Alfred Hitchcock was an undoubted master of cinema; here are his best works…
When you’re a master of cinema with a resume that is stuffed with incredible movies, sometimes the hardest thing for fans to agree upon is how to rank them. It’s easy if you’re looking at Richard Kelly, for example, whose best by a distance (and the yardstick by which everything that followed fell short) was Donnie Darko.
What of one of the most influential directors in cinematic history, Alfred Hitchcock? Over 60 directing credits, with most ranging from watchable to a good proportion being great and an impressive number being stone-cold masterpieces. Worry not, though, because Flickering Myth has got the definitive ranking of Hitchcock films and this is the top 10 to end all others…
10 – The Lady Vanishes
Hitch has made more polished productions, which is not surprising given this timeless murder mystery was made way back in 1938. The story itself has been remade several times as plays and TV movie versions because it’s just such a killer concept.
Whilst travelling on a train going through Europe, an old woman apparently vanishes from the train, leading to a number of the passengers investigating and some falling under suspicion. It’s the perfect example of the Hitchcockian thriller in an earlier form, and it manages to hold attention and land its payoff more effectively than other early Hitch potboilers like The Man Who Knew Too Much (the 1934 version). From those early days, weaving an enthralling narrative was second nature.
9 – Shadow of a Doubt
Pure Hitchcock mystery once more, as a young girl initially delighted as her Uncle comes to visit, starts to suspect he might be a man known to authorities as “The Merry Widow Killer.” Intrigue, careful pacing, and excellent performances aplenty. Joseph Cotten, in particular, plays the potentially nefarious uncle with plenty of enigma.
Coming at a time when the Hays code was in effect, this one relies on a well-structured script, excellent dialogue (as with most Hitchcock films) and buildup rather than having to resort to punctuations of violence that have often become a crutch for the post-code thriller filmmaker. Modern thrillers can often forget that the set-up is as important as the payoff.
8 – Rope
Something of a chamber piece, Rope was often overlooked among Hitchcock’s more iconic works. It’s most famous as being the film which is shot in long unbroken takes. There are only 10 cuts in the entire film, most carefully hidden, but it’s not just a marvel of board-treading acting style (it was based on a play) and technical precision.
Rope is also an engrossing and subversive film with a fiendishly macabre scenario as two murderers hide the body in a room and proceed to host a dinner party, confident they’ve pulled off the perfect murder. Now it’s not so much the audience catching up to the reveals, but that we wait for the characters to catch up to us as the viewers. Hitchcock stalwart James Stewart is on top form, and the cast, alongside impeccable blocking (another Hitchcock speciality), keep this lithe film constantly engaging.
7 – Strangers on a Train
This is yet another banger from Hitchcock and another of those films that just had a brilliant concept. The plot itself has been riffed upon many times, as two strangers meet on a train (yeah, clues in the title) and bemoan their respective situations. They discuss the prospect of taking on the mantle of murderer for the other. The perfect crime, with both men being completely unconnected to the area where the other lives.
For one man, the conversation is started in jest but taken deadly seriously by the other, and a dazzling psychological thriller ensues as the consequences of that train conversation come to deadly fruition. Great performances from Robert Walker and Farley Granger help make this one gripping. Likewise, it’s a tight run time, and Hitchcock very rarely overstepped two hours, and when he did, it never felt heavy.
6 – Dial M For Murder
Who on Earth would wish to murder the radiant and delightful Grace Kelly? Well, it turns out, Ray Milland, in another exceptional work from the master of the murder scheme thriller. A husband, believing his wife had been unfaithful, blackmails an old associate into murdering her.
As this is Hitchcock, the task is filled with complication from minute one, but this is a film that has inspired countless from Red Rock West to Blood Simple, and as exceptional as some of the best homages have been, Hitchcock did it best.
5 – Rebecca
For Hitchcock, this film felt like a key moment in his career. Added layers of psychological complexity that would become an essential part of his greatest works. His filmmaking craft was becoming more and more refined to the point that his works were almost future-proof.
