripts were vetted and worked out with his wife, Alma Reville Alma Lucy Reville, Lady Hitchcock (August 14, 1899 in England – July 6, 1982 in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California) was an assistant director, screenwriter and editor. , whose vital contributions he always acknowledged), twisted misogynist mi·sog·y·nist n. One who hates women. adj. Of or characterized by a hatred of women. Noun 1. misogynist - a misanthrope who dislikes women in particular woman hater (what was he working out on all those cool blond actresses?), gracious collaborator, control freak control freak Slang n. One who has an obsessive need to exert control over people and situations. Noun 1. control freak - someone with a compulsive desire to exert control over situations and people , disdainful dis·dain·ful adj. Expressive of disdain; scornful and contemptuous. See Synonyms at proud. dis·dain  ful·ly adv. of actors, admittedly dependent on the best of them, manipulative mass-entertainer, critical darling - the contradictions were even more numerous, and fascinating. You could joke that Hitchcock contained everything the movies could and would become in one jumbo-sized frame and still be completely accurate. Not only did he understand how film grammar spoke to an audience better than anyone else of his era (and, except perhaps for Steven Spielberg Noun 1. Steven Spielberg - United States filmmaker (born in 1947) Spielberg , anyone who's come along since), he made it speak his language, as formal and controlled as his trademark ``Good eee-vening'' greeting, and just as loaded with sardonic mirth and pregnant menace. The style with which Hitchcock unnerved moviegoers for 50 years was the unexpectedly happy result of influences that are usually considered traumatic: Catholic guilt Catholic guilt is the feeling of remorse, self-doubt, or personal responsibility that results when a Catholic or Lapsed Catholic engages in sinful acts. Habitual obsessive guilt over trivial or imagined sins is the error of scrupulosity [1] and is suspected to stem from , rigorous Jesuit education, English repression, judiciously sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. parenting. Hitchcock downplayed, but never denied, the influence of that infamous formative moment when his father, a London grocer, sent 5-year-old Alfred to the police station with a note requesting that the child be locked in a cell to teach him what happens to naughty boys. The thematic obsessions that ran rampant throughout his mature body of work - mistaken identity mistaken identity n → erreur f d'identité mistaken identity mistake n → Verwechslung f mistaken identity n , intimate betrayal, persecution of innocents, transferal of guilt - suggest that he never got over it. Those rich ideas and others like them were subsidiary to Hitchcock's grandest theme of all: that to be human is to be a voyeur voy·eur n. 1. A person who derives sexual gratification from observing the naked bodies or sexual acts of others, especially from a secret vantage point. 2. An obsessive observer of sordid or sensational subjects. , to desire a glimpse of the private, the dangerous, the exciting and the taboo. Which, of course, is what anybody who watches a movie does. Hitchcock married the urge to look with a presentational genius and technical imagination (he originally was trained to be an electrical engineer) that led to constant advancement of the motion picture art form. Here's a list of breakthroughs, terribly incomplete because, heck, who can count them all. ``The Lodger'' (1926), Hitchcock's third feature, first thriller and initial box-office success, featured a shot of the title character, suspected of being Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper, name given to an unidentified late-19th-century murderer in London, England. From Aug. to Nov., 1888, he was responsible for the death and mutilation of at least seven female prostitutes in the East End section of London. , pacing above a see-through glass floor, chillingly evoking the downstairs neighbors' need to know what was up with this guy. ``The 39 Steps' '' (1935) represented the full flowering of everything we associate with Hitchcock - all of the aforementioned themes plus breakneck break·neck adj. 1. Dangerously fast: a breakneck pace. 2. Likely to cause an accident: a breakneck curve. (for then) chase action, seamless blending of comedy and suspense, perverse sexual implications (that reluctantly - or are they? - handcuffed couple), sophisticated sound-picture cutting and the introduction of the MacGuffin, the red herring Red Herring A preliminary registration statement that must be filed with the SEC describing a new issue of stock (IPO) and the prospects of the issuing company. Notes: characters in the film care a lot about, but the audience doesn't too much. The MacGuffin was sort of an inverse application of Hitchcock's first law of movie suspense: Show the audience a threat before the characters know about it. No more effective principle of film storytelling has ever been devised. After coming to America in 1939 and fighting the interference of his U.S. sponsor, producer David O. Selznick, Hitchcock set about exploring the dramatic possibilities of his expansive new landscape. ``Saboteur's'' (1942) famous Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty great symbolic structure in New York harbor. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : America Statue of Liberty perhaps the most famous monument to independence. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : Freedom climax showed how he could turn reassuring landmarks into stark, unfamiliar places of dread. ``Shadow of a Doubt'' (1943), the first American First American may refer to:
