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'''Alfred Hitchcock''' was a British film director and producer who is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of the cinema. He is known as the master of suspense, and his films are celebrated for their psychological depth and for their technical innovation.

== Early Life ==
Hitchcock was born in 1899 in London to a family of greengrocers. He was educated at a Jesuit school and studied engineering and art.

He worked in the advertising department of a telegraph company and then in the film industry. He designed title cards for silent films.

He became a director in 1925 and made a series of British films, including The Lodger and Blackmail. Blackmail was one of the first British sound films.

== The British Films ==
The Thirty-Nine Steps, The Lady Vanishes, and The Man Who Knew Too Much established his reputation. The films combined suspense with humour and with romance.

He developed the concept of the MacGuffin, the object that drives the plot but is of little importance in itself. The device is a characteristic of his thrillers.

He worked with the producer Alexander Korda and with the Gaumont-British studios. He was one of the leading directors of the British cinema.

== The Hollywood Career ==
Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in 1939 and made a series of films for Selznick and for other studios. Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

His films of the 1950s include Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho. The films are among the most admired of his career.

He developed the technique of suspense, in which the audience is given information that the characters lack. He used the camera to create identification with the characters.

== The Television Work ==
Hitchcock hosted and produced a television series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which ran from 1955 to 1962. The series made him a familiar figure to a mass audience.

He directed a number of the episodes and introduced them with his characteristic dry humour. The series influenced the development of the anthology format.

His public persona as the master of suspense contrasted with his private reserve. He cultivated the image through his appearances and his publicity.

== Later Films and Death ==
Hitchcock's later films include The Birds, Marnie, and Frenzy. The films show a continued interest in the themes of guilt and of obsession.

He received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award and was knighted in 1980. He died in 1980 in Los Angeles.

His last film, Family Plot, was released in 1976. He had been working on a number of projects at the time of his death.

== Legacy ==
Hitchcock is regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of the cinema. His films are studied for their technique and for their psychological insight.

He influenced generations of filmmakers, including Truffaut, Chabrol, and Scorsese. The French critics of the nouvelle vague admired his work and helped to establish his reputation as an artist.

He is remembered for his mastery of suspense and for his visual style. His films remain popular and are frequently revived and studied.

== The British Period ==
Hitchcock directed a series of films in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. The Lodger and Blackmail established his reputation.

The Thirty-Nine Steps, The Lady Vanishes, and The Man Who Knew Too Much are among his best British films. The films combined suspense with humour.

He worked with the producer Michael Balcon and with the Gaumont-British studios. He developed his technique and his style during this period.

== The Hollywood Period ==
Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in 1939. Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

He made films for Selznick and for other studios. The films of the 1940s include Suspicion and Notorious.

The films of the 1950s are among his most admired. Rear Window, Vertigo, and North by Northwest are regarded as classics.

== The Technique ==
Hitchcock was a master of suspense and of the visual. He used the camera to create tension and to manipulate the audience.

He developed the technique of the MacGuffin. He also used the subjective camera to identify the audience with the characters.

He planned his films in detail before the shooting. He was known for his meticulous preparation.

== The Television Series ==
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ran from 1955 to 1962. Hitchcock hosted the series and directed some of the episodes.

The series made him a familiar figure to a mass audience. His introductions were characterised by his dry humour.

The series influenced the development of the anthology format. It was followed by The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

== The Legacy ==
Hitchcock is regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of the cinema. His films are studied for their technique and for their psychological insight.

He influenced generations of filmmakers. The French critics of the nouvelle vague admired his work.

He is remembered for his mastery of suspense. His films are frequently revived and studied.

== See also ==
* Suspense film
* Psycho

== References ==

<ref name="r1">Spoto, Donald. The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock. Boston: Little, Brown, 1983.</ref>
<ref name="r2">Truffaut, François. Hitchcock. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967.</ref>
<ref name="r3">Taylor, John Russell. Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978.</ref>
<ref name="r4">White, Susan. Hitchcock's Magic. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2011.</ref>

<references />

[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Directing]]
[[Category:England]]

Alfred Hitchcock - Revision history

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