Hitchcock and the Methods of Suspense

by William Hare

Alfred Hitchcock had a gift for turning the familiar into the unfamiliar, the mundane into the unexpected. A director known for planning the entire movie before the first day of filming began by using the storyboard approach, Hitchcock was renowned for his relaxed directing style, resulting in an excellent rapport with his actors. Decades later, Hitchcock's films stand as sterling examples of innovative technique, infused with meaning that only repeated viewing can reveal. This work examines themes, techniques, and the filmmaking process in 15 of Hitchcock's best known The 39 Steps, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, Spellbound, Notorious, Rope, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Frenzy and Family Plot . It explores the auteur's treatments of psychoanalysis, voyeurism, and collective fears during the Cold War. Also presented are key stories behind several Hitchcock classics, such as the director's stormy relationships with Raymond Chandler and David O. Selznick that resulted in synergetic success for some of his most successful films. The book includes numerous photographs and an extensive bibliography.

359 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2007

Reviews

[Megha Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

To dedicated film buffs and even the most casual movie-goer alike, the name "Hitchcock" alone is enough to trigger images in the mind's eye associated with mystery and suspense, even terror, that are instantly and automatically recalled: Thornhill (Cary Grant) in "North by Northwest," running through an open field while an airplane swoops down on him; the vulnerable Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) in "Rear Window," searching Thorwald's (Raymond Burr) apartment, unaware of his imminent return, while wheelchair bound L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) can do nothing but watch helplessly from his apartment across the way; Jo McKenna (Doris Day) in "The Man Who Knew Too Much," screaming at a pivotal point, just as a would-be assassin levels his gun at his intended target in a box at London's Albert Hall; and, of course, one of the most famous single scenes in film history, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in "Psycho," screaming in terror as the knife-wielding Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) invades her ill-fated shower. But what is it that makes these scenes and films so memorable, even if it was a movie you saw only once, as a kid, in a dark theater on a Saturday afternoon? The answer to that question, and much, much more, can be found in "Hitchcock and the Methods of Suspense," the new book by writer and film historian William Hare.

When it comes to cinema, Hare is a bona fide expert; simply put, he knows his stuff and it shows every page of this book. Most importantly, by fully utilizing the knowledge and expertise he's acquired through a lifetime of study and love of films, Hare presents here an engrossing examination of the methods, devices and themes repeatedly employed by Hitchcock, and which ultimately have made his films so memorable.

[Hanuman Yadav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really shows Hitchcock's uncanny genius at work. As author William Hare shows, at a time when censorship was a much greater factor than now in the cinema here is the man they called The Master getting away with presenting a diabolical killer in Vertigo not only succeeding with his criminal plan of murdering his wife but capping everything by flying off to Europe to live in luxury on his wife's money without getting caught.

[Malika Binny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hitchcock was always exercising his agile brain to present in his films villains in a special light. He really outdid himself though when the bird kingdom erupted angrily in Northern California as graphically depicted and in a terrifying way in The Birds. It was interesting to read the details behind the making of this very unique film.

[Rakesh Kanav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how that great movie master Hitchcock could portray villains and how he knocked the socks off of viewers in the process. How can you ask for a better example of a clever but ultimately warped mind run wild than with Joseph Cotten as a murderer of wealthy widows in Shadow of a Doubt?

[Suroth Mahal · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a film enthusiast who loves the brilliant visual imagery of the really great films I liked the way that Hitchcock's master touch in getting the most out of a camera as the author described in evaluating films such as North by Northwest, The Birds and Vertigo.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cool. After all, how often do we consider what traditionally creates suspense in a film - much less what non-traditionally creates it?

[Mimi Wolske · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting but unless you talk to the man himself (Alfred Hitchcock), what you have is speculation. Right?

[Rashmi Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read more than thirty books about the 'master of suspense' and his memorable film career... this is one of the best accounts I've experienced about this famed director.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books about Alfred Hitchcock, including some of the best (such as Hitchcock/Truffaut, Hitchcock at Work (Bill Crohn), and Robin Wood's Hitchcock's Films) but this book by William Hare offered perspectives and details that I had never heard before. At first I thought Hare was spending too much time recounting selected movie plots in enormous detail but then I realised that there were a wealth of detours, gossip, expansions, etc. (often in very short subsections that made bedtime reading easier) that really elevated the analysis to something grander, if not exactly theoretical. Worth it for the casual Hitchcock fan as well as the more serious enthusiast! I'm not sure how easy this book is to find, however (I got it from my University's library).