Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies

by Donald Spoto

“The trouble today is that we don’t torture women enough.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

It is remarkable how infrequently, over a period of more than fifty years, Alfred Hitchcock spoke about the beautiful, legendary and talented actresses he directed. And when he did, his remarks were mostly indifferent and often hostile. But his leading ladies greatly enriched his films, even as many of them achieved international stardom precisely because of their work for Hitchcock—among the dozens of women were Madeleine Carroll, Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren. Yet he maintained a stony, insistent silence about the quality of their performances and their contributions to his art.

Spellbound by Beauty —the final volume in master biographer Donald Spoto’s Hitchcock trilogy that began with The Art of Alfred Hitchcock and continued with The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock —is the fascinating, complex and finally tragic story of the great moviemaker and his female stars, the unusual ideas of sex and romance that inform his films and the Hollywood dreams that often became nightmares.

Rich with fresh revelations based on previously undisclosed tapes, new interviews, private correspondence and personal papers made available only to the author, this thoughtful, compassionate yet explosive portrait details Hitchcock’s outbursts of cruelty, the shocking humor and the odd amalgam of adoration and contempt that time and again characterized Hitchcock’s obsessive relationships with women—and that also, paradoxically, fed his genius.

He insisted, for example, that Madeleine Carroll submit herself to painful physical demands during the making of The 39 Steps. He harbored a poignantly unrequited love for Ingrid Bergman. He meticulously and deliberately constructed Grace Kelly’s image. Finally, he stalked, harassed and abused Tippi Hedren. His treatment of his daughter, Pat, was certainly unusual, while his strange marriage to his sometime collaborator Alma Reville was a union that (according to Hitchcock himself) was forever chaste after one incident.

Spellbound by Beauty offers important insights into the life of a brilliant, powerful, eccentric and tortured artist, and it corrects a major gap in movie history by paying tribute at last to those extraordinarily talented actresses who gave so much to his films.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Biography Memoir, Media Tie In, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 1992

About the author

A prolific and respected biographer and theologian, Donald Spoto is the author of twenty published books, among them bestselling biographies of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Alfred Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, and Ingrid Bergman. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Donald Spoto earned his Ph.D. in theology at Fordham University. After years as a theology professor, he turned to fulltime writing. The Hidden Jesus: A New Life, published in 1999, was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "offering a mature faith fit for the new millennium." His successful biography of Saint Francis was published in 2002.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

TW: Sexual harassment, mental abuse, emotional abuse, stalking, gaslighting, and sexual disfunction

Well that was a doozy!

I love the movies and tv shows of Alfred Hitchcock. He was an extraordinary filmmaker, Psycho is one of my Top Ten Favorite Movies of All Time!

But Alfred Hitchcock the man...

....

The man that was Alfred Hitchcock was actual garbage. He and Harvey Weinstein would have loved sharing stories with each other. We need to create a new word to describe Hitchcock's behavior because Sexual Harassment doesn't even begin to cover it. I won't describe what he did in this review because I feel it truly needs to be read in it's full context in order to truly understand just how awful of man Alfred Hitchcock really and truly was.

Books like this make you think about that never ending question

Can you separate the artist from the art?

I am of the belief that you can't because the artist personal beliefs often bleed into their work.

Does that mean you can't enjoy the work of a problematic artist?

As with all things I think that's an personal choice. I will continue to enjoy Hitchcock's work. I feel okay with that because he's dead. It also helps that his daughter who he also treated like garbage gets the profits.

Spellbound by Beauty was an eye opening experience. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star read was that it was too short. I'm sure that Donald Spoto had enough material for at least a 500 page book.

I have nothing but praise for he women that worked with Hitchcock. They had to deal with totally unacceptable behavior. Especially Tipi Hedren, what happened to Tipi was just flat out a crime.

Spellbound by Beauty is great book. Its fast paced, entertaining and it covers hard hitting subject matter in easy to shallow way.

I highly recommend this book!

