So the first of our Director Polls is Alfred Hitchcock. Vote for your top THREE Hitchock films in the poll below. The top 15 was selected by IMDb rating.
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35 thoughts on “IFG Poll 8: Favourite Top-Rated Hitchcock Films”
Almost impossible to go wrong with a list of top 15 or 20 Hitchcock films tho I find both Dial M for murder and Rope to be a bit stagey… missing To catch a thief, possibly the most glamorous film ever, and the as always underrated Marnie. Voted for Vertigo (of course), Strangers on a train and Rebecca.
All of which are based on poems I translated from long-dead languages.
I was going to have all of the Hitchcock films, but thought it best to have a selection of some sort. Good choices for your votes!
What do you think of the trailer for the Hitchcock collection?
I’ve only watched 7 out of them (Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder, Rebecca and The Birds) plus some not so popular as Marnie, Young & Innocent and Saboteur.
I liked all but my favorites are Rebecca and Dial M for Murder!
Marnie is enjoyable if not a bit too naive psychoanalytically and Vertigo could ‘ve been great with another male leading actor (Same as Rear Window :p)
I’m not a big fan of James Stewart but I think he works well in Vertigo because he’s sort of average-looking and seems like the kind of guy who would not notice the plain girl who loves him but fall for and lose his mind over the hot-looking one. His role in Anatomy of a murder (great film, too!) was similar; he had the hands-on secretary but fell hook, like and sinker for femme fatale Lee Remick’s lies.
Who do you think would have been good in Vertigo?
I’ve watched 6 of them: Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train (well 7 if I count The Birds but that was over 15 years ago and I don’t really remember it other than it was pretty scary). I liked all of them so it wasn’t easy to pick 3, but in the end my 3 favourites are Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest and Psycho.
Hi everbody, this is my very first post here. It’s exciting to meet you guys in a different context. Thanks a lot for your effort, Rob. Much appreciated!
This is how I voted:
, Rebecca
. Strangers on a Train
. Shadow of a Doubt
It is remarkable that my favourites are all black- and-white films whereof two are based on literary models. Rebecca on Daphne du Maurier,’s novel of the same name just like The Birds, ‘Strangers on a Train’ on Patricia Highsmith’s debut novel. I believe that a discussion about black-and-white vs coulour film might be interesting. Having said that , one ot the movies listed in the poll that I have not watched yet has attracted my attention. It is ‘Lifeboat’. Can someone of you tell me more about it? – Personally i think that black-and-white is simply THE stylistic device for a classic thriller movie, esp. when it comes to the film noire genre and this not only for aesthetic reasons. ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ I would rather classify as a social study of a small town than a thriller in the common sense. Besides the classical division of gooddies and baddies is fluid here imo. Btw. the story of the film reminds me to some extent of Nabokov’s Lolita. I guess I’m not the only one who has this association. However the focus in the movie is on a different subject imo.
Needless to say that Psycho is the crown of Hitch’s work.
Hi and welcome to the club! You make an interesting point about the literary basis and it makes me realize all three of my faves are based on lit bases: We share Rebecca and Strangers; my 3rd (well, actually my no. 1 ever, of any film), Vertigo, is also based on du Maurier’s writing. I think it says something about Hitch’s ability to adapt quality literary material to the medium of film – something many directors and screenwriters have struggled with.
Interesting point on black and white vs. color; it works of course especially well on the whole light vs. dark / darkness of the soul themes and for gothic settings like Rebecca.
hI, nice to meet you! – I think that the example of thrillers/film noir is the most obvious one when it comes to effects of b/w films. If you think of films that have been coloured subsequently f.e. you realize that this doesn’t really work since those films were not meant to be colour films. I believe that shooting a b/w or a colour film affects the working method as well which also gives another meaning to the images if you see what I’m trying to say. Nowadays some directors use b/w film consicously as a stylistic device, in various film genres.
I didn’t know that Vertigo was also based on a Daphne du Maurier novel/short story Thanks for the info! Indeed, screen adaptations can be very tricky although I believe that his interpretations were rather free.
I think especially with lesser known works (like here with D’entre les morts) it can be quite helpful for screenwriterand director to have more freedom in adapting; in case of Vertigo the San Francisco locations for example really add to the impact of the film for me.
When it comes to the adaptation book to movie the discussion is usually led from the perspective of spectators. I found an interesting article about a controversy between Hitchcock and John Steinbeck who wrote the literary model for ‘Lifeboat’. See below. I can provide the whole article if you are iterested.
