Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, born in 1899, died on 29 April 1980.
He was one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema and the father of the thriller genre: he used the camera angle to draw the viewer’s eye into the frame in a particular way and mounted shots in such a way as to build suspense or create a sense of expectation.
In his long career he also produced the television anthology “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (1955-1965), a series of unrelated short stories (25 minutes long), which have one element in common: crime, sometimes perpetrated in the most unimaginable and grotesque forms.. Hitchcock himself said that “television has brought murder back into the home where it belongs.”
In the opening we see his shadow approaching his outline (sketched by Hitchcock himself). The music that has become almost synonymous with the program is Charles Gounod’s “Funeral March for a Marionette”, written in 1872.
Three quotes:
“I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.”
“My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. I’m fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn’t make a good suspense film.”
“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.”
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, nato nel 1899, morì il 29 aprile 1980
E’ stato uno dei registi più influenti nella storia del cinema e il padre del genere thriller, utilizzando l’angolazione della telecamera per attirare l’occhio dello spettatore nell’inquadratura in un modo particolare e montando le inquadrature in modo tale da creare suspense.
Nella sua lunga carriera ha prodotto anche l’antologia televisiva “ Alfred Hitchcock presenta “ (1955-1965), una serie di racconti non correlati (della durata di 25 minuti), che hanno un elemento in comune il crimine, perpetrato a volte nelle forme più inimmaginabili e grottesche. Lo stesso Hitchcock ebbe a dire, riguardo alla serie: “Essa riporta il crimine in casa, dove esso risiede”.
All’apertura vediamo la sua ombra avvicinarsi al suo contorno (disegnato dallo stesso Hitchcock). La musica che è diventata quasi sinonimo del programma è “ Marcia funebre per una marionetta” di Charles Gounod, scritta nel 1872.
Tre citazioni:
“Come regista sono etichettato. Se facessi Cenerentola, il pubblico cercherebbe subito il cadavere nella carrozza.”
“Ho avuto la grande fortuna di essere molto pauroso. Il mio vantaggio è di essere un codardo e di avere una soglia della paura bassa, perché un eroe non è in grado di fare film di suspense.”
“Il dramma è la vita con le parti noiose tagliate.”
❤
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Luisa, this is wonderful! Thank you for this post & especially for the music! Played by all those stringed instruments it was actually very refreshing to listen to!
I admit that many a Hitchcock film was seen whilst growing up in the 60’s! Watching Psycho in the cinema was amazing! With your post, I now see more than I knew before: his daughter, Pat, played in the film (Caroline) & in other movies of her father’s!
Thank you! 🤗💐🙋♂️
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I am very pleased that you thought so and that you enjoyed this post!
Many thanks to you for your support and encouragement, dear Ashley!! 🌹🌹🌹
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Ironia ed intelligenza!
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Proprio così!
Buon pomeriggio, carissima Dani
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Luisa ! Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense films . As a champion of suspense films , he is known for his ‘depiction of violence’. He was a director who delivered suspense , twist endings and dark subject matter .Thanks !
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I am very grateful to you, as always, for your visit and your kind comment, my dear Arbind 🙏
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I suoi film iniziano sempre come commedie, ma immagino che continuando si sarebbe annoiato.
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He was a true master at his craft. The one that sticks out in my mid, every time I see a flock of crows is the Birds. Happy Monday Luisa. Allan
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Do you know that the same thing happens to me too, as soon as I see a flock of crows?
Happy Monday to you, dear Allan
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Love the post, Luisa. I remember the show, silhouette, and the musical theme. I really enjoyed the quotes that you selected.
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I’m glad you enjoyed the post, dear Pat.
It’s always a pleasure to receive your positive feedback.💞
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Back at you cara sorella.
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💞💞💞
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Mi sono sempre piaciuti i suoi film. Mai volgari e con un certo che di signorilità 🙂
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Era un Maestro eccellente!!!
Buon pomeriggio, cara Vitty 😘
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Che bel brano, a me totalmente ignoto (e originale, come marcia funebre!)
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Felice che ti sia piaciuto, carissima Francesca!
Buon pomeriggio
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Scusa, ho dimenticato il secondo brano.
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🌹🌹🌹
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One of the best director ever…
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I absolutely agree with you!
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Fascinating character. I didn’t know the origin of that theme song!
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I’m happy to hear that you discovered something you didn’t know about from my post. dear Randy!
Thank you very much for your appreciation
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When I was a kid, his movies spooked me. I think the black and white of the time made it scarier, more suggestive than explicit.