adj. Full of jubilant delight; joyful. glee ful·ly adv.glee morbidity and unhealthy identification in wholesome, smalltown USA. A series of experiments with the possibilities of limited space (``Lifeboat''), Dali-designed surrealism (``Spellbound'') and extended takes (``Rope'') occupied the restless formal pioneer through the latter half of the '40s, and not entirely successfully. Indeed, Hitchcock's most impressive technical coup in the immediate postwar films is ``Notorious' '' elaborate, space-contracting crane shot from a second floor landing down to a key clutched in Ingrid Bergman's hand. ``Notorious' '' superb blend of narrative, character and cinematic virtues presaged the decade of masterworks that ran from 1951 to 1960. Limited space demands that we reductively re·duc·tive adj. 1. Of or relating to reduction. 2. Relating to, being an instance of, or exhibiting reductionism. 3. Relating to or being an instance of reductivism. describe ``Strangers on a Train,'' ``To Catch a Thief'' and ``North by Northwest'' with the same single word: perfect. We'll also note that the less-than-perfect ``Dial M for Murder'' (still the only 3-D feature that did anything with the process), ``The Trouble With Harry,'' the remake of ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' and ``The Wrong Man'' had more great moviemaking mov·ie·mak·er n. One that makes movies, especially professionally. mov ie·mak spread among them than any given decade's worth of best picture Oscar winners. And then there were The Three: ``Rear Window'' (1954), ``Vertigo'' (1958) and ``Psycho'' (1960) showed us everything that movies were capable of and taught us everything they meant. Hitchcock liked to call ``Rear Window'' - a story about lenses and peeping and projecting and suddenly, horribly discovering that what's safely intriguing to watch from a distance is no such fun when it comes physically or emotionally close - his most purely cinematic work. ``Vertigo'' was the directors' story. In James Stewart's compulsive need to re-create the woman he lost in someone else, the filmmaker's drive to express something vital with the tools of illusions is distilled to its poignant essence. And when the manipulative creator discovers that even he's being had by a rich, unscrupulous employer, volumes more are implied about the artist's predicament in studio Hollywood. By ``Psycho,'' Hitchcock had achieved such a command of both film language and pop movie conventions that he literally could rewrite all the rules in 109 minutes of screen time. Kill the star halfway through? Naked, in a shower? With a schizophrenic transvestite trans·ves·tite n. One who practices transvestism. transvestite Sexology A person with a compulsion to dress as a member of the other sex, which may be essential to maintaining an erection and achieving orgasm. See Transsexual. ? Unheard of Not heard of; of which there are no tidings. Unknown to fame; obscure. - Glanvill. See also: Unheard Unheard , yet Hitch knew instinctively how every untested, unexpected turn would affect the audience. This, perhaps more than ``Vertigo,'' is Hitchcock's testament to what really drives the true filmmaker, the power to move viewers in ways only he knows how to. And of course, directors have been abusing the lessons learned from ``Psycho'' ever since. Much of this furious creative achievement was made while Hitchcock was also busy producing, sometimes directing and always amusingly hosting one of the best television anthologies ever broadcast. As great a ham as he was an artist - or, more likely, well aware that in the growing culture of personality the movies initiated, celebrity enhanced his power - Hitchcock became as familiar to the general public as ``Hitchcockian'' had become a common adjective for a certain style of filmmaking. Once again, no other movie director has been so well-recognized in either way. There were two more influential advances in the '60s, the special-effects extravaganza ``The Birds,'' and ``Marnie,'' which opened up still deeper, more complex Freudian territory to American film. ``Torn Curtain'' (1966), the project most consider the beginning of the aging genius's final decline, shrewdly offers something of an auto-eulogy - in moving pictures, of course. When Paul Newman Noun 1. Paul Newman - United States film actor (born in 1925) Newman, Paul Leonard Newman discovers that killing a Communist agent with a kitchen's available implements is no simple task, it's as if Hitchcock was telling us what he'd made look so slickly effortless for so long had gotten much more difficult. As well as, of course, admitting that it was all a big, sardonic lie called the movies. A lie that it was clearly the joy of his life to tell over and over, better and better, until it imparted profound truth. Throughout his prolific, accomplished and wildly popular career, Hitchcock shrugged off suggestions that he was a great