If you like the films of Alfred Hitchcock you will love the book Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light, by Patrick McGilligan. It is not only the latest study of the man; it is the best. But be warned: it is not a small book. It takes all of 800 pages to cover his life story and analyze his films. One good way to approach it is to select one of your favorite Hitchcock films, as “Psycho” or “Rear Window,” look it up in the index, and then read what McGilligan has to say about its making. And just as you can’t eat one M&M without wanting another, you’ll be reading about another film, then another and so on.
What makes McGilligan’s book so appealing is that he approaches his topic with the same thoroughness that was characteristic of Hitchcock’s preparation. “Hitch,” as he was known, developed each film thoroughly in his own mind down to the last detail before the cameras were turned on. He wanted every scene nailed down, in some virtually every frame. In “Psycho” Janet Leigh plays the role of a working girl from Phoenix, Arizona, who steals from her boss. Hitchcock sent a crew to Phoenix to photograph streets and typical residents; he even photographed closets and wardrobes to be certain that Janet Leigh was a typical working girl of Phoenix. In “Rear Window” there were thirty-one apartments which could be seen in the courtyard from the windows where Jeff (Jimmy Stewart) sat with a broken leg. Hitchcock fully furnished twelve of these with their own independent stories, and that became a great appeal of the movie. Hitchcock had his favorite actors and actresses – Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, and others - and his method of direction was to assume that they had sufficient intelligence and ability to pay their rolls properly without much hands-on direction from him. He expected to have a camaraderie of understanding with his actors that made detailed direction unnecessary.
Those only familiar with his American films need to be told that Hitchcock, born in England in 1899, had an illustrious career as director there with more than forty films to his credit before coming to challenge Hollywood about the beginning of World War II. One might have thought he would have been welcomed with open arms, Hollywood moguls competing with each other for a chance to sign him up. Not so: he paid his own travel costs in coming to America and through the years found Hollywood producers far less than accommodating. But he persisted, and the golden years from 1945 to 1965, with films as “Saboteur,” “Lifeboat,” “Spellbound,” “Notorious,” “The Paradine Case,” “Strangers on a Train,” “Dial M for Murder,” “Rear Window,” “To Catch a Thief,” “Vertigo,” “North by Northwest,” and “The Birds,” made Hitchcock legendary.
All in all this is a grand and masterful study, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself reading all 800 pages before putting it down. You’ll relish McGilligan’s commentaries on the films that are familiar to you, and you will find delight in reading about those made in England during his early years. And you’ll seek out these lesser known films, not satisfied until you have mastered the complete repertoire.
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Our guest reviewer, Dr. Wade, is an active member of the Nevermore Book Club.
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