Hi Andy. Welcome to the group! Good choices that you voted for – I love all three of those films: Rebecca and Strangers on a Train are amazing and I think Shadow of a Doubt often gets overlooked. I really enjoyed Lifeboat when I watched it many years ago – I think it is really well done in a similar way to Rear Window and Rope where the setting is restricted. I guess it is a thriller, but it is perhaps more of a character study/survival film in that the most enjoyable bits are when the characters are interacting and how they react when the pick up a German sailor (it is set during the war and the others in the boat are mostly American or English). Definitely worth a watch and it is interesting how Hitch manages to include his usual cameo (of sorts).
You are right about Psycho – it always has been and always will be one of my favourite films 🙂
Your remarks about ‘Lifeboat’ are very interesting. I was not aware that Hitch did also deal with political themes in his movies although it is obvious since he has experienced ww2. Meanwhile I have read something about the genesis of ‘Lifeboat’. He has approached Hemingway to help write the script. But Hemingway rejected the offer due to lack of time. Hemingway’s iconic ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ was published in 1952, so 8 years after the release of ‘Lifeboat’. Maybe Hemingway drew inspiration from the film to some extent?
The screenplay of the film was based on a story by John Steinbeck. But Steinbeck was highly disappointed about the adaptation of his novel and this to such an extent that he asked 20th Century Fox to remove his name from the film poster! This is what he wrote:
New York January 10, 1944 Dear Sirs: I have just seen the film Lifeboat, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and billed as written by me. While in many ways the film is excellent there are one or two complaints I would like to make. While it is certainly true that I wrote a script for Lifeboat, it is not true that in that script as in the film there were any slurs against organized labor nor was there a STOCK COMEDY NEGRO. On the contrary there was an intelligent and thoughtful seaman who knew realistically what he was about. And instead of the usual colored travesty of the half comic and half pathetic Negro there was a Negro of dignity, purpose and personality. Since this film occurs over my name, it is painful to me that these strange, sly obliquities should be ascribed to me. John Steinbeck.
Thanks for the information! I did not know that Steinbeck had issues with the film. Do you know when he wrote this? Because Steinbeck was nominated for an Oscar for Best Story! Hitchcock did make a couple of short war propaganda films in the UK the same year that he made Lifeboat – so perhaps they influenced his filmmaking at that time.
As I understood it, Steinbeck wrote this novella for the movie.
In general there was a considerable controversy about this film, esp. in relation of the German character. Some critics claim that the underlying cause for Steinbeck’s conflict with Hitch was here. In this light I’m actually quite surprised about these Academy nominations.
Btw. I read this famous Truffaut interview some time ago. I guess that Hitch did mention this issue there. I should refresh my faded memories.
I just realized that there is a 2015 documentary in which filmmakers discuss i.a. how Francois Truffaut’s book influenced their work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5dBxIatZw
And look what I found by accident, a live recording of the interview! 😀 Maybe it’s a bit exhausting to listen to it entirely since the conversation took place via an interpreter but it’s certainly interesting to get an impression o it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwUnL23zrPvip0v2HuFysocXdw8Ut_k8
Oasis of Fear 
Almost impossible to go wrong with a list of top 15 or 20 Hitchcock films tho I find both Dial M for murder and Rope to be a bit stagey… missing To catch a thief, possibly the most glamorous film ever, and the as always underrated Marnie. Voted for Vertigo (of course), Strangers on a train and Rebecca.
All of which are based on poems I translated from long-dead languages.
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I was going to have all of the Hitchcock films, but thought it best to have a selection of some sort. Good choices for your votes!
What do you think of the trailer for the Hitchcock collection?
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Well done on the translations, by the way. Hitch has a lot to thank you for.
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Very difficult as I love 10 of these films 🙂
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I’ve only watched 7 out of them (Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder, Rebecca and The Birds) plus some not so popular as Marnie, Young & Innocent and Saboteur.
I liked all but my favorites are Rebecca and Dial M for Murder!
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You surprise me here; I would have thought out of those Vertigo and Marnie would be your favorites but instead you’re very old school here ;-).
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Marnie is enjoyable if not a bit too naive psychoanalytically and Vertigo could ‘ve been great with another male leading actor (Same as Rear Window :p)
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I’m not a big fan of James Stewart but I think he works well in Vertigo because he’s sort of average-looking and seems like the kind of guy who would not notice the plain girl who loves him but fall for and lose his mind over the hot-looking one. His role in Anatomy of a murder (great film, too!) was similar; he had the hands-on secretary but fell hook, like and sinker for femme fatale Lee Remick’s lies.
Who do you think would have been good in Vertigo?
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Laurence Olivier could have been great in Vertigo, no?
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I could see him as the bad guy who hired Kim Novak – he just exudes sophistication. Joseph Cotten?
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Or Tyrone Power?
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Orson Welles might work? He played the chubby guy falling for Rita Hayworth in Lady from Shanghai.
