History Creator / AlfredHitchcock

* ''Film/{{Notorious}}'' (1946) – A convicted Nazi's American daughter is recruited by government agents to spy on his old friends who are hiding in Brazil. Noted for having what is called “the longest kiss scene in movie history.” One scene where the camera swoops through a crowded party to a close-up of a key is one of his most famous shots. With Creator/IngridBergman and Creator/CaryGrant.

The acknowledged master of cinematic suspense, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) is also one of the most famous film directors of all time, if not ''the'' most famous. Most people will have at some time or another seen at least one of his classic films, many of which were adaptations of novels or short stories.

Hitchcock was also infamous for being somewhat of a prankster, who would frequently keep his film crews and actors, and even personal friends, on their toes with practical jokes, often very elaborate and well-planned ones. While some of Hitchcock's pranks could be considered pretty funny by all standards (such as one where he gifted his crew with expensive furniture at the wrap party, only for said crew members to come home with their presents and discover that said furniture was just a little too bit to big to fit through their front doors; Hitchcock had, of course, been visiting their residences in secret and carefully written down measurements of their doors to make sure this would happen), others definitely crossed the line into DudeNotFunny and PrankGoneTooFar territory (during the filming of ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'', after discovering that actress Creator/ElsieRandolph was deathly afraid of fire, Hitchcock "accidentally" locked her in a telephone box one day on set and started pumping smoke into the box), and revealed Hitchcock to be less of a merry prankster than someone with a latent sadistic streak.

The acknowledged master of cinematic suspense, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) is also one of the most famous film directors of all time, if not ''the'' most famous. Most people will have probably seen at least one of his movies at some time or another.

Hitchcock also produced and hosted the television anthology series ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' from 1955 to 1965, although he actually only directed 17 of the show's episodes. Many of his films were adaptations of novels or short stories.

Although "Hitch" is now considered one of the greatest directors of all time, for much of his life he was regarded as a [[UnderestimatingBadassery mere entertainer]] rather than a serious artist. The UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave critics, especially Creator/FrancoisTruffaut, played a major role in correcting this by propounding the "auteur theory", which holds up the director (rather than the producer, screenwriter, actors, etc.) as the key artist on a film. Hitchcock was regarded as the major exemplar as this.

Most people consider either ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' or ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' to be his best, although Hitchcock himself regarded ''Film/{{Shadow of a Doubt}}'' as his personal favorite. ''Film/{{North by Northwest}}'', ''Film/RearWindow'', and ''Film/TheBirds'' are also frequently cited as favorites among fans. ''Film/RearWindow'' in particular is often used as a [[RearWindowHomage plot template]] in other media.

The Hitchcock style went on to typify a certain kind of thriller, one which was copied by others over time. The Stanley Donen-directed ''Film/{{Charade}}'', for instance, was referred to by one reviewer as "the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made". Also, the Italian {{Giallo}} film movement essentially stemmed from the Hitchcockian style. Hitchcock was also known for his frequent use of the 'MacGuffin' (a term he popularized) in his films.

Hitchcock was also infamous as being somewhat of a prankster, who would frequently keep his film crews and actors, and even personal friends, on their toes through practical jokes, often very elaborate and well-planned ones. While some of Hitchcocks' pranks could be considered pretty funny by all standards (such as one where he gifted his crew with expensive furniture at the wrap party, only for said crew members to come home with their presents and discover that said furniture was just a little too bit to big to fit through their front doors; Hitchcock had, of course, been visiting their residences in secret and carefully written down measurements of their doors to make sure this would happen), others definitely crossed the line into DudeNotFunny and PrankGoneTooFar territory (such during the filming of ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'' where he discovered that actress Creator/ElsieRandolph was deadly afraid of fire; Hitchcock "accidentally" locked her in a telephone box one day on set and starting pumping smoke into the box), and revealed Hitchcock to be less of a merry prankster and more someone with a latent sadistic streak.

Hitchcock was [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever knighted]] a brief four months prior to his death. He's also somewhat well known for making the shortest-ever acceptance speech at the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s (on receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1968): "Thank you very much, indeed."

Hitchcock also produced and hosted the television anthology series ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' from 1955 to 1965, although he actually only directed 17 of the show's episodes. Many of his films are adaptations of novels or short stories.

[[index]]

* ''Downhill'' (1927) – A schoolboy takes the blame for a friend’s theft, and his life falls apart after he is expelled.