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone interested in Alfred Hitchcock and his cinema will appreciate this book, whose very specific angle (the complex and ambiguous relationships that the director had with all his actresses) is at the same time fascinating and restrictive. Actually, this book is more like a companion volume to Spoto's The Dark Side of Genius, which explores the life of Hitchock and his films in a much more complete way and which contains information that is missing (deliberately, to avoid repetition) in the present book. What makes this new volume great reading for the cinephile is, of course, all that Spoto reveals about Hitch and his leading ladies: the director's famous obsessions with icy sexy blondes is analyzed at length, in depth, and in ways never done before, and it definitely gives new light to the work of Hitchcock. Sometimes, one wishes Spoto had spend more time on some films and on their shooting - there's a feeling, here and there, of rushing. And some of his opinions are bewildering - the way he dismisses Rebecca, for example, is strange. On the other hand, he revalues intelligently some great but not famous Hitchcock films like I Confess. Spoto does make the most of the material he has at hands (like numerous interviews with actresses), and there's a crescendo in his painting of Hitch as a tortured artist that works really well, the climax being the horrific obsession he developed over Tippi Hedren and what he inflicted on her while shooting The Birds and Marnie. At the end, the portrait made of Hitch is quite dark and almost repulsive. Also fascinating are the portraits that Spoto makes of many actresses that may be forgotten now but who not only had amazing careers, but also incredible lives, such as Madeleine Carroll, Alida Valli or Anne Baxter.

[Gabriel]

Mostly recycled from Spoto's earlier book on Hitchcock, The Dark Side of Genius (which is far superior). The only "new" things here are the chapters on Tippi Hedren, which are less "new" than extended (again, from the earlier book), with more from Hedren but nothing that would change anyone's opinion of the relationship who had already read TDSoG. Just about everything else reads like a "worst of" Hitchcock's private life, with a few canned bios of actresses he worked with that are completely frivolous. This book doesn't add up to much, in other words. Couldn't Spoto have just carved "Hitch Wuz A Dick" into a bathroom stall instead?

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first biography of Hitchcock that I've read, by any author. The revelations of the sadistic, misogynistic, obsessive, harassing (need I go on?) aspects of Hitchcock's personality came as a shock. I just kept thinking about the axiom about there being a small step between genius and madness throughout the book. While the director's body of work speaks for itself, I'll be hard pressed upon future viewings of his movies, to not reflect on the torture (there isn't a better word for what he subjected several actresses to, especially Tippi Hedren) or obsessive Svengali-like attention he lavished on others. For all his girth of body, his masterpieces on film, in the end he was a very small man of little character.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would have given this five stars but then it feels like I’m partly glorifying Hitchcock. This book revealed the ways he was basically terrible to his female actors which left such an uncomfortable feeling in today’s environment. I will always love his movies and embrace his brilliance as a director but the author does well not to forgive Hitchcock’s transgressions simply because of his talent. Clearly something was wrong w the man which the book plays out from his earliest movies to his final ones. Definitely a fascinating read and glimpse into cinematic history.

[Megan S Spark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars, really. Informative read for fans of Hitchcock and classic cinema, this behind the scenes look is very interesting! The negative-- Hitchcock was a complex, and in some respects, troubled man. I left the book feeling sad and puzzled, and while it's no fault of the author, I can't say this is a favorite book I wish to revisit.

[Christine Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after seeing The Girl (2012), starring Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock and Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren. While it is clear that Alfred Hitchcock was a genius at directing films, it is also clear that he was a repressed, self-loathing and disturbed man. In the 1950's and 60's, before #MeToo, he sexually harassed and tormented several of his lead actresses, the worst example being Tippi Hedren in The Birds and Marnie. He was obsessed with her, and when she rebuffed his advances, he punished her during the making of both films. Donald Spoto is the author of two other books about Hitchcock, and this one gives an excellent overview of all of his leading ladies, as well as an insider's look at the man himself. Sad that so much talent was embodied in such a flawed man.

[Kayla Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an Alfred Hitchcock novice, this was a great overview of his movies and how he was as a director. It’s sad to read about how great and highly regarded of a director, and yet how completely horrible he was to his actresses. I was interested to read this by Donald Spoto because I felt his Grace Kelly biography was very shallow in information and biased. I’m glad Spoto didn’t take the same method with this dive into Hitchcock. Loved reading the backgrounds of all the different actresses he worked with and their interesting stories.

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donald Spoto, who’s written a few books on Hitchcock, is back again, this time with a slight overview of his relationships with his female actresses. His obsessive behavior with Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly reaches a nasty peak when he works with Tippi Hedren, and Spoto spares no criticism.

