Alfred Hitchcock

WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
Because Hitchcock single-handedly reinvented the thriller genre with his unique recipe of suspense, wit, style and sex. He made his (household) name by constantly pushing back cinematic boundaries, both technically and in terms of content. He made the first British 'talkie', Blackmail, in 1929. In a career that spanned most of the 20th century, Hitchcock made over 50 movies, many of them cinema classics of the first order.

WHAT SORT OF FILMS IS HE FAMOUS FOR?
Hitchcock's career is often split into two, with the watershed his arrival in Hollywood in 1940. His British output consists of taut black and white anti-fascist thrillers like The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935) as well as more light-hearted fare like The Lady Vanishes (1938). The earlier films explored the themes of mistaken identity and innocence/guilt, that Hitch would return to time and again in his more famous Hollywood thrillers. Unforgettable for their ingenious plot twists and sequences of extreme tension laced with smouldering romance, the likes of Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and The Birds all helped make Hitchcock a very famous man.

WHEN WAS HE WORKING?
Hitchcock began his film career in England in 1919. His first job was as a title card illustrator for silent films. His debut as director came in 1925 with The Pleasure Garden. He made some 23 films before his first Hollywood production, Rebecca in 1940. This was the start of a highly successful partnership with producer David Selznick that lasted until 1947. Hitch's prolific output remained consistent throughout the 40s and 50s. He slowed down in later years, only making two films in the 70s, Frenzy (1972) and the appropriately named Family Plop (1976).