Hitchcock was already a master of blocking, but the rise of new auteurs and rule breakers like Orson Welles would start to push Hitchcock even further. Perhaps, as it was his first Hollywood movie, the added production heft gave him more tools and freedom to express himself. Regardless, being able to call upon a leading man of Laurence Olivier’s incredible talents (for the first and only time) also adds to the film’s lasting appeal. Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson are also superb in this gothic, brooding and patiently unsettling masterpiece.
4 – Rear Window
One thing Hitchcock could be relied upon for was taking really simple concepts and delivering them with such aplomb as to make them unforgettable. Take Rear Window, the brilliant chamber piece that locks its protagonist (Jimmy Stewart) into his apartment, laid up with a broken leg, looking out upon his neighbours across the courtyard. Believing he’s witnessed a potential murder, he harangues his nurse (Thelma Ritter) and fashionista friend (Grace Kelly) to help him find evidence.
It’s been remade, it’s been repackaged and put out with variations (such as Disturbia), and no one has done it better. Hitchcock rarely settled for less than stellar scripts, though, and this one (from John Michael Hayes) has great dialogue. It’s witty, funny, zips along and cranks up the tension brilliantly.
3 – North by Northwest
Hitchcock switched up murder mystery for a little bit of intrigue and espionage, with shades of The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps, but further refined. A case of mistaken identity immediately drops Roger Thornhill into a game of cat and mouse, hunted by nefarious criminals and soon framed for murder.
As it transpired, he’s mistaken for being Kaplan, who is in fact merely an agency codename that doesn’t exist. Cary Grant is brilliant as the unwitting fugitive turned spy, who blunders his way into becoming a James Bond-esque agent. Eve Marie Saint, the classic Hitch blonde love interest, is compelling, and James Mason is excellent as Van Damm, the man constantly trying to snuff out Kaplan. Bernard Herrmann’s bombastic score helps propel the momentum of this rollicking thriller.
2 – Psycho
In terms of sheer impact on cinema and pop culture, Psycho is the one which blew up right from the off and has maintained its legacy ever since. It courted controversy due to its infamous shower murder and a cross-dressing villain (spoiler alert).
However, Psycho is so much more. It defied convention, killing off its apparent protagonist (Janet Leigh) halfway through the movie, before switching to a new protagonist. Hitchcock creates an atmosphere of isolation and unease at the Bates Motel. Anthony Perkins, as the iconic Norman Bates, plays it to absolute perfection. He’s affable, awkward and odd. Moments of an underlying creepiness and hidden volatility peek through every now and again, without Perkins ever giving too much away. It’s a mesmerising performance that stays gripping even when Bates’ darker moments seep through, and of course, there’s his relationship with ‘mother.’ Psycho remains an undeniable stroke of filmmaking genius. Bernard Herrmann also created one of the most referenced and unforgettable scores ever.
1 – Vertigo
Hitch’s top 3 were ones I often struggled to rank and separate. How does one rank perfection? Having recently rewatched all three, it did become a little bit clearer. Hitchcock was no stranger to repeated themes and motifs (such as the spiral motif in this) in his films. He layered many of his best thrillers with subtext and/or hidden easter eggs.
Vertigo has often ranked very high (including at the top spot) in the Sight and Sound Top 100 movies poll, over the years. It’s not hard to see why. The film has one of the greatest screenplays ever written. It’s his most visually dazzling film, absolutely brimming with carefully chosen colours. It’s a fascinating dive into obsession with a vulnerable protagonist struck with bouts of vertigo as a symptom of a fear of heights (due to PTSD). The way Hitch and the script lead us into a mystery full of red herrings, before turning into something else entirely (and then again), is masterful. So intriguing is the film that any questions of logic are discarded, because we’re already consumed by the story and gripped by Scotty’s (Jimmy Stewart) growing obsession with Madelaine (Kim Novak). To top it all off, Bernard Hermann’s score is magnificent. Maybe (and this is saying something), his greatest work. Simply put, it’s a perfect film.
Honourable Mentions:
The Birds, To Catch a Thief, Frenzy, Marnie, Lifeboat, The 39 Steps, Stage Fright, Suspicion, The Lodger.
What’s your favourite Hitchcock film? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