Does this book go into great depth? No, but if you want to learn a little bit about what gross actions and insecurities drove a genius director, this is a fine way to spend some time.

[Jimena Patiño · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es muy difícil leer que alguien que vos admiras mucho como artista no es más que un acosador glorificado por un sistema que no permitía que sus estrellas denunciaran abusos. Lo de Tippi Hedren es terrible y no hay manera de suavizarlo con nada ni "es el humor inglés " o así es Hitchcock. La historia de un hombre atormentado por sus propias obsesiones que resulta ser un genio adiovisual.

[Tippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am/was a fan of Hitchcock's films to the point of a brief obsession. This book exposes the man, the lecher. It is so detailed and lacking of hero worship; I simply could not put it down.

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't add anything new on Hitchcock that I haven't read before.
I was particularly interested in the making of "Vertigo", "North By Northwest" and "Marnie" and shocked once more by the way Hitch mistreated actress Tippi Hedren.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of "gossipy"; but still interesting & added more perspective to my Hitchcock class. This author's written extensively on this topic, wish library had more...

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a horrible painful book to read if you are an admirer of Hitchcock's films, or even if you aren't. The famed director's cruel treatment of Tippi Hedren is heartbreaking.

[Greg Talbot · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I never said actors are cattle-I said that actors should be treated like cattle”- Alfred Hitchcock

Glamour, Razzle-dazzle, and charisma are just some of the characteristics I think of when I think of Old Hollywood actresses and actors. Behind the camera, well that's another story.

With the exception of Kubrick, no other director is described with the level of shot-by-shot control that Hitchcock was noted for. His interest was not so much with leading his cast in how to “act”. Instead he brought his interior motives out with his camera-work and post-production editing. Some examples of his finest work have been: the 9 minute single shot in “Rebecca”, the shower scene of “Psycho”, the flocks of unseemly birds in “The Birds”.

“Spellbound By Beauty”. Gives a linear progression of Hitchcock's career, and the focus is specifically on Hitchcock's relationship with the leading lady. The lady was superficially the same: blond, a budding Hollywood starlet, and submissive to Hitchcock's direction on or off screen. These weren't sexual relationships, but power-shaped ones. Joan Fontaine, actress of Rebecca writes Hitchcock “knew ways of pressuring her insecurities, and making her his”.

“Vertigo”, now widely considered by critics his best film (currently sits as the best film ever according to Sights and Sounds poll). Spoto writes in detail on the significance of the film. It's the most personal revealing movie of Hitchcock. A story about a man choosing fantasy over reality in the realm of love.

In life and film, Hitchcock pushed boundaries. Whether it was changing the perspective of the audience to one more perverse or telling bawdy jokes to his ladies, Hitchcock was a master of manipulation. With 53 films, and a strong set that are hailed as cinema masterpieces, his professional reputation is secured.

Although this is hardly the best book to read about Hitchcock as a man or artist, it's focus on his fraught relationships make it very interesting. Many readers suggest Spoto's other book "The Dark Side Of Genius: The Life Of Alfred Hitchcock". Well worth the price of admission, but don't start or end here.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alfred Hitchcock's films and got hold of this book from the library having seen a drama on TV about his relationship with Tippi Hedren when she starred in his productions 'The Birds' and then 'Marnie'. This book is a real 'warts and all' portrayal of Hitchcock revealing him as a shy and solitary man, virtually friendless and almost a sociopath, embarrassed by his fluctuating weight, married but not particularly 'active' in his marriage who lives out his fantasies as a voyeur of his actors and actresses as he directs some of the top stars of the time in some of the most respected films ever produced. There are some brilliant revelations about Hitchcock - how he didn't really 'direct' his actors or actresses but was more interested in camera angles, his infatuation with many of his female leading ladies, his insistence on claiming credit for all aspects of the films (at the expense of screenwriters, actors etc.) and the harsh treatment he dished out to, in particular, his leading ladies. This was a well-written book with lots to interest any lover of films and film history and/or any fan of Hitchcock - even though it paints him as 'not particularly nice' and someone who nowadays would no doubt be sued for sexual harassment, there is no doubting his abilities as a film director if nothing else. A great read - well-written, informative, shocking and enlightening.

