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Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light is the definitive biography of the Master of Suspense and the most widely recognized film director of all time. In a career that spanned six decades and produced more than 60 films – including The 39 Steps, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds – Alfred Hitchcock set new standards for cinematic invention and storytelling. Acclaimed biographer Patrick McGilligan re-examines his life and extraordinary work, challenging perceptions of Hitchcock as the “macabre Englishman” and sexual obsessive, and reveals instead the ingenious craftsman, trickster, provocateur, and romantic. With insights into his relationships with Hollywood legends – such as Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, and Grace Kelly – as well as his 54-year marriage to Alma Reville and his inspirations in the thriller genre, the book is full of the same dark humor, cliffhanger suspense, and revelations that are synonymous with one of the most famous and misunderstood figures in cinema.… (more)
User reviews
The book is HUGE, with the primary text spanning 750 pages that read very
McGilligan's voice is straightforward but inviting, and the details of Hitchcock's life frequently don't need to be amplified by ramped-up language in order to keep the audience's attention. The story pushes forward with the momentum of a Hitchcockian plot, and McGilligan never truly allows himself to take things too seriously, attempting to inject the director's humor at various points.
If there is a weakness here, it's in its indecisiveness in terms of controversy. McGilligan clearly posits this work in opposition to Donald Spoto's much more unforgiving biography, The Dark Side of Genius, and though our author strives to paint Hitch in a brighter light, he often remains frustratingly neutral at points of contention. This obviously will inspire debate, but it would be nice to see McGilligan take sides at these moments, since the biography tends to lean much more towards admiration than cynicism.
In the end, the story's arc, like that of Hitchcock's life, wanes a bit, and by the time it ends, the book has proven to be such a tour de force that the last 100 pages come off frustratingly flat. But despite that, this is truly a meticulously-researched and well-written biography worthy of the attention of anyone interested in Hitchcock, film, or biography.
As in many biographies, it is very sad to read of the last years of someone so renowned in his time, especially after the French director Truffaut's lionization of Hitchcock with the directors of the French New Wave. His years after his beloved wife's stroke are difficult to read about and seem to have been a very desolate end for someone so famous and accomplished.
Alfred Hitchcock was born in 1899 and died in 1980. He went from Great Britain to Hollywood and over six decades, starting with silent films in the 1920s up to only months before he died, he was working on movies, over 50 in total. He usually had two going at a time.
This is a very long
I’m sure real Hitchcock afficionados would love all the detail. Of course, the movies I’ve seen, or at least knew about, held more interest for me, as well as some that starred super-well-known actors (Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly...). It does make me want to go out and watch more (some again, since I don’t really remember); I already looked up some clips of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” intros that he did (also something I’d love to watch some of, again – if only I ever made time to watch movies or tv!).