artist. Indeed, when a frazzled Bergman came to him for moral support when she was having trouble with another director, she already knew what Hitch's unsatisfactory advice would be: Relax, Ingrid, it's only a movie. Yet the man who could dismiss his life's work Life's Work is a sitcom that aired from 1996 to 1997 on the American Broadcasting Company channel that starred Lisa Ann Walter as Lisa Ann Minardi Hunter, the assistant district attorney who had a husband named Kevin Hunter with such poker-faced aplomb a·plomb n. Self-confident assurance; poise. See Synonyms at confidence. [French, from Old French a plomb, perpendicularly : a, according to (from Latin ad-; see wrote, in 1937, these very well-reasoned yet heartbreaking words: ``Films suffer from their own power of appealing to millions. They could often be subtler than they are, but their own popularity won't let them.'' Hitchcock's subtler creative notions were often frustrated by his own, nonpareil Nonpareil - One of five pedagogical languages based on Markov algorithms, used in ["Nonpareil, a Machine Level Machine Independent Language for the Study of Semantics", B. Higman, ULICS Intl Report No ICSI 170, U London (1968)]. The others were Brilliant, Diamond, Pearl and Ruby. ability to master film's power and appeal to millions. If posterity can do anything for Alfred Hitchcock, it might be to forget all the lesser labels and remember him purely as an artist. Dial H for Hitchcock and his way with horror When asked by the Daily News recently what would be the main characteristic of her father, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell said, ``A very kind man. He disliked hurting anyone's feelings.'' Alfred Hitchcock had no qualms, however, in giving his audiences a good fright. In fact, the director took an absolute delight in doing so. What's amazing is that years later and despite graphic cinematic advances, Hitchcock's films still creep people out. In ``Dial `H' for Hitchcock - The Genius Behind the Showman,'' a special documentary airing Friday on Encore, the ``Master of Suspense'' himself explains his strategy: ``I believe in putting the terror in the mind of the audience and not necessarily on the screen.'' In an interview she did with the Daily News in 1995, Janet Leigh Janet Leigh (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004) was an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning American actress. Biography Early life Leigh was born Jeanette Helen Morrison talked about the famed shower scene in ``Psycho'': ``The editing and the music was so dramatic that even though you never saw anything, you'd swear you saw the knife ripping her flesh, but you never did,'' referring to the slaying of her character, Marion Crane. Hitchcock used numerous cuts in the 45 seconds of film to create the shock value. ``Each one of those cuts was like the knife going in, the knife going in. It was frightening,'' adds Leigh. Nearly, 40 years later, Hitchcock continues to influence cinema. Every major filmmaker working today owes a debt to Hitchcock. Without ``The Birds,'' would there have been a ``Jaws''? Without ``Psycho,'' would there have been any of a number of films, from ``Carrie'' to ``Scream''? No one was better at creating terror. On Friday, Hitchcock would have turned 100, and the world is paying tribute to the legendary director with numerous special events. It is impossible to sum up his life or impact (after all, volumes have already been written), but here we offer some interesting parts. In ``Rear Window,'' which Hitchcock called his most ``cinematic'' film, James Stewart plays a photographer with a broken leg who watches out his picture window while recuperating. After a while, he begins to see a mystery - a shadowy pattern through the glimpses of his neighbors. We are like Stewart's character - voyeurs trying to put together the pieces, Hitchcock is telling us. And isn't that what film is all about? - Rob Lowman The life of Alfred 1899: On Aug. 13, Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, the youngest of three children, is born to William and Emma Hitchcock in the East End of London “East End” redirects here. For other uses, see East End (disambiguation). The East End of London, known locally as the East End, generally refers to the area of London, England, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames, . 1910: Hitchcock is enrolled at the St. Ignatius college in Stamford Hills, London. 1918: A Hitchcock short story, ``Gas,'' appears in the first issue of the Henley, a magazine published by his employer. 1920: Hitchcock is a part-time title designer by the Famous Players-Lasky film company in London for their silent films. 1921: Alma Reville, working as a film editor for Famous Players-Lasky, meets Hitchcock. 1925: Hitchcock is offered the position of sole director of the silent movie ``The Pleasure Garden.'' A film crew, which includes Alma Reville as assistant director, travels to Germany to produce the picture. 1926: Alma Reville and Alfred Hitchcock marry at a small chapel in the Roman Catholic parish of Knightsbridge, London. 1928: Alfred and Alma Hitchcock's only child, Patricia, is born in the bedroom at their home in London. 1934: Hitchcock signs a five-film contract with Gaumont-British Pictures. In December, the first version of ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' is released. 