* CreatorCameo: Except for a few of his early British films, he appears in every film in a nonspeaking role. This habit became so famous that he confined his appearances to the first fifteen minutes of his films so that audiences would not be distracted watching for him among the extras. In ''Film/TheWrongMan'', he appears personally in silhouette and introduces the film, apparently because it was based on a true story. In ''Lifeboat'', since it's set entirely within the titular lifeboat, he appears in a weight-loss advert in a newspaper - he had recently lost a substantial amount of weight and was the model for both the before and after shots. In ''Family Plot'', his last film, he isn't (technically) on screen at all - only his silhouette appears, cast on frosted glass, in a fashion reminiscent of the opening of ''Presents''. This started with his second film as director, ''The Lodger'', in which he simply found himself short of extras one day so he and a few other crew members filled in. After seeing how popular spotting him became, he kept it up. This became a TropeMaker for film directors, with other directors (like Creator/MartinScorsese) giving themselves brief cameos in their films.

Hitchcock was also infamous as being somewhat of a prankster, who would frequently keep his film crews and actors, and even personal friends, on their toes through practical jokes, often very elaborate and well-planned ones. While some of Hitchcocks' pranks could be considered pretty funny by all standards (such as one where he gifted his crew with expensive furniture at the wrap party, only for said crew members to come home with their presents and discover that said furniture was just a little too bit to big to fit through their front doors; Hitchcock had, of course, been visiting their residences in secret and carefully written down measurements of their doors to make sure this would happen), others definitely crossed the line into DudeNotFunny and PrankGoneTooFar territory (such during the filming of ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'' where he discovered that actress Creator/ElsieRandolph was deadly afraid of fire; Hitchcock "accidentally" locked her in a telephone box one day on set and starting pumping smoke into the box), and revealed Hitchcock to be less of a merry prankster and more someone with a lantent sadistic streak.

* ViewersAreMorons: When he moved to Hollywood, the PsychologicalThriller was still a fairly new genre for film, and with the UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode and [[ExecutiveMeddling nervous bottom-line minded]] studio execs as ongoing concerns, MrExposition became a recurring presence in his American films, lest the audience get confused, which sometimes comes across as this trope. Compare the UK and US versions of ''Film/TheManWhoKnewTooMuch'' to get a good example of how his British and American films differed in this regard. Even after the Hays Code waned he often devoted scenes to explaining everything for the audience, most infamously having a psychiatrist in ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' whose only reason to exist is to give a long monologue explaining the various problems of Norman Bates. On the other hand, ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' is notable for leaving the characters' motivations vague and ambiguous.

* ViewersAreMorons: When he moved to Hollywood, the PsychologicalThriller was still a fairly new genre for film, and with the UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode and [[ExecutiveMeddling nervous bottom-line minded]] studio execs as ongoing concerns, MrExposition became a recurring presence in his American films, lest the audience get confused, which sometimes comes across as this trope. Compare the UK and US versions of ''Film/TheManWhoKnewTooMuch'' to get a good example of how his British and American films differed in this regard. Even after the Hays Code waned he often devoted scenes to explaining everything for the audience, most infamously having a psychologist in ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' whose only reason to exist is to give a long monologue explaining the various problems of Norman Bates. On the other hand, ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' is notable for leaving the characters' motivations vague and ambiguous.

* ViewersAreMorons: At least, ''American'' viewers are morons. There's no MrExposition in his British films, but there's always a long, "explain everything for the audience" scenes in his American films, especially if one compares the UK and US versions of ''Film/TheManWhoKnewTooMuch''. Especially egregious in ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'' and ''Film/{{Psycho}}''.

* RaisedCatholic: Hitchcock was born in a Catholic household and attended school with the Jesuits and according to biographers was a practicing Christian till the end of his life, who even went to church regularly in his middle years. Religion generally doesn't show up in his movies (with the exception of ''I Confess, The Wrong Man, Marnie'') but many scholars note that the notion of the wrong man and sense of paranoia and suspicion probably does have roots in Catholic notions of guilt and original sin, and of course the association of sexual feelings with guilt and unease.

He also produced and hosted the television anthology series ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' from 1955 to 1965, although he actually only directed 17 of the show's episodes. Many of his films are adaptations of novels or short stories.

The acknowledged master of cinematic suspense, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) is one of the most famous movie directors of all time, if not ''the'' most famous. Most people have probably seen at least one of his films at some time or another.

[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alfred_hitchcock.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:315:[[CatchPhrase "Good evening. I'm Alfred Hitchcock."]]]]

The acknowledged master of cinematic suspense, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) is one of the most famous film directors of all time, if not ''the'' most famous. Most people have probably seen at least one of his movies at some time or another.

Hitchcock was also infamous to as somewhat of a prankster, who would frequently keep his film crews and actors, and even personal friends, on their toes through practical jokes, often very elaborate and well-planned ones. While some of Hitchcocks' pranks could be considered pretty funny by all standards (such as one where he gifted his crew with expensive furniture at the wrap party, only for said crew members to come home with their presents and discover that said funiture was just a little too bit to big to fit through their front doors; Hitchcock had, of course, been visiting their residences in secret and carefully written down measurements of their doors to make sure this would happen), others definitely crossed the line into DudeNotFunny and PrankGoneTooFar territory (such during the filming of ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'' where he discovered that actress Creator/ElsieRandolph was deadly afraid of fire; Hitchcock "accidentally" locked her in a telephone box one day on set and starting pumping smoke into the box), and revealed Hitchcock to be less of a merry prankster and more someone with a lantent sadistic streak.

