Alfred Hitchcock by
Paul Duncan
pbk out September 99
(Pocket Essentials)
at £2.99
This little book offers a worthwhile and readable survey of the career of a
film director who, as the author rightly says, “pervades our
consciousness.” Mr Duncan is wise to focus on Hitchcock's mastery of
suspense as the reason why his films gained - and will surely retain -
worldwide acclaim. He contends that 'it should be recognised that Hitchcock
did more than one type of film' and that “Hitchcock was constantly striving
to tell stories in as imaginative way as possible,'” although he accepts
that a number of plot elements and themes recur in the films: the MacGuffin
is the most obvious example, but there are plenty of others.
After a general introductory chapter, the book follows a chronological
course, with Hitchcock's career divided, reasonably enough, into seven
sections. One noteworthy point which emerges from the crisp accounts of the
films is that Hitchcock used as source material crime novels ranging from
the competent (“Enter Sir John”, which became “Murder!”) to the outstanding
(“Strangers on a Train” and “Rebecca”). The relationship between the novels
and the films deserves further exploration. There are brief lists of
reference materials, Hitchcock videos and films influenced by the great
man, plus a few websites. Inevitably, such a short book cannot fully do
justice to this remarkable film-maker (and associated matters, like the
role played by the music of Bernard Herrmann), but nonetheless Mr Duncan
has provided a good introduction to a fascinating subject.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Alfred Hitchcock by
Paul Duncan