Alfred Hitchcock

Today marks Hitchcock's 119th birthday. He's one of my favourite directors eventhough sometimes he does the weirdest things. I especially love when he makes his brief cameos in all his films. It's always fun to look out for him.


Surprisingly, he never got an Oscar or any other competitive award.
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Hitchcock's Biography:

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Essex, England on 13th August, 1899. He was the son of a greengrocer with half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings and was raised as a strict Catholic.

In 1915, he had his first job outside of the family business, as an estimator for a telegraph company. Around this time, his interest in films began, so he frequented the cinema and started reading American journals.

In 1920, he joined the film industry as a set sketch artist but two years later he turned to directing.

In 1927, he got married and landed his first trademark film "The Lodger".


In 1928, his first and only child was born.

In the late 1930s, his successes through films like "The Lady Vanishes" and "Jamaica Inn, gained him fame in the US.

In 1940, he moved with his family to Hollywood and was offered to direct his first American production, "Rebecca". He followed this with many other successful films making him one of the best directors of the time.

In 1956, he became a US citizen.

In 1967, he was awarded the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award, where he gave the shortest speech in history, "Thank you".

In 1971, he was awarded the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award.

In 1972, he recieved the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

In 1979, he was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award and gave a short but beautiful speech:

"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, and the fourth is as fine a cook as ever performed miracles in a domestic kitchen and their names are Alma Reville."

He was also knighted in the same year, making him Sir Alfred Hitchcock. It was also around the time he was ill with angina and his kidneys.

In 1980, he died peacefully in his sleep.

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Hitchcock's childhood:
  • He was required to stand at the foot of his mother's bed, and tell her what happened to him each day.
  • He was once sent to the police by his father with a letter and when the policeman read it, he locked him up for ten minutes to teach him that this is what happens when people do bad things.
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What are your favourite Hitchcock films? 

Mine are as follows: (not in any order)
  1. Psycho (1960)
  2. The Birds (1963)
  3. Rebecca (1940)
  4. Rear Window (1954)
  5. Dial M For Murder (1954)
  6. I Confess (1953)
  7. Stage Fright (1950)
 Almost all the other films I watched of his were good, just maybe not my favourites.

    Comments

    1. We really have to watch both The Lady Vanishes and Jamaica Inn.
      I love his speech, it gave me goosebumps reading it.
      My favourites are exactly like yours, except for “Stage Fright” because I don’t remember every detail of it.
      I love this review, it’s one of my new favourites. Very detailed.
      Love his father’s idea to teach him a lesson ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹

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      1. Yes we must watch them!
        I thought it was a good idea from his father at first but Hitchcock said he got a phobia of the police as a result. He never got a driver's license because then he would never be stopped by the police if he needed a ticket hahaha
        I don't know how old he was, so maybe the lesson would've been too harsh for a very young child. Or maybe his father never made him feel secure so the lesson didn't work.

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      2. Ohhh...yes that would be harsh if he was very young and if the father didn’t explain anything to him after his 10 minutes in jail...Ward Cleaver would’ve definitely explained hehe!

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      3. I don't know why, that made me want to cry... I love Ward!

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    2. I took a course in collage about Hitchcock we watched all his movies ( except I refused to watch Psycho because I'm a chicken)... I had many slepless nights writing reviews and papers about his style of directing ... I must say that Rear Window is one of my favorite movies..

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      1. I remember back then, you told me about watching and reviewing films as part of your class and I always thought how fun that must’ve been. Now I know it was, since you watched Hitchcock films!

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