| What a sir! His life was as strange as his films, and thus, his films often reflected his life. According to Alfred himself, he was required to stand at the foot of his mothers bed, and tell her what happened to him each day. This explains Anthony Perkins in Psycho standing at the foot of his mother's bed. Weird indeed .... He was born Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, on August 13, 1899, in Leytonstone, London, England. His family was mostly Irish Catholic. Hitchcock was sent to Catholic boarding schools in London. He has said his childhood was very lonely and protected. At 14, Hitchcock lost his father and left St Ignatius' College, his school at the time, to study at the School for Engineering and Navigation. After graduating, he became a draftsman and advertising designer with a cable company. He lived those early years of his life in this home just outside London. (Here's another shot.) It was at this time, in his late teens, that he began to develop a love for photography and in 1920, landed a job at Islington Studios under its American owners, Players-Lasky (of the Paramount Pictures fame), and their British successors, Gainsborough Pictures, designing the titles for silent movies. In 1925, Michael Balcon of Gainsborough Pictures gave him a chance to direct his first film, "The Pleasure Garden." Audiences were shocked, but mystified at the same time. Hitchcock had brought to the screen a style unlike anyone else of the time. The audiences responded overwhelmingly to this new talent, and Alfred was hitched - lick a cocket (I mean rocket.) As a major talent in a new industry with plenty of opportunity, he rose quickly. His third film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog was released in 1927. In it, attractive blondes are strangled and the new lodger (Ivor Novello) in the Bunting family's upstairs apartment falls under heavy suspicion. This is the first truly "Hitchcockian" film, incorporating such themes as the "wrong man." Film after film, Hitchcock never failed to give the audiences what they wanted and he began to develop a cult-following. Those who weren't interested in the plot, went anyway to see if they could spot his cameo in almost every film he did. He was living at 10957, Bellagio Road in Bel Air, California. He was at the peak of his carrer. Three very popular films, all starring Grace Kelly, followed. Dial M for Murder was adapted from the popular stage play by Frederick Knott. This was originally another experimental film, with Hitchcock using the technique of 3D cinematography. Rear Window, starred James Stewart. Here the wheelchair-bound Stewart observes the movements of his neighbours across the courtyard. He becomes convinced that the wife of a near neighbour has been murdered. To Catch a Thief, set in the French Riviera, starred Kelly and Cary Grant. These were his last great films, after which his career slowly wound down. He had developed a severe case of arthritus and had a pacemaker put in all within a years time. Family Plot (1976) was his last film. It related the escapades of "Madam" Blanche Tyler Barbara Harris, a fradulent spiritualist, and her taxi driver lover Bruce Dern making a living from her phony powers. Hitchcock was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire on January 3, 1980 by Queen Elizabeth II just four months before his death. Hitchcock died of renal failure in Los Angeles. His body was cremated. You can still leave comments and flowers though. TRIVIA: Hitchcock preferred the use of suspense over surprise in his films. In surprise, the director assaults the viewer with frightening things. In suspense, the director tells or shows things to the audience which the characters in the film do not know, and then artfully builds tension around what will happen when the characters finally learn the truth. According to many people who knew Hitchcock, he couldn't stand to even look at his wife, Alma Reville, while she was pregnant. Born only one day before his wife, Alma Reville. Alma Reville and Alfred had one daughter, Patricia Hitchcock, who appeared in several of his movies: Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train and Psycho |
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| Alfred Hitchcock Hollywood Legendary Director |
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