This semester, I have had the privilege of taking a class all about the Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock, arguably the greatest director ever to work in cinema. One of the main takeaways of the course was how
versatile Hitchcock was as a filmmaker, not only in terms of genre, but also in the fascinating way he plays with narrative. The class made me appreciate his classics even more, introduced me to some of his lesser-known flicks, and consequently made me despise some of his more studied films (here's looking at you,
Marnie). He has created some of the scariest, most suspenseful movies of all time, and of course I knew from the onset of the class that I would be making this Top 10 list by the end. I explored even more than the 14 films featured in the class, and found that though conceptually some are interesting, his execution isn't always perfect (he is only human after all). For my opinions and complete rankings of Hitchcock from Best to Worst,
click here to check out my Letterboxd site, with posters and a definitive rating. And now, without holding you in suspense for any longer, here is my analysis of the Top 10 Alfred Hitchcock movies of all time!
10.
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
This is one of the goofiest movies you'll ever see, and it's all in the guise of an international mystery. Never before or since has a train felt equally claustrophobic and wide open, and it's all in the way Hitchcock directs his players form one end to the other. The movie is Hitchcock's last in Britain before moving to Hollywood in 1940, and
The Lady Vanishes feels like a proper send off to the overt British-ness Hitchcock loved to poke fun at (the entire premise of the film revolves around the fact that the enemies
know every British person on the train is going to be at tea at a certain time- it's so ridiculous if you think about it). It's hilarious, and features spot-on chemistry between Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave as strangers who get caught up in this whole affair entirely by coincidence. On that note, there's a certain kind of pleasure in having
no lead character for the first 20 minutes; we get a nice overview of everyone pretty quickly, and it's great fun to see how all these characters interact throughout the plot. On a more somber note, the story accurately predicts the state of the world only a few years later during World War II, and shows great foresight on the part of Hitchcock.
9.
Lifeboat (1944)
One of Hitchcock's lesser known films is a great directorial triumph, in ways both similar and incredibly different than anything else in his entire filmography. The movie takes place entirely on a tiny lifeboat with eight passengers who survive an attack on their battleship, and they must figure out a way to survive and trust each other (which is easier said than done, once they discover that a Nazi is among their ranks). Hitchcock gives just about equal screen time between the survivors, and each has a very distinct and relevant personality. All the cast's quirks and chemistry feels very realistic, in a way Hitchcock so rarely replicates in his oftentimes exaggerated movies. There's no star dominating the narrative (with the obvious exception of Tallulah Bankhead, who's character is really supposed to be over the top), and that allows for some really great acting to shine. Hitchcock's requisite cameo in the film is also hysterical if you can catch it!
8.
Rebecca (1940)
Hitchcock's only win for Best Picture didn't even earn him an Oscar. His producer, the legendary David O. Selznick, won the award, after dominating the previous year's ceremony with
Gone with the Wind.
Rebecca feels like the appropriate follow up to that titan of a film, as it's a sprawling epic amidst gorgeous architecture and extravagant costuming. With
Rebecca, Hitch found a source material that was an engaging mystery, a haunting love story, and a great set piece for Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) to chew up and steal the show. Too bad about that last half hour, which shifts the tone to a courtroom drama not even focusing on the second Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine). If the film ended on a tragic note, with Mrs. Danvers whispering into Mrs. de Winter's ear, then this may be Hitchcock's greatest triumph. But alas, the film falls flat at the end; but don't be discouraged from watching it- it's still a sweeping spectacle that keeps you guessing how it will all turn out, and is really the only "epic" film to come from the Master.
7.
Dial M for Murder (1954)
In the 1950's, film companies started looking for ways to compete with the impeding threat of the television. They introduced wide screen that wouldn't translate to square boxes, and they also pushed the invention of 3D filmmaking. Hitchcock was assigned this new type of technological development, and
Dial M for Murder is the result. It's not that it even needs the three dimensions in order to tell its story- at it's heart, it's really just a murder mystery, yet another gem in the "perfect murder" series exemplified by Hitchcock's classics. But the 3D works in a way that's not flashy, but emotionally defining of the characters in the apartment. It adds a layer of depth without cheap 3D gimmicks (for the most part), and focuses on the plot twists first and foremost. It's great fun to see Ray Milland scheme and sneak around the fact that he tries to
murder his wife, and figure out how they're going to catch him by the end. It's full of delicious double meanings and puns about death- overall the most wonderful and perfect textbook example of Hitchcock's famous "perfect murder" franchise of pictures.
6.
North by Northwest (1959)
The Master's return to the "wrong man" narrative is his best example of how
pleasurable seeing a Hitchcock movie can be. There's not a lot of academic merit to this one, and doesn't really further any longstanding argument about the state of the world. Instead, what
North by Northwest offers is a great sense of entertainment and infectious joy that comes from seeing a movie. The undeniable charm of Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint's ice-cold portrayal of the girl, the frequent travel, and an international mystery that becomes fairly forgettable once a few things start blowing up clearly inspired the James Bond franchise, so at the very least we can thank the film for that. Plus there's more double entendres and hilarious quips than one knows what to do with. It's hard not to love
North by Northwest really, and from the opening credits it delivers on its promise of providing one of the best escapist films ever produced.
5.
