Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most influential directors of all time. The majority of his movies were horror/thriller themed, and many of them have become classics. He started his directing career in the early 20's (IMDB) and had films coming out all the way through the mid 70's. He produced a number of films through the golden age, many that are still popular. His most notable films were those from later in his career, among them being, Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Strangers on a Train, Vertigo, Dial M for Murder, to name a few. Though even his earlier films have been influential in modern cinema. A number of his films have been remade and/or adapted. This 1998 Psycho is an excellent example. It is even arguable that Hithcocks Mr. and Mrs. Smith is related to the 2005 film of the same name. Strangers on a Train has also been remade and altered, an example is the comedic adaptation Throw Mama From the Train, and there is apparently a remade version due to come out in 2011. Aflred Hitchcock was undoubtedly one of the single largest contributors to the horror/thriller genre, and can be considered the pioneer that explored that genre for film. His nickname "The Master of Suspense" was well earned, as his extensive and successful career showed. He was also well know for making cameo appearances in his films, and sometimes include them in very subtle ways . Here is a list of his cameos and locations in the films.
Here is a link to the IMDB Bio on Alfred Hitchcock if you want more information.
Did you know that Hitchcock wasn't the only one to make cameo appearences in his films? King, Shyamalan, and even Shakespeare have made appearances in their own work. Shyamalan, of course, taking that page out of Hitchcock's book. I had the good fortune to see "39 Steps" live at the Gammage for my birthday and it was wonderful. If you ever get the chance to see one of his works live, do it!
ReplyDeleteI also wrote my blog on Alfred Hitchcock, and I didn't even realize that some of his films were remade into modern ones. Who would of considered that the Brad Pitt and the Angelina Jolie "Mr and Ms. Smith" film has its roots in a Hitchcock film? It's just shows you how his legacy has affected film in all sorts of unexpected ways.
ReplyDeletePeter Jackson also makes a cameo in his films, at least since the Lord of the Rings movies.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you read or know a lot about Hitchcock. there is a lot of interesting information in your blog and its always fun to read about all the influences he has had on film.
ReplyDeletegood job with the Hitchcock blog. I never knew that Hitchcock had so many remakes. although for some reason i never found his movies to be that scary i don't know why. i wonder what a modern day Hitchcock film would look like? do you think he would use modern day technology to make his films more scary?
ReplyDelete