Hitchcock: A Definitive Study of Alfred Hitchcock

Truffaut's book-length interview with Hitchcock, while a fascinating self-examination of the director's career, succeeds far more in its exploration of the technical details of Hitchcock's work than the underlying meaning of the works.

Hitchcock is surprisingly candid here, often telling lengthy tales with minimal provocation from Truffaut, whose questions tend to guide the discussion more than it directs them.

Truffaut's own interjections, which attempt to elucidate a deeper significance to particular shots, are often trivialized by Hitchcock, who lets the Frenchman theorize but never certainly agrees or disagrees. At moments when Truffaut gets insistent on these points, the exchange tends to feel uncomfortable, but fortunately these show more subside quickly.

The truly inspired moments are those when Hitchcock relishes in divulging details of trick-shots and complex scenes, such as the infamous shower scene from Psycho. During these sequences, Hitch's technical wizardry shines and we see that his true skills lie in the creation, not the interpretation, of what we see on screen. It's a refreshing and informative perspective.

If nothing else, the book reveals two great cinematic minds engaging each other with a depth and respect that seems unfortunately old-fashioned but is nonetheless remarkable. Certainly a must-read for Hitchcock fans and film buffs alike. show less

Una radiante lección de cine. 500 preguntas en casi 50 horas grabadas de una conversación mítica entre dos de los mejores cineastas de la historia: Alfred Hitchcock y François Truffaut, quien más que autor del libro, se consideraba un provocador del mismo. En primera persona, Hitchcock da una cátedra sobre los principales elementos de la cinematografía: producción, guion, fotografía, sonido, montaje y hasta promoción de películas; el mago del suspenso va desglosando su obra entera cinta por cinta, hablando de eventos personales y profesionales con los que tuvo que lidiar, además de confesar la gestación de ideas, guiones y la complejidad de la mise-en-scène. Es tal la importancia e influencia de El cine según Hitchcock, show more que directores de la talla de Martin Scorsese y Wes Anderson no sólo reconocen haberlo leído, sino que regresan a su lectura eventualmente. show less

Good. I think Truffaut could've gone into more detail and pulled more out, while being a little less critical about some of his concerns. It's obvious Hitchcock really didn't have much feedback on his opinions. And I also wish he would've talked more about the social and political implications of the films, as opposed to the psychology and morals. Still, it holds a great deal of practical information for film students, as well as behind-the-scenes information for movie buffs.

A book made from François Truffaut’s famous interviews with Alfred Hitchcock originally published in 1967 and comprising a review of his films and related discussions. It is interesting for occasional Hollywood type stories about celebrities, disussion of the various techniques that Hitchcock invented, Truffaut’s insight into the relationship among Hitchcock’s films and for what it reveals about H. himself. Many excellent still images from his movie sets are included. We are also reminded of the business aspect of film making. Hitchcock relates that it is more difficult for the audience to commiserate with Robert Cummings (whom I watched as a kid in “Love that Bob” episodes. [The magic of You tube reveals that it co-starred show more Dwayne Hickman!]) than with Jimmy Stewart, since there is suspense only if we feel that we know the protagonist, and he recounts several instances of a film being less than he wanted because of whom he was obligated to cast in a key role. Mention is also made of the effect of the disappearance of the star system on his career in the 60s.
You can learn a lot about movies and suspense movies in particular here, e.g. “The better the villain, the better the picture”. Truffaut is always interested and complimentary, but Hitchcock’s understated humor is sometimes difficult to enjoy on the written page. show less

I'm not really a movie buff, but this book made me want to watch every movie Hitchcock ever made. The detailed discussion of the methods Hitchcock used to convey mood and story is fascinating. And the odd bits of information! Who knew that back in silent picture days, the studio could change the dialogue titles of a cheesy, badly made drama and release it as a comedy?

What surprised me most was not only Francois Truffaut's knowledge of the cinema, but his knowledge about Alfred Hitchcock movies. As a former critic and an acclaimed director by then, Truffaut was one of the most suitable for the task. Truffaut studied Hitchcock, memorized some of his favorite movies, and interviewed Hitchcock about his carer film by film.

The revised edition has an additional chapter, where Truffaut covers what happened after the original edition release in 1966, and up until Hitchcock's death. In this edition Truffaut added some commentary, letters from Hitchcock and some more interviews.

This is indeed a definitive study of Alfred Hitchcock, a master class.

Interesting and informative discussion sessions with Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. There are a few humorous moments but I wouldn't exactly call this a fun read. It can be dry reading at times especially in the beginning and when they engage in technical talk.

The book is divided into sections covering different periods of Hitchcock's career. You get a little insight -- not a lot -- into some of Hitchcock's methods and thought processes. There are bits of information on just about all of Hitchcock's films -- certainly the better known ones -- ranging from casting choices to production anecdotes to film techniques and even Hitchcock's personal opinion as to why a particular film did or didn't work for the audience.

I particularly show more liked when the discussion went to casting choices. In many cases (mostly some of his less successful later films) Hitchcock did not get the people he wanted in major roles and he discusses why he believes some of these actors and actresses simply did fit the role. This is done in a matter of fact way, not in a gossipy or snide manner.

Truffaut as interviewer (and obvious fan) seems to want to turn everything into a pontification on symbolism and the deeper meanings of everything. That can get wearying at times.

If you're a even a casual fan of Mr. Hitchcock and his films you're almost certain to get something useful out of this book. If you are a devotee of the master I can almost guarantee you'll love it. show less