Hitchcock on Hitchcock: Selected Writings and InterviewsGathered here for the first time are Alfred Hitchcock's reflections on his own life and work. In this ample selection of largely unknown and formerly inaccessible interviews and essays, Hitchcock provides an enlivening commentary on a career that spanned decades and transformed the history of the cinema. Bringing the same exuberance and originality to his writing as he did to his films, he ranges from accounts of his own life and experiences to techniques of filmmaking and ideas about cinema in general. Wry, thoughtful, witty, and humorous—as well as brilliantly informative—this selection reveals another side of the most renowned filmmaker of our time. Sidney Gottlieb not only presents some of Hitchcock's most important pieces, but also places them in their historical context and in the context of Hitchcock's development as a director. He reflects on Hitchcock's complicated, often troubled, and continually evolving relationship toward women, both on and off the set. Some of the topics Hitchcock touches upon are the differences between English and American attitudes toward murder, the importance of comedy in film, and the uses and techniques of lighting. There are also many anecdotes of life among the stars, reminiscences from the sets of some of the most successful and innovative films of this century, and incisive insights into working method, film history, and the role of film in society. Unlike some of the complex critical commentary that has emerged on his life and work, the director's own writing style is refreshingly straightforward and accessible. Throughout the collection, Hitchcock reveals a delight and curiosity about his medium that bring all his subjects to life. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
Life Among the Stars 1937 | 27 |
The Woman Who Knows Too Much 1956 | 51 |
Surviving 1977 | 59 |
Introduction | 67 |
Choose My Heroines 1931 | 73 |
Women Are a Nuisance 1935 | 79 |
Crime Doesnt Pay 1938 | 86 |
Films We Could Make 1927 | 165 |
Were Head of a Production Company 1935 | 172 |
Much Ado About Nothing? 1937 | 179 |
Directors Problems 1938 | 186 |
The Censor and Sydney Street 1938 | 192 |
Old Ruts Are New Ruts 1939 | 202 |
Film Production 1965 | 210 |
In the Hall of Mogul Kings 1969 | 227 |
Elegance Above Sex 1962 | 95 |
Gas 1919 | 107 |
Let Em Play God 1948 | 113 |
Introduction | 157 |
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WRITINGS | 327 |
333 | |
Other editions - View all
Hitchcock on Hitchcock: Selected Writings and Interviews Alfred Hitchcock,Sidney Gottlieb No preview available - 1995 |
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39 Steps action actor actress Alfred Hitchcock Alma American appear artistic asked audience background Birds British film called camera Cary Grant characters chase cinema close-up color comedy course critics cutting dialogue direct director dramatic English essay example fear feel Film Production filmmaking Fredric Wertham girl give goes happen Hitch Hollywood idea interviews Knew Lady Vanishes light look MacGuffin Madeleine Carroll Michael Balcon mood motion picture movie murder never Nova Pilbeam originally published Peter Lorre photograph pieces of film play roles scene script Secret Agent sequence shoot shot sound Spoto stage star story studio style suspense Sylvia Sidney talkie technique tell theater thing tion Tippi Hedren told Torn Curtain Truffaut ture Valli villain violence Virginia Valli visual Waltzes from Vienna WERTHAM whole woman words writings