Alfred Hitchcock is best known as the director of films like The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window and of course, Psycho. The scene in which Norman Bates tears off the shower curtain rods and ends Janet Leigh’s run from the police, leaving her in the similar state to the fabric shower curtain, is one of the most well-known in cinema history. This article will talk a little about the career of this director, and why his movies are loved still today.

Hitchcock began his career making silent films in Britain. These were, for the most part, not very extraordinary pictures and are only watched today due to his fame. It wasn’t until his movie “The Lady Vanishes” was released that he began to get attention for his ability to tell stories in an effective manner. His British period also contained, “The 39 Steps” and “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, a film which was later remade, starring James Steward and Doris Day.

From the success of these films, Hitchcock was hired by mega-producer David O. Selznick, the Harvey Weinstien of his era, to go to America and make movies for Hollywood. His first film in the States, Rebecca, did little at the box office, but soon he was making films like Strangers on a Train, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief.

Hitchcock had an asset most directors aren’t fortunate enough to achieve. Due to the distinctive style of his films and the TV show he regularly hosted, he became a household name, and his face is well recognizable among those over fifty years of age. This kind of fame came with a price, however, as he was thought of by many critics to be a ”mainstream director rather than a creator of art films. For example, he never won an Academy Award for directing. This view of his work could not be more different from the esteem it’s currently held in by cinephiles around the world. However, critics such as Ray Carney and David Thomson point out that his films have a certain level of hollowness to them. While they’re without doubt very exciting and emotionally manipulating films, this manipulation also has a negative quality, and perhaps points to the social awkwardness Hitchcock experienced.

Hitchcock’s later pictures are thought of as not being as effective as his earlier hits. As he grew older, his behavior became stranger, and it’s widely assumed that at one point he propositioned Tippi Hendren, the lead actress The Birds and Marnie who Hitchcock discovered on a television commercial. While Hendren has the visual qualities of a star, there can be no arguing she was not at the high level of most great actors.

But this was never Hitchcock’s concern. He has famously been quoted as stating that actors should be treated as cattle, and arranges his movies out before filming even begins on his films. This level of strict control is the reason his films are so engaging and virtuosic, but maybe also show the reason why some find the films to be emotionally hollow.

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