Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock has been named the Master of Suspense. He was a Television Personality, Screenwriter, Producer, and Director. He was born on August 13, 1899 in Leytonstone, England.  Hitchcock was interested in photography and this led to him working in the film industry in 1920. He was a really good artist and started out designing sets. Five years later he became a director. Hitchcock quickly became known as a director who provided suspense and plot twists. He made many successful films in the UK including The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes before moving to America. In 1940, he decided to move to Hollywood and was hired by a producer to direct his first American film called Rebecca.

Hitchcock had a successful television anthology called Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which was changed to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1962. He hosted it from 1955-1965 and his humor made him a celebrity. Hitchcock actually drew the title card for the show.

He created over 50 films, some of the most popular that I have seen include, Psycho, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train. I really enjoyed Psycho because of the twist at the end that I never expected. I watched Rear Window in high school and I think it was great that my school exposed us to Alfred Hitchcock. My mom introduced me to Strangers on a Train and I really liked the interesting plot. I also, like one of his other films called The Birds. It was really crazy to see birds attacking everyone. Hitchcock said it was his most technically challenging film because he had to use trained and mechanical birds.

Hitchcock would frequently make cameo appearances in his films and trailers. Below you can see him introducing his film, The Birds, in this trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge2i7y3AAoE

Hitchcock came up with many camera and editing techniques that became very popular. In 1958, he made the film, Vertigo, which used a camera technique called the dolly zoom, which has been used by many filmmakers since. In his career he earned, two Golden Globes, eight Laurel Awards, an Oscar, and five lifetime achievement awards. He was also nominated five times for an Academy Award for best director. He is one of the most influential filmmakers in history. What are some of your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies? My favorite is probably Psycho, which is probably his most popular and profitable film ever earning $15 million.

Sources: 
http://www.alfredhitchcock.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/?ref_=nv_sr_1