1937: Hitchcock and his family arrive in America for the first time. He claims that the trip is a family holiday, but it is well-known that he is to meet with several Hollywood movie producers about directing films in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . 1938: July 14: Hitchcock signs a contract with Selznick International Pictures Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio. It was founded in 1935 by producer David O. Selznick and investor John Hay Whitney after Selznick left MGM and leased a section of the RKO Pictures lot in Culver City, California. . He is unsure whether his first Hollywood production will be ``The Titanic'' or ``Rebecca.'' In October, Hitchcock makes his last movie for a British film company. The costume drama, ``Jamaica Inn,'' is released in 1939. 1943: During the filming of ``Lifeboat'' (1944), a 20th Century Fox release, Hitchcock goes on a serious diet, reducing his weight from 300 pounds to 200 pounds. 1948: ``Rope,'' Hitchcock's first film as a producer for Transatlantic and one of four Hitchcock features starring James Stewart, is released by Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . This is also Hitchcock's first Technicolor movie. 1953: Hitchcock signs a five-picture contract with Paramount Pictures. The resulting pictures are ``Rear Window'' (1954), ``The Trouble With Harry'' (1955), ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956), ``Vertigo'' (1958), and ``Psycho'' (1960). 1955: In April Hitchcock becomes a U.S. citizen. In October, ``Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' premieres on CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . It's a half-hour anthology drama hosted by Hitchcock and filmed in black-and-white. 1958: Hitchcock wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series of the year. 1961: While watching the ``Today'' show, Hitchcock notices an attractive blonde, Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930)[1] is an American actress with a career spanning six decades. She is best known for her role as Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds , in a television commercial for the diet drink Sego. He makes an appointment to meet her the following day, and by the end of the week he offers her a seven-film contract. 1965: Hitchcock ends his decade-long television career. 1980: In January, Hitchcock is made a Knight Commander Knight Commander (or Dame Commander) is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, four of which are obsolete. The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' (male) or 'Dame' (female) before his or her name. of the British Empire British Empire, overseas territories linked to Great Britain in a variety of constitutional relationships, established over a period of three centuries. The establishment of the empire resulted primarily from commercial and political motives and emigration movements by Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, or Elizabeth, may refer to: Living people
Bohemia n. pl. consuls general Abbr. CG A consul of the highest rank serving at a principal location and usually responsible for other consular offices within a country. , administers the knighthood knighthood: see chivalry; courtly love; knight. in Hitchcock's office at Universal Studios. On April 28, at 9:17 a.m., Alfred Hitchcock dies at his home in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. of liver failure liver failure Clinical medicine Liver insufficiency that results in death, requires a liver transplant, or is characterized by recovery after encephalopathy, or while awaiting a transplant; also defined as a condition with ≥ 3 of following: albumin < 3. and other complications at age 80. Win a few, lose a few Alfred Hitchcock always wanted to be taken seriously as an artist, but critical acclaim often eluded the ``Master of Suspense.'' In 1979, a year before his death, he received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award and gave a moving speech thanking his wife and longtime collaborator, Alma. Winning an Oscar was another matter. Hitchcock was nominated for five Academy Awards as best director - for ``Rebecca'' (1940), ``Lifeboat'' (1944), ``Spellbound'' (1945), ``Rear Window'' (1954) and ``Psycho'' (1960) - but never won. Oddly enough, the director was presented with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1967, which is given to ``creative'' producers for their body of work. Hitchcock's acceptance speech was a terse two words: ``Thank you.'' More than one `good eee-vening' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate the Hitchcock centennial with a special film event Friday. Director Peter Bogdanovich will lead the 8 p.m. program, titled ``From the Hitchcock Collection,'' which features rare materials donated to the Academy Film Archive by the Hitchcock estate. Included will be home movies, unusual trailers, screen tests Andy Warhol's Screen Tests consist of several-minute unbroken shots of Factory regulars, Warhol superstars, guests, friends, or anyone he thought has "star potential". Warhol would place them in a booth, and tell them to stare at the camera and not blink. and documentary footage of Hitchcock on the set of ``Frenzy.'' Also, an exhibition featuring materials donated to the academy