[Benja · Rating 2 out of 5]

"It was OK". If you've already read Truffaut's Le cinema selon Hitchcock or have an otherwise moderately informed opinion on Hitch and his movies, then this book will read as shallow sensationalism. It confirms as true every single little piece of tabloid gossip ever spun around the man, his sex life and the movies he made: Hitchcock had a sexless marriage, he was a wannabe Cary Grant but a reluctant Jimmy Stewart, Ingrid Bergman betrayed him for Rosellini, Vera Miles betrayed him for her pregnancy, Grace Kelly betrayed him for royalty, and he ended his days stalking Tippi Hedren.

Exciting stuff huh? If you love two-bit character assassinations passing for fact, then this is your read. Oh, it manages a few saving throws. We follow Hitch through his entire filmography, and at times this can be insightful and informative, especially concerning Hitch's start in the movie business and some of the more famous production stories. But then Spoto's opinionated mind is stamped everywhere, spouting judgment, guessing at Hitch's motivations and not once citing sources for his "facts". Objectivity is not Spoto's strong suit.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final book in the author's trilogy about Alfred Hitchcock and documents fifty years of the director's attitudes about and behavior toward the female leads in his films. Calling himself "Svengali Hitch", he attempted to control every aspect of the lives of many of his starring actresses culminating in his physical and emotional abuse of Tippi Hedren (for example, he kept her chained to live birds for five days before she collapsed in hysteria). The author documents Hitchcock's negative attitude toward actors, calling them "cattle" and "stupid children" and his propensity toward telling his lead actresses vulger jokes before taping a scene and telling them how unpopular they were viewed both by the other actors on the set and by the critics. The author relied on hundreds of hours of interviews with both Hitchcock and people who worked on his films. The portrait painted of Alfred Hitchcock reveals a talented, but ultimately pathetic human being.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into what Hitch's leading ladies went through in the course of making the films that define his genius, and their talent, as well as a skimming of his psychological profile that made him and his films the successes, and failures, that they were.

Too repetitive, though, which could be expected from the third book by this particular author on Hitch and his life and works. Seems that Spoto started with a wide angle shot and kept getting closer with his successive examinations of HItch, and this third didn't quite hit the mark. The overuse of those ten-dollar words (sometimes employing the same word multiple times on the same page, mercy!) and constant reiteration of his thesis made for a bit of a drag at times.

Nevertheless, a must read for the Hitchcock addict. At least it's a breezy read.

[LaurieH118 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a surprise. It's lightweight and filled with juicy, repeatable anecdotes movie fans will love. But it's not the scholarly work I expected from *this* author on *this* subject. "The Art of Alfred Hitchcock" is a classic of the genre and has a place on my book shelf. While I haven't yet read "The Dark Side Of Genius: The Life Of Alfred Hitchcock," I understand that it's a serious exploration of what inspired what we saw on the screen.

That's not the kind of book this is. In addition to being rather gossipy, there's a snarkiness to it that I also didn't expect from Spoto. I read two more of his earlier biographies -- "Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life" and "Marilyn Monroe: The Biography" -- found them book be a valentines to women he clearly respected. Spoto does not approach Hitch with any such reverence.
Comment

[Nathan Phillips · Rating 1 out of 5]

Avoid. “Former monk” (Wikipedia) Spoto continues to fancy himself a psychoanalyst while offering dictation service to the rich celebs who feel like slandering other, deader, richer celebs, who may or may not have had, in the immortal words of Keenan Wynn in Dr. Strangelove, “preversions.” I always am willing to listen to what Spoto has to say, when he’s not talking about Jackie O. or Princess Di or whatever, but he never offers anything really scholarly or useful since his excellent first book of essays on Hitch back in the ’70s, the only book I’ve seen of his that doesn’t appear to be a very long Hedda Hopper column. How much can you say about a guy whose “about the author” blurbs boast with unnerving detail about how he volunteers in homeless shelters serving soup during his “free time?”