Notorious (1946)
In my opinion,
Notorious is Hitchcock's sexiest movie. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman are next to perfect in the film, and their nose nudging scene is just wonderful. In fact, it wouldn't have existed without that pesky Hays Code; Hitchcock wanted to subvert the censors by not breaking their rule of three-second kisses, so he had Bergman and Grant break every few seconds to nuzzle each other before resuming their make-out session. That's one of the two famous scenes from the movie, the other of course being the high-angle to close-up zoom of the key in Bergman's hand during a party. Claude Rains is also marvelous in easily his best role besides
Casablanca, and the international intrigue angle of us vs. the Nazis is in full effect here. It's a neat spy movie, and one that feels both geuninely threatening and suspenseful. If you haven't seen
Notorious, be sure to check it out!
4.
Rear Window (1954)
What's not to love about
Rear Window? Jimmy Stewart is arguably never better, and Grace Kelly is clearly having the time of her life. Plus, the movie's thin allegory as what it feels like to go to the movies is actually a really fascinating argument into society's obsession with voyeurism. It also begs interesting questions about what we do in these situations, and how we make judgements about what we see from afar without knowing the whole story. It's got some great shots, and Hitchcock scares the crap out of us without ever leaving Jefferie's apartment. I challenge you to find a movie that does this to any better effect, but I doubt you'll find one that's more entertaining and enlightening than
Rear Window.
3.
Rope (1948)
Rope remains one of Hitchcock's most experimental pictures, as it is designed a la
Birdman to look like one continuous shot. Of course, this wasn't really possible in 1948, so there's some really cheesy cuts that happen when we zoom in on someone's backside; but hey, he actually tried, and it doesn't look half bad. What makes
Rope truly spectacular is the way it features two gay men as the protagonists, unabashedly homosexual in a time where it would be a crime to admit it. Of course, these two (John Dall and Farley Granger, both gay in real life) are
murderers. However, what's truly special about the film is how little Hitchcock cares about their sexual orientation; he gives them easily the juiciest parts in the film (and that's with some stellar supporting characters), and no one in the narrative seems to care that much about the fact than Brandon and Phillip are lovers. It's only through their murder, and of course Jimmy Stewart's obnoxious and prying eyes, that they get punished for their actions. The humor and death puns are never better here, and of course Hitchcock can't help but throw in some phallic objects for the protagonists to humorously stroke.
Rope is one of Hitchcock's most undervalued films, but I beg you to seek out this movie more than any other on this list. It's an important, fun, fast-paced, and darkly wonderful little movie in Hitchcock's oeuvre that truly succeeds.
2.
Psycho (1960)
From the opening orchestra's famous theme song, all the way to the checkered finale,
Psycho keeps you on the edge of your seat. I've always loved
Psycho and
have discussed it at length on this blog before, but this recent classroom experience has made me fall in love with it even more. The main reason for this is that ignoring spoilers or how many times you've seen the movie, there is NO warning that Marion's shower scene will happen. Hitchcock punishes the viewer for playing detective (a trick they ironically learned by watching Hitchcock's films), killing off the main character thirty minutes into the film. There's no warning about who Norman Bates really is, and the film miraculously fools you into thinking each time you watch it that Marion will live; there's simply no way to not think that, as the evidence simply isn't there. All rules are thrown out the window once Marion dies, and you just have to go on the roller coaster with no hope of solving the case. The camera is also like a child in this picture, aimlessly choosing people to follow and becoming very sad once someone dies (watch the way it moves after the shower scene- it walks around looking for someone to follow until it reaches Norman)- you've never seen a camera so personified like a person as you do in
Psycho. The film is bloody brilliant in every sense of the world, and taking this class further proves why many consider it to be Hitchcock's best film...
1.
Vertigo (1958)
...however, as recently exemplified in many polls,
Vertigo has begun to dominate the lists of the best films
ever made. Hitchcock's masterpiece works against his normal conventions in much more subtle ways than
Psycho, and it's much harder to get into
Vertigo than his slasher flick. But, if you're patient, you'll realize there's never enough time to say all you want to say about
Vertigo. Looking past it's twisty and unpredictable narrative, and beyond the stalker-like tendencies of Jimmy Stewart's character (though there's PLENTY to say about that),
Vertigo is for my money one of the best films ever made. It's flawless in its execution, whether it be through set design, costuming, acting, writing, direction, production, editing, cinematography, sound design, music, or any multitude of different filmmaking techniques. Heck, the final transformation of Judy into Madeline, with the blonde hairdo done the right way and the green lights shining on her face, is one of my favorite movie scenes EVER. The more you watch it, the more you'll fall in love with it. It sucks you into the dark and seedy underbelly of manhood, and threatens to destroy you if you let it.
Vertigo is that rare kind of movie that never ages, never feels irrelevant, and never quite meets its match. It was a box office bomb in 1958, but French critics reevaluated it as Hitchcock's masterpiece (thank you Laura Mulvey for putting it back on the radar) later down the line. You
have to see
Vertigo more than once, as you'll pick up on so much more the second time around. It's not everyone's favorite, but it's certainly mine; it's not as fun as
Psycho, not as silly as
North by Northwest, and not as suspenseful as
Rear Window. But for my money,
Vertigo is arguably the best movie ever made. It lets you fall in love with the movies every time you watch it, and you'll never want to stop talking about it. And really, isn't that the point of going to the movies?
Thanks for reading everyone, and once again click the link at the top of this post to see my complete rundown rankings of all the Hitchcock movies I've seen!