by the Hitchcock estate will be on display. Included are numerous production designs, annotated scripts and more. At 8 p.m. Aug. 20, the academy will screen a restored print of ``Rebecca,'' which received 11 Academy Award nominations and won the best picture and cinematography cinematography: see motion picture photography. cinematography Art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves the composition of a scene, lighting of the set and actors, choice of cameras, camera angle, and integration of special awards. Tickets for the Friday program are sold out, but standby tickets may be available the night of the event. The ``From the Hitchcock Collection'' exhibition is free and runs Aug. 13 through Oct. 31 in the fourth-floor gallery at the academy; gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets for the Aug. 20 ``Rebecca'' screening are $5 for the general public and $3 for academy members. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the academy during regular business hours BUSINESS HOURS. The time of the day during which business is transacted. In respect to the time of presentment and demand of bills and notes, business hours generally range through the whole day down to the hours of rest in the evening, except when the paper is payable it a bank or by a . For more information, call (310) 247-3600. The academy's address is 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . ``North by Northwest'' opens for a nine-day run at the Landmark Cecchi Gori Gori (gô`rē), city (1989 pop. 68,924), central Georgia. It has food processing plants. Mentioned in the 7th cent. as Tontio, it was later named after a fortress. Gori passed to Russia in 1801. Stalin was born in the city. Fine Arts Cinema beginning Aug. 18. Everyone who attends the 7 p.m. show on Aug. 21 will be entered to win a signed copy of Hitchcock's notebooks. Plus, the first 100 patrons to purchase tickets for that show will also receive a piece of Hitchcock's profile 100th birthday cake. For showtimes, call (310) 652-1330. The Cecchi is at 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Hitchcock at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, also known as LACMA, is the official and world-renowned art museum of the County of Los Angeles, California, located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. , Aug. 27-28, Sept. 3-4 and 10-11. LACMA LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA Los Angeles County Medical Association LACMA Latin American and Caribbean Movers Association will present eight films grouped around different Hitchcock themes for three consecutive weekends, including three Universal Studios titles, ``Shadow of a Doubt,'' ``Vertigo'' and ``Marnie.'' The museum is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Call (323) 857-6000 for schedule. Hitchcock Television Retrospective at the Museum of Television & Radio, Los Angeles, Friday through Sept. 12. The Museum of Television & Radio will offer a complete Hitchcock television retrospective, which includes a re-examination of the 20 telefilms Hitchcock directed between 1955 and 1962 and a presentation of rarely seen interviews and documentaries. The museum is at 465 N. Beverly Drive Beverly Drive is a northwest/southwest major street in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. The southern end of Beverly Drive is at the intersection of Beverly Drive and Harlow Avenue, a small street south of National Blvd. and north of the Santa Monica Freeway. , Beverly Hills. Call (310) 786-1000. QVC QVC Quality Value Convenience QVC Question Valid Command will broadcast live 10 p.m. Friday from Universal's Bates Bates , Katherine Lee 1859-1929. American educator and writer best known for her poem "America the Beautiful," written in 1893 and revised in 1904 and 1911. Motel, and Psycho House will feature 15 to 18 Hitchcock products and include talent interviews. Ten domestic licensees are producing interactive collectibles, gifts and stationery, fine art and toy products, including the first-ever customized Clue game: The Alfred Hitchcock Edition. Universal Home Video has recently released digitally remastered versions of 14 of his films - ``The Birds,'' ``Family Plot,'' ``Frenzy,'' ``The Man Who Knew Too Much,'' ``Marnie,'' ``Psycho,'' ``Best of Hitchcock Presents,'' ``Vertigo,'' ``Rear Window,'' ``Rope,'' ``Saboteur,'' ``Shadow of a Doubt,'' ``Topaz,'' ``Torn Curtain'' and ``The Trouble With Harry.'' Universal has also released a compilation of memorable score music from Hitchcock Films, titled ``Alfred Hitchcock Presents Signatures in Suspense'' through Hip-O Records Hip-O Records is a record label, currently part of Universal Music Group, which specializes in reissues and compilations. They are currently in the midst of releasing the Complete Motown Singles , a Universal Music Group label. The score will include: ``Theme From Alfred Hitchcock Presents,'' Dimitri Tiomkin's ``Theme From `I Confess' '' and ``Theme From `Dial M for Murder,' '' Bernard Herrmann's ``The Wild Ride'' (from ``North by Northwest''), ``Prelude From `Marnie,' '' ``The Radiogram radiogram /ra·dio·gram/ (-gram?) radiograph. ra·di·o·gram n. A radiograph. radiogram (rā´dēōgram), and the Ship'' (from ``Torn Curtain''), Bernard Herrmann and the London Philharmonic's ``Psycho (A Narrative for Orchestra)'' and ``A