My Top 10 Favourite Hitchcock Movies

   What can you say about Alfred Hitchcock? He's one of the most famous and influential film directors of all time, and aptly named the Master of Suspense. Throughout his career, he made over fifty movies, and a great many of them have become classics.
   Now, I'll freely admit to having not seen all his movies yet, so this list may not be definitive. For example, I haven't seen The Lady Vanishes, which, from the sound of it, would be a sure-fire contender for this list.
   But, out of the Hitchcock movies that I've seen to date, I'm here today to count down my ten personal favourites.

#10 = Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

An ordinary suburban family is going through a pretty boring phase, but their life becomes much more cheerful when Uncle Charlie arrives to visit. At first, his niece, Young Charlie, is ecstatic. But after a while, she begins to suspect that he may be a murderer on the run from the law. It starts out as disappointment and nervousness, and then it all leads to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, where it looks like Uncle Charlie may just be trying to kill his own beloved niece. This is one of Hitchcock's earliest true masterpieces – and it just happened to be his own personal favourite. :)


#9 = Dial M for Murder (1954)

A man plans to murder his wife, so he blackmails an old friend into committing the murder for him. But when it all goes wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B. In contrast to Shadow of a Doubt, it seems Hitchcock didn't care at all about this one. In fact, he never showed up on set; he literally phoned it in! It's a shame, because it's actually a pretty intriguing crime story. It makes you wonder what you'd do in this guy's shoes. And the conclusion just goes to show that sometimes the smallest, most insignificant thing can be your biggest mistake.


#8 = Notorious (1946)

The American daughter of a convicted Nazi spy is asked by government agents to spy on a group of her father's Nazi friends. Through a series of events that I won't get into, they basically uncover a smuggling plot. But that's not the focus of the story. It's much more about how far this woman has to go in order to find the truth. It even gets to the point where she has to marry her target in spite of her relationship with her contact. It's a story of duty versus love, led by two terrific performances by Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.



#7 = Frenzy (1972)

It's about a man falsely accused of being a serial killer who murders women with neckties. In many ways, it's as basic a tale of mistaken identity as it sounds. But the main character is what makes it stand out. Jon Finch is phenomenal in the role; when it comes to playing characters with tempers, he was the best. :) There are also two particular noteworthy moments: a truly uncomfortable rape scene early on, and a sequence that makes you squirm while making the killer seem more human at the same time. In short, the film's very entertaining and, for me, sort of underrated.


#6 = Rebecca (1940)

Hitchcock was clearly a fan of Daphne du Maurier, having also adapted Jamaica Inn and The Birds to the screen! :) Rebecca is the story of an unnamed young woman who marries a rich man, but his home estate is still haunted by the memory of his late wife Rebecca. It's a brilliant psychological drama that's relentlessly tense and enthralling, right from the chilling opening narration. I also really love the scene where Maxim is describing what happened the night Rebecca died: the way the camera moves to match his words, you can see the events in your head as clear as day. Good stuff.

#5 = Psycho (1960)

Do I even need to comment on this one? :) It has to be one of the most influential thrillers of all time. At first, it follows this woman who's stolen $40,000, making it seem like she'll be the star of the movie. But, a short way in, she checks into the Bates Motel, and her story comes to a violent end in the "shower scene", as it's always called – one of the most famous movie moments ever. To fully describe the ingenuity of Psycho, I would have to reveal the whole plot – and obviously I won't do that! :) Just watch it and see for yourself.



#4 = Strangers on a Train (1951)

This was the first Hitchcock movie I ever saw, at a time when I was very dismissive of black-and-white movies. But by the time I was halfway through, I was totally hooked! :) It's about an innocent man whom a stranger tries to convince that they should "swap" murders, thinking they both have someone they want dead. He refuses, but when his nagging ex-wife turns up dead, he becomes the prime suspect. The tennis match scene has to be one of Hitchcock's most iconic moments, and the big chase sequence in the climax has me on the edge of my seat every time.


#3 = Vertigo (1958)

It's about Scottie, an acrophobic detective who, as a favour to an old friend, accepts one last job: to watch over his friend's suicidal wife. But he desperately falls in love with her. The rest of the movie is kind of hard to explain, because it's not about what's literally happening on the surface. It's about what's going on in Scottie's mind, how he's obsessing over this woman and going completely insane. It's truly remarkable how well the movie pulls you right into his mindset. It's simply a masterpiece among psychological thrillers. In fact, it recently replaced Citizen Kane as the "greatest film ever made"! :)

#2 = North by Northwest (1959)

It's about an innocent man who's being chased all across the country by both the police who think he's a terrorist, and actual terrorists who think he's a government agent. The plot gets much more complicated than that, but it's still easy to follow. The movie can be enjoyed for its individual set pieces – including the famous crop duster sequence and the climax atop Mount Rushmore – but overall it's both a hilarious comedy and a suspenseful thriller rolled into one. Hitchcock made a lot of cross-country reluctant hero stories, but for me and a lot of other people, this one takes the cake.

And my #1 favourite Hitchcock movie is… Rear Window (1954)

It's about Jefferies, a photographer recovering from a broken leg. He's so bored he spends most of his time spying on his neighbours through his rear window, and begins to suspect that one of them has committed murder. The real genius of this movie is how it never leaves this one location, which puts us right into the character's shoes: trying to solve the mystery without ever leaving his apartment. I also really like how every one of the neighbours has their own story going on, which makes the neighbourhood – and the movie – seem much more complete. There's nothing else I can say without spoiling the plot, though. It's all flawlessly photographed and edited – nothing less than the work of a master. It's definitely one of Hitchcock's definitive classics for a reason, and my personal favourite.