Hitchcock was also infamous to be somewhat of a prankster, who would frequently keep his film crews and actors, and even personal friends, on their toes through practical jokes, often very elaborate and well-planned ones. While some of Hitchcocks' pranks could be considered pretty funny by all standards (such as one where he gifted his crew with expensive funiture at the wrap party, only for said crew members to come home with their presents and discover that said funiture was just a little too bit to big to fit through their front doors; Hitchcock had, of course, been visiting their residences in secret and carefully written down measurements of their doors to make sure this would happen), others defintely crossed the line into DudeNotFunny and PrankGoneTooFar terrority (such during the filming of ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'' where he discovered that actress Creator/ElsieRandolph was deadly afraid of fire; Hitchcock "accidentally" locked her in a telephone box one day on set and starting pumping smoke into the box), and revealed Hitchcock to be less of a merry prankster and more someone with a lantent sadistic streak.

* AuthorAppeal: Particularly in his late '50s and early '60s films, Hitchcock liked to cast an "icy blonde" for his female lead. Examples include Creator/GraceKelly, Creator/KimNovak, Creator/EvaMarieSaint, and Creator/TippiHedren. According to Hedren, [[https://the-take.com/read/what-is-a-hitchcock-blonde-how-did-the-term-develop Hitchcock's obsession wasn't wholesome]], and that Hitchcock's insistence that blondes made for better unexpected FemmeFatales, "those were all excuses covering for someone who was a sexual predator, a man with a 'very weird attitude towards women,' whose fantasy eventually made way into his real life. She considered his behavior towards his leading ladies emotionally devastating, textbook harassment."

* AuthorAppeal: Particularly in his late '50s and early '60s films, Hitchcock liked to cast an "icy blonde" for his female lead. Examples include Creator/GraceKelly, Creator/KimNovak, Creator/EvaMarieSaint, and Creator/TippiHedren.

* ClearMyName: Many of his films revolve around a man trying to clear his name after being accused of a crime he didn't commit, ranging from lighthearted takes on the theme (''The Thirty-Nine Steps,'' ''North By Northwest'') to the serious real-life miscarriage of justice in ''The Wrong Man''.

** Interestingly, Hitchcock also had a "type" of heroes - they were mostly tall and thin (to the point of being lanky), often with air of youthfulness or vulnerability, and a bit of a DeadpanSnarker as well. Creator/RobertDonat established this archetype in ''Film/The39Steps'', and other examples include Creator/MichaelRedgrave in ''Film/TheLadyVanishes'', Creator/GregoryPeck in ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'', Creator/JamesStewart in any of his four Hitchcock movies (minus the "youthful" part), and, of course, Creator/AnthonyPerkins in ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' where he inverts this trope in a dark and horrific fashion.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: [[invoked]] He did some pre-production work on a follow-up to ''Film/FamilyPlot''--an adaptation of the Ronald Kirkbride SpyFiction novel ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Short_Night The Short Night]]'', before being forced to give it up in 1979 because of his rapidly deteriorating health. David Freeman, one of the writers he worked with on the project, published a draft of the screenplay in his book ''The Last Days of Alfred Hitchcock''.

* ''Pleasure Garden'' (1925) – His feature debut. About two chorus girls whose husbands leave for [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire the colonies]] and how all of them react to being away from each other.

* ''Film/{{Sabotage|1936}}'' (1936) – An American woman in London suspects her husband, a foreigner who runs a local cinema, is part of a bombing plot. Roiled audiences with its aversion of InfantImmortality. Includes a piece of the ''WesternAnimation/SillySymphony'' short ''Who Killed Cock Robin?''. A clip from this was briefly shown in the scene in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' where the narrator explains how easy it was for old film to cause fires.

Hitchcock was also infamous to be somewhat of a prankster, who would frequently keep his film crews and actors, and even personal friends, on their toes through practical jokes, often very elaborate and well-planned ones. While some of Hitchcocks' pranks could be considered pretty funny by all standards (such as one where he gifted his crew with expensive funiture at the wrap party, only for said crew members to come home with their presents and discover that said funiture was just a little too bit to big to fit through their front doors; Hitchcock had, of course, been visiting their residences in secret and carefully written down measurements of their doors to make sure this would happen), others defintely crossed the line into DudeNotFunny and PrankGoneTooFar terrority (such during the filming of ''Film/{{Frenzy}}'' where he discovered that actress Creator/ElsieRandolph was deadly afraid of fire; Hitchcock "accidentally" locked her in a telephone box one day on set and starting pumping smoke into the box), and revealed Hitchcock to be less of a merry prankster and more someone with a lantent sadistic streak.