Portrait of Hitch'' (from ``The Trouble With Harry''), Paul Bateman and the City of Prague Philharmonic's ``March'' (from ``Topaz'') and ``The London Theme'' and ``John Williams This biographical article or section needs additional references for verification. Please help [ to improve this article] by adding additional sources. Unverifiable material about living persons must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Family Plot End Credits & End Titles.'' So, what's a MacGuffin? Whatever moved the action along in a film was called a MacGuffin by Hitchcock. But what's a MacGuffin? Here's Hitchcock's explanation: ``It's called the MacGuffin because ... the story goes that two men are in the train. And one sitting across from the other says, `Excuse me sir, what is that strange-looking package above your head?' '' And the other man says, `Oh, that's a MacGuffin.' And the first one asks, `What's it for?' `Well,' the other man says, `it's for tracking lions in the Scottish Highlands
The Scottish Highlands (A' Ghàidhealtachd .' And the first man says, `But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands.' And the other man says, `Well then, that's no MacGuffin!' ``The MacGuffin is nothing, really. It's like a painter, worrying whether the apples in the painting are sweet or sour. Who cares? It's his style, his manner of painting. That's where the emotion comes from. It's for the artist to interpret in his own way and thus create an emotion. Literature can do it by the way the words are put together, but sometimes you find that a film is looked at solely for its content - without any regard for the style or manner in which the story is told. And basically that is the art of the cinema.'' The Hitchcock filmography film·og·ra·phy n. pl. film·og·ra·phies A comprehensive list of movies in a particular category, as of those by a given director or in a specific genre. Here's a look at Alfred Hitchcock's films, starting with what is considered his breakthrough film, ``The Lodger An occupant of a portion of a dwelling, such as a hotel or boardinghouse, who has mere use of the premises without actual or exclusive possession thereof. Anyone who lives or stays in part of a building that is operated by another and who does not have control over the rooms therein. ,'' a story of Jack the Ripper. Titles with slashes indicate the British name before the slash and the American name following the slash. ``Sabotage,'' for instance, was released as ``A Woman Alone'' in the United States, though today it is known by its British title. ``The Lodger''/``The Case of Jonathan Drew'' (1926) - director, screenwriter ``The Mountain Eagle'' (1926) - director ``Downhill'' (1927) - director ``Easy Virtue'' (1927) - director ``The Ring'' (1927) - director, screenwriter, story ``Champagne'' (1928) - director, screenwriter, adaptation ``The Farmer's Wife'' (1928) - director, screenwriter ``Blackmail'' (1929) - director, screenwriter, adaptation ``The Manxman'' (1929) - director ``Juno and the Paycock'' (1930) - director, adaptation ``Murder!'' (1930) - director, screenwriter, adaptation ``Mary'''' (1930) - director. German-language version of ``Murder'' ``The Skin Game'' (1931) - director, screenwriter, adaptation ``Number Seventeen'' (1932) - director, co-screenwriter ``Rich and Strange''/``East of Shanghai'' (1932) - director, adaptation ``Strauss's Great Waltz''/``Waltzes From Vienna'' (1933) - director ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934) - director ``The 39 Steps'' (1935) - director. This is one of Hitchcock's favorite films. ``Sabotage''/``A Woman Alone'' (1936) - director. Hitchcock thought he made a mistake in the way he handled the time-bomb scene. ``It was wrong to build up the audience's suspense and not to relieve it,'' he said. ``Secret Agent'' (1936) - director ``Young and Innocent'' (1937) - director. Francois Truffaut Noun 1. Francois Truffaut - French filmmaker (1932-1984) Truffaut noted that it has one of the longest crane shots ever made. ``The Lady Vanishes'' (1938) - director ``Jamaica Inn'' (1939) - director ``Foreign Correspondent'' (1940) - director ``Rebecca'' (1940) - director. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. director Peter Bogdanovich, David O. Selznick wanted the camera at the end of the film to pull back to show the smoke from the burning building forming the letter ``R'' in the sky. Hitchcock's response ``Can you imagine!'' ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (1941) - director ``Suspicion'' (1941) - director. Hitchcock put a light bulb inside a glass of milk that Cary Grant Noun 1. Cary Grant - United States actor (born in England) who was the elegant leading man in many films (1904-1986) Grant brings to Joan Fontaine Joan Fontaine (born October 22 1917) is an Academy Award-winning American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. Early life She was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland to help make it look more suspicious. ``Saboteur'' (1942) - director ``Shadow of a Doubt'' (1943) - director ``Adventure Malgache'' (1944) - director, a documentary short never released. ``Bon Voyage'' (1944) - director ``Lifeboat'' (1944) - director ``Spellbound'' (1945) - director. It includes a dream sequence using surrealist artist Salvador Dali Noun 1. Salvador Dali - surrealist