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I agree with you, dear Mary: the black and white of the time made his films even scarier, more evocative
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Un grande Maestro i suoi film nonostante possano apparire anche grotteschi, in realtà è un genere anche raffinato. Particolare la marcia funebre, non la conoscevo e neppure la seconda. Buon proseguimento di giornata cara Luisa 😘
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Grazie per il messaggio, cara Giusy
Ti auguro una bella serata e ti mando un abbraccio forte
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Grazie contraccambio 🥰
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🌹💙🌹
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This is an excellent tribute to a fascinating director and a genius of horror movies in his own way! I have watched all his TV series those days. Thank you, dear Luisa. 🤗💖
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Nice to know you found this post interesting, dear Aladin!
Thank you very much for appreciating my efforts,
Wishing you a joyful week! 🙏🏻
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You are more than welcome.🥰💖👍🌟
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He was a master in his field Luisa 😘
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Yesss, he was such a great Director! 🙏
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His movies were a must-see when I was a young woman.
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Just like that, Rosaliene! Thanks for sharing your thoughts
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Hitchcock, well applied as the “King of Suspense”, is undoubtedly a character difficult to forget for his films, which at that time were the ultimate in suspense. For me Psychosis was the best. Now I find unknown details of his life, and how?!!! through your writing. Greetings
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Thank you for expressing your opinion on Hitchcock! I agree with you. he was/is a true Master of the genre
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Nice post. He was agreat film maker
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Thank you for sharing your opinion, which I fully agree with
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Molto interessante. Hitchcock è stato un grande regista!
Buona serata, Luisa.
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Grandissimo!
Merci beaucoup … e felice serata a te
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Sicuramente geniale! Ciao cara Luisa
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Grazie!!!
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He dared to do what today is only done with computer assistance. He was great!
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Great observation – thank you for speaking this great truth🌹🌹🌹
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Love Hitchcock. His most famous (or should that be infamous) movies are Psycho and The Birds, which I still find frightening to watch. My favourites though, are North By Northwest and Rear Window. Watched the first the other night and will watch the latter again in a few days. Cary Grant and James Stewart were 2 of his favourite actors to work with. Some of his tv episodes can be found online. Amazing episodes. Didn’t realize today was his anniversary. Thanks for an interesting write-up.
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Dear Ms M, I am the one who thanks you for sharing this precious comment with your reflections on that great Master of cinema
Have a lovely week 🌹
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My favorite was “Rear Window.” Some of the others I did not watch, much too dark for me. Why have nightmares. Like the movie, “Jaws,” if I watched that one when i was young, I would have never gone in the ocean again. 😉
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Thanks for sharing your reflections.
I like stylish thrillers, but I don’t watch horror movies anymore. Even when I was young I had to see them if I was in the company of someone else😘
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Love the quotes you chose, Luisa! I agree – Hitchcock’s ability to create tension and suspense in his films, combined with his unique storytelling style, made him a pioneer in the genre. A wonderful post!
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Thank you, dear Rebecca, for your wonderful comments
I’m glad you enjoyed this post 🙏
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Sera
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☆૮꒰•༝ •。꒱ა
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È sempre bellissimo leggerti. Luisa carissima, un grande abbraccio per te! 💞 👏🏻 💞
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Grazie per aver apprezzato, mia cara amica
ε(´。•᎑•`)っ 💕
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He made some pretty good scary movies. I remember the birds, vertigo and psycho. The music video was fun to listen to. Thank you for this interesting presentation.
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I’m so pleased you enjoyed this post, Thomas 🌼 Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
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My husband and I were just talking about TV shows we watched as kids last night, and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” was one we agreed was great.
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Thank you for sharing this nice reflection, dear Annie ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
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Interessante. M’è piaciuto: “un eroe non è in grado di fare film di suspense.”
Buona Giornata.
Quarc
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From his start in silent movies to smash hits Psycho and Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock crafted some of cinema’s most thrilling features. I’ve seen a good few of them and have always been intrigued by how the films frequently featured espionage, mistaken identities, claustrophobic locations, and unnerving camera movements to maximize tension. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day, my friend 🙂 Aiva xx
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#LoveYourWorks!
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[…] Alfred Hitchcock […]
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Thank you for the repost 🌼🙏🌼
Much appreciated
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He had a wonderful cinematic eye! The camera shots he uses are genius!
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I totally agree with you, dear Dawn.
Thanks a lot for your kind reply
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Grande regista. Ricordo quelle serie TV in bianco e nero. Tre citazioni in linea col personaggio.
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Una serie fantastica, vero???
Buona serata, carissimo Gian
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Sì, la ricordo benissimo. Bella serata
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Do you have a favorite, Luisa?
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Un genio.
E somma anche la sua ironia.
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Great and informative article.Thanks for sharing.
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I am really grateful for your kind appreciation.
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I truly admire Mr. Hitchcock’s works. He was a man whose creativity flourished from his analytical perception of human behavior and entertainment. Mr. Hitchcock’s journeys were cleverly suspenseful. 👍👍
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Thanks a lot for sharing your valued reflection on that great Master of suspense!
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