[Leslie Zampetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent analysis of Hitchock's relationships - or lack thereof - with his leading ladies, Spoto continues his examination of Hitchcock's life and art in this third volume of biography. Spoto dovetails both analysis of the man himself and his art to produce a vivid portrait of perhaps the twentieth century's best loved misogynist. While it's not necessary to have seen all of HItchcock's movies, a prepared reader would have watched at least those with Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman,Grace Kelly, and Tippi Hedren in order to truly understand Spoto's commentary and insights. Also unnecessary would be reading Spoto's prior two works - but likely the reader will go back and read them after this, if they haven't already!

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Spoto's third book on Hitchcock and the material is stretched a bit thin. The final third of the book is the most interesting. In it, Spoto details the tragic decline of the genius as he succumbs to the depression that a lifetime of being obese and lonely has caused. Spoto explores Hitchcock's dangerous obsession with his female stars (especially Tippi Hedren) honestly and painfully. The book may have benefitted from more psychological commentary but, instead, Spoto focuses on just the facts and allows the reader to put it all together.

This is not an easy book to read for those of us who hold Hitchcock up as an inspirational icon, however, it does make the man more three dimensional and exposes some of the pain that made his art so great.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...I have been a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies for the longest time and couldn't wait to read this book, maybe hoping for something about the director's life that I hadn't read about before. This book didn't shed any new light into his life however it still made for a fascinating read and I liked reading about his earlier leading ladies. This book left me with a bit of a sad feeling for Hitch as it seems that for all the fame and money he obtained, the one thing he was missing was intimacy and real love and I think he really hoped to find this in the actresses that he hired however the consequences of his obsessions did not make for a happy ending. Recommended for Hitch fans!

[Amanda M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating topic. From other biographies I knew Alfred Hitchcock treated his leading ladies oddly and attempted to mold them into his dream woman, an icy elegant blonde. However I never knew about the sexual harassment, torturous filming conditions, and embarrassment he inflicted upon them. I won't give anything away but the cases of Tippi Hedren and Madeline Carroll were particularly memorable. Hitch was a cruel, strange, and yet fascinating man. And I enjoyed learning biographical information about his leading ladies as well.

P.S. Prepare yourself for Hitch's bad puns. I pity the cast and crew that had to laugh at them.

[Spiros · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoy many of Hitchcock's films, I am by no stretch of the imagination a Hitchcock aficionado: I am not one of the people who will be disturbed and offended by the revelations unearthed by Mr. Spoto in this, his third book on the Master. Focusing on Hitchcock's relations, both professional and personal, with his leading ladies, I found this book to be more than anything else a very useful overview of Hitchcock's films. I don't know: maybe I just don't shock easily. It is true that the chapters describing Tippi Hedren's ordeals in THE BIRDS and MARNIE made for queasy reading.

[Tom Fuchs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will probably hold back a bit here, as I plan on reviewing this for CHUD. However, it's essential to Spoto's now-trilogy of books on Hitchcock; kind of the missing link, finally getting out there all of the sexual fetishes and neuroses that fueled so much of Hitchcock's best work. It also shows how it eventually overtook him and led to his career stalling in late years as he became like the characters he sculpted. A very necessary book, but it feels slight still, unsurprisingly, as it feels like it belongs in the larger context of Spoto's other works.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is readable enough but should have been called Hitchcock and SOME of his Leading Ladies. The author spotlights the actresses for the films he personally seems to like, or that he had an extended relationship with, Tippi Hendren and Grace Kelly. But for others he hardly glances at them. For instance Priscilla Lane, the star of Saboteur, and Ruth Roman, star of Strangers on a Train, gets about a page an a half mention each and the entirety of his group of films after Marnie gets a total of eight pages of discussion.

[Lucie · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was just ok. donald spoto is a well-known biographer, especially on alfred hitchcock. but his book falls flat. suffering from uneven writing, and glossing over facts/stories/leading ladies when they don't fit into his thesis, spellbound becomes less than spellbinding. i would suggest reading another one of the hitchcock bios if you're looking for continuous representation of substance & history.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love old movies, with a fondness for Alfred Hitchcock. I found this book a bit disturbing.....about him and how he treated his female stars and pretty much ignored the men. He was a very lonely man, and quite psychotic. He especially treated Tippi Hedren with such contempt. His fixations on women could have gotten him in deep trouble nowadays; too bad they weren't tighter on him then. But would he have made the movies he did.....if he was?