Spanish painter (1904-1989) Dali sets. ``Notorious'' (1946) - producer, director. When Cary Grant breaks that bottle of champagne, he finds ``some kind of metal ore.'' Originally, Hitchcock thought the idea of uranium 235, from which the future atomic bomb atomic bomb or A-bomb, weapon deriving its explosive force from the release of atomic energy through the fission (splitting) of heavy nuclei (see nuclear energy). The first atomic bomb was produced at the Los Alamos, N.Mex. would be made, might be interesting, but they made it industrial diamonds.But the FBI was interested, this being shot before Hiroshima. Hitchcock was followed for three months. The production code at the time censored ``protracted pro·tract tr.v. pro·tract·ed, pro·tract·ing, pro·tracts 1. To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations. 2. kissing.'' Hitchcock had Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman kiss ``in stages'' - 18 kisses in two minutes, 38 seconds. ``The Paradine Case'' (1948) - director ``Rope'' (1948) - producer, director. Inspired by the Leopold and Loeb Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. (November 19 1904 – August 29 1971) and Richard A. Loeb (June 11 1905 – January 28 1936), more commonly known as Leopold and Loeb murder case. ``Under Capricorn'' (1949) - producer, director ``Stage Fright'' (1950) - producer, director ``Strangers on a Train'' (1951) - producer, director. Hitchcock set the tone for the film in the opening shot of shoes, with the styles of the shoes and gaits of the two main characters showing their different personalities. ``I Confess'' (1953) - producer, director ``Dial M for Murder'' (1954) - producer, director. It was originally filmed in 3-D, perfect for the Master. Note Grace Kelly Noun 1. Grace Kelly - United States film actress who retired when she married into the royal family of Monaco (1928-1982) Grace Patricia Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco, Kelly reaching through the screen for those scissors scissors Cutting instrument or tool consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. Modern scissors are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection between the cutting ends . ``Rear Window'' (1954) - producer, director. The camera never leaves the room, unless it's outside looking in. ``To Catch a Thief'' (1955) - producer, director ``The Trouble With Harry'' (1955) - producer, director ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956) - producer, director ``The Wrong Man'' (1957) - producer, director ``Vertigo'' (1958) producer, director. For the effect of dizziness as James Stewart looks over the staircase, the camera physically moved backward, as the lens zoomed forward. To do this, a model of the staircase was made and laid on its side on the floor. ``North by Northwest'' (1959) - producer, director. According to screenwriter Ernest Lehman, Hitchcock thought a good title would be ``The Man in Lincoln's Nose.'' ``Psycho'' (1960)- producer, director. The film's working title was ``Wimpy Wimpy sloppily dressed comic strip character; always “forgets” to pay for hamburgers. [Comics: “Popeye” in Horn, 657–658] See : Irresponsibility .'' The shower scene took one week to film. It used 70 different setups and 57 edits for 45 seconds on the screen (1,080 frames of film). ``The Birds'' (1963) - producer, director. There were more than 370 trick shots in this picture and a mixture of fake birds and trained birds, including trained seagulls, to circle and dive at the children. ``Marnie'' (1964) - producer, director ``Torn Curtain'' (1966) - producer, director ``Topaz'' (1969) - producer, director ``Frenzy'' (1972) - producer, director ``Family Plot'' (1976) - producer, director It's TV with a Hitch Here are some of the television highlights in celebration of what would have been Alfred Hitchcock's 100th birthday: True Hollywood Story: a two-hour clip-filled profile that features interviews with his daughter, Patricia, his co-workers and various biographers. (9 tonight on E!) Alfred Hitchcock Presents Marathon 24-1/2 hours of episodes of the classic TV series. (8:30 p.m. Thursday on TVLand.) Hitchcock Quadruple Feature: On the filmmaker's birthday, Turner Classic Movies presents ``The Birds'' (1963), ``Marnie'' (1954), ``Suspicion'' (1941) and ``Dial M for Murder'' (1954). (6 a.m. Friday on TCM (1) (Trellis-Coded Modulation/Viterbi Decoding) A technique that adds forward error correction to a modulation scheme by adding an additional bit to each baud. TCM is used with QAM modulation, for example. .) Family Portraits: Rare home-movie footage highlights this look at Hitchcock's family. (2:15 p.m. Friday on AMC (Advanced Mezzanine Card) See AdvancedTCA. .) The Moviemakers: an hour devoted to Hitchcock's career. (7 p.m. Friday on AMC.) Dial ``H'' for Hitchcock - The Genius Behind the Showman: This 1999 documentary looks at the artistry that went into his films. The special focuses on Hitchcock's body of works as well as the long-lasting influence his innovative filmmaking has had on contemporary directors. Narrated by Kevin Spacey spac·ey adj. Slang Variant of spacy. Adj. 1. spacey - stupefied by (or as if by) some narcotic drug spaced-out, spacy unconventional - not conventional or conformist; "unconventional life styles" , the documentary includes commentary from Robert