English
Fear of Falling
Introduction to the book 'Alfred Hitchcock. The Complete Films', by Paul Duncan
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In the early part of his film career, Alfred Hitchcock met with a small group of friends to complain about people and events within the film industry. They called themselves The Hate Club. It was an informal way for them to vent their frustrations, but it was also a useful way for them to learn from each other. On one occasion, they each had to answer the question 'Who do you make films for?' The other film-makers said "the distributors" or "the audienc e" but Hitchcock was reticent to answer. Eventually he said, "the press." He reasoned that it was they who influenced the audience who, in turn, influenced the distributors and exhibitors. Further, Hitchcock said, "We [the directors] make a film succeed. The name of the director should be associated in the public's mind with a quality product. Actors come and actors go, but the name of the director should stay clearly in the mind of the audiences."
Hitchcock acted upon this assertion throughout his film career by regularly wining and dining film critics, giving candid interviews and writing more than 60 articles for film and news publications. (At one dinner, a critic apologised to Hitchcock for giving him a bad review some weeks earlier. Hitchcock told her not to worry because she had her job to do and he had his.) His persistent and professional self-promotion (his name appeared above the title of his films, he often appeared in cameos within his films and he introduced a long-running Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series in the 1950s) led to him becoming one of the most well-known film-makers of his generation. Also, when film criticism and theory were being developed in the 1960s, everybody used Hitchcock films like Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho as examples because, as David Thomson pointed out, these films 'are deeply expressive of the way we watch and respond to stories... Thus Hitc hcock became a way of defining film, a man exclusively intent on the moving image and the compulsive emotions of the spectator.'
When interviewed, Hitchcock enthusiastically explained the practical and technical details of his work. Jules Dassin, who was sent to learn from Hitchcock on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith, remembered a lunch over which Hitchcock explained the basic camera angles and techniques of film-making, drawing on napkins to make it clear to Dassin. Hitchcock also talked at length to reporters, biographers and TV presenters about his meticulously prepared screenplays and storyboards, making it sound as though filming with actors was a mere formality. Director George Cukor was not convinced this was the case. In 1964 he said that Hitchcock "is an absolute master... But between you and me I'm not quite sure that he is telling the complete truth. He must improvise with performances sometimes.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
In the early part of his film career, Alfred Hitchcock met with a small group of friends to complain about people and events within the film industry. They called themselves The Hate Club. It was an informal way for them to vent their frustrations, but it was also a useful way for them to learn from each other. On one occasion, they each had to answer the question 'Who do you make films for?' The other film-makers said "the distributors" or "the audienc e" but Hitchcock was reticent to answer. Eventually he said, "the press." He reasoned that it was they who influenced the audience who, in turn, influenced the distributors and exhibitors. Further, Hitchcock said, "We [the directors] make a film succeed. The name of the director should be associated in the public's mind with a quality product. Actors come and actors go, but the name of the director should stay clearly in the mind of the audiences."
Hitchcock acted upon this assertion throughout his film career by regularly wining and dining film critics, giving candid interviews and writing more than 60 articles for film and news publications. (At one dinner, a critic apologised to Hitchcock for giving him a bad review some weeks earlier. Hitchcock told her not to worry because she had her job to do and he had his.) His persistent and professional self-promotion (his name appeared above the title of his films, he often appeared in cameos within his films and he introduced a long-running Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series in the 1950s) led to him becoming one of the most well-known film-makers of his generation. Also, when film criticism and theory were being developed in the 1960s, everybody used Hitchcock films like Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho as examples because, as David Thomson pointed out, these films 'are deeply expressive of the way we watch and respond to stories... Thus Hitc hcock became a way of defining film, a man exclusively intent on the moving image and the compulsive emotions of the spectator.'
When interviewed, Hitchcock enthusiastically explained the practical and technical details of his work. Jules Dassin, who was sent to learn from Hitchcock on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith, remembered a lunch over which Hitchcock explained the basic camera angles and techniques of film-making, drawing on napkins to make it clear to Dassin. Hitchcock also talked at length to reporters, biographers and TV presenters about his meticulously prepared screenplays and storyboards, making it sound as though filming with actors was a mere formality. Director George Cukor was not convinced this was the case. In 1964 he said that Hitchcock "is an absolute master... But between you and me I'm not quite sure that he is telling the complete truth. He must improvise with performances sometimes.
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Alfred Hitchcock, the voyeur, looks at us (1966).