Altman, Jonathan Demme, Bryan Singer, Wes Craven, Curtis Hanson, Brian DePalma, Tippi Hedren and Janet Leigh. It also includes scenes from Hitchcock's home movies. (8 p.m. Friday on Encore.) In cameos, he was everywhere Alfred Hitchcock's cameos in his movies began out of necessity. In order to fill out some scenes in his 1926 film ``The Lodger,'' he cast himself as an extra. Hitch didn't have cameos in all of his films, notably ``Suspicion'' (1941), ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934), ``Jamaica Inn'' (1939) and ``Secret Agent'' (1936). In ``The Wrong Man'' (1957), he didn't make a cameo but did introduce the film. In later films, when the cameo was expected, he would make his presence known early so the audience wouldn't be distracted looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. him, but that wasn't always the case. In 1946's ``Notorious'' he appeared halfway through the film. Here are the films Hitch made cameos in and where you can find him: ``The Lodger'' (1926): First of the famous cameo roles, and you get twice as much of him - first you see him seated at a desk in a newsroom, and later, wearing a cap and leaning against a railing, he's one of the bystanders watching the arrest of Ivor Novello. ``Blackmail'' (1929): Bothered by a little boy while trying to read a book on the subway. ``Murder!'' (1930): Passer-by on the street. ``The 39 Steps'' (1935): Passer-by on the street. ``Young and Innocent'' (1937): One of his longer appearances (about 20 seconds) as a clumsy press photographer taking a photo of the courthouse. ``The Lady Vanishes'' (1938): Smoking a cigarette in a London railway station. ``Rebecca'' (1940): Standing outside a phone booth while George Sanders makes a call. ``Foreign Correspondent'' (1940): Reading a newspaper on the street, just before Joel McCrea meets Van Meer (AlbertBasserman). ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (1941): On the street, not noticing Robert Montgomery. ``Saboteur'' (1942): At the newsstand. ``Shadow of a Doubt'' (1943): Playing cards on a train. ``Lifeboat'' (1944): Pictured in a before-and-after weight reduction advertisement in a newspaper being read by William Bendix. ``Spellbound'' (1945): Getting off a crowded hotel elevator. ``Notorious'' (1946): Drinking champagne at a party. ``The Paradine Case'' (1948): Carrying a cello case. ``Rope'' (1948): Crossing the street during the opening credits. ``Under Capricorn'' (1949): Another double bill - first, at the governor's house, and second, on the steps of the government house. ``Stage Fright'' (1950): Turning back in the street to look at Jane Wyman, who's talking to herself. ``Strangers on a Train'' (1951): Boarding a train, carrying a bass violin. ``I Confess'' (1953): Crossing the screen at the top of a long staircase. ``Dial M for Murder'' (1954): In a class-reunion photo. ``Rear window'' (1954): Winding a clock in an apartment while another character plays the piano. ``To Catch a Thief'' (1955): On a bus, next to Cary Grant. ``The Trouble With Harry'' (1955): At an outdoor exhibition. ``The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956): Watching acrobats in a Marrakesh marketplace. ``Vertigo'' (1958): Crossing the street. ``North by Northwest'' (1959): Running to catch a bus with the door slamming in his face. ``Pyscho'' (1960): Standing outside the real estate office, wearing a 10-gallon hat. ``The Birds'' (1963): Exiting a pet shop, with two Scottie dogs. ``Marnie'' (1964): Coming out of a hotel room. ``Torn Curtain'' (1966): In the hotel lobby, with a baby on his lap. ``Topaz'' (1969): At the airport in a wheelchair attended by a nurse. ``Frenzy'' (1972): Spectator in a crowd scene watching a body being pulled from the Thames River. ``Family Plot'' (1976): In silhouette, seen behind the door of the office of ``births and deaths.'' Off-screen surprises were a scream In ``The 39 Steps'' (1935), the leading man and lady, Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll, we CAPTION(S): 11 Photos, 9 boxes PHOTO (1--Cover) ALL THINGS ALFRED On the eve On the Eve (Накануне in Russian) is the third novel by famous Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, best known for his short stories and the novel Fathers and Sons. of Hitchcock's 100th birthday, we investigated the strange case of the master of suspense. (2) As the 100th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's birth draws near, it becomes more apparent than ever that Hitchcock's life didn't just parallel the century of cinema; his artistry defined and refined the medium. Associated Press (3) Kill the star halfway through? Naked, in a shower? Unheard of, yet Hitchcock, with ``Psycho,'' starring Janet Leigh, knew how every untested, unexpected turn would affect the audience. (4 -- 7 -- 9 -- 10) No caption (Alfred Hitchcock) (8) Hitchcock receives the Thalberg Award in 1967. (11) Tippi Hedren in ``Marnie'' Boxes: (1) Dial H for Hitchcock (see text) (2) The Life of Alfred (see text) (3) Win a few, lose a few (see text) (4) More than one `good eee-vening' (see text) (5) So, what's a MacGuffin? (see text) (6) The Hitchcock filmography (see text) (7) It's TV with a Hitch (see text) (8) In cameos, he was everywhere (see text) (9) Off-screen surprises were a scream (see text) |
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