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Good choices. I think I have seen about 40 of Hitchcock’s films. I just have a few of his silent ones left to see.
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I’ve watched 6 of them: Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train (well 7 if I count The Birds but that was over 15 years ago and I don’t really remember it other than it was pretty scary). I liked all of them so it wasn’t easy to pick 3, but in the end my 3 favourites are Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest and Psycho.
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Time to revisit The Birds! I love it and it will be in my top 50!
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Yes, I will rewatch The Birds and Psycho from Hitchcock.
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Hi everbody, this is my very first post here. It’s exciting to meet you guys in a different context. Thanks a lot for your effort, Rob. Much appreciated!
This is how I voted:
, Rebecca
. Strangers on a Train
. Shadow of a Doubt
It is remarkable that my favourites are all black- and-white films whereof two are based on literary models. Rebecca on Daphne du Maurier,’s novel of the same name just like The Birds, ‘Strangers on a Train’ on Patricia Highsmith’s debut novel. I believe that a discussion about black-and-white vs coulour film might be interesting. Having said that , one ot the movies listed in the poll that I have not watched yet has attracted my attention. It is ‘Lifeboat’. Can someone of you tell me more about it? – Personally i think that black-and-white is simply THE stylistic device for a classic thriller movie, esp. when it comes to the film noire genre and this not only for aesthetic reasons. ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ I would rather classify as a social study of a small town than a thriller in the common sense. Besides the classical division of gooddies and baddies is fluid here imo. Btw. the story of the film reminds me to some extent of Nabokov’s Lolita. I guess I’m not the only one who has this association. However the focus in the movie is on a different subject imo.
Needless to say that Psycho is the crown of Hitch’s work.
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A (colour) film that I particularely like is ‘To Catch a Thief’. Truely glamurous, witty and charming!
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Hi and welcome to the club! You make an interesting point about the literary basis and it makes me realize all three of my faves are based on lit bases: We share Rebecca and Strangers; my 3rd (well, actually my no. 1 ever, of any film), Vertigo, is also based on du Maurier’s writing. I think it says something about Hitch’s ability to adapt quality literary material to the medium of film – something many directors and screenwriters have struggled with.
Interesting point on black and white vs. color; it works of course especially well on the whole light vs. dark / darkness of the soul themes and for gothic settings like Rebecca.
LikeLike
hI, nice to meet you! – I think that the example of thrillers/film noir is the most obvious one when it comes to effects of b/w films. If you think of films that have been coloured subsequently f.e. you realize that this doesn’t really work since those films were not meant to be colour films. I believe that shooting a b/w or a colour film affects the working method as well which also gives another meaning to the images if you see what I’m trying to say. Nowadays some directors use b/w film consicously as a stylistic device, in various film genres.
LikeLike
Subsequent colorization of films is really a crime; it totally destroys the director’s and cinematographer’s work.
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I didn’t know that Vertigo was also based on a Daphne du Maurier novel/short story Thanks for the info! Indeed, screen adaptations can be very tricky although I believe that his interpretations were rather free.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think especially with lesser known works (like here with D’entre les morts) it can be quite helpful for screenwriterand director to have more freedom in adapting; in case of Vertigo the San Francisco locations for example really add to the impact of the film for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When it comes to the adaptation book to movie the discussion is usually led from the perspective of spectators. I found an interesting article about a controversy between Hitchcock and John Steinbeck who wrote the literary model for ‘Lifeboat’. See below. I can provide the whole article if you are iterested.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Andy. Welcome to the group! Good choices that you voted for – I love all three of those films: Rebecca and Strangers on a Train are amazing and I think Shadow of a Doubt often gets overlooked. I really enjoyed Lifeboat when I watched it many years ago – I think it is really well done in a similar way to Rear Window and Rope where the setting is restricted. I guess it is a thriller, but it is perhaps more of a character study/survival film in that the most enjoyable bits are when the characters are interacting and how they react when the pick up a German sailor (it is set during the war and the others in the boat are mostly American or English). Definitely worth a watch and it is interesting how Hitch manages to include his usual cameo (of sorts).
You are right about Psycho – it always has been and always will be one of my favourite films 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your warm welcome!
Your remarks about ‘Lifeboat’ are very interesting. I was not aware that Hitch did also deal with political themes in his movies although it is obvious since he has experienced ww2. Meanwhile I have read something about the genesis of ‘Lifeboat’. He has approached Hemingway to help write the script. But Hemingway rejected the offer due to lack of time. Hemingway’s iconic ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ was published in 1952, so 8 years after the release of ‘Lifeboat’. Maybe Hemingway drew inspiration from the film to some extent?
The screenplay of the film was based on a story by John Steinbeck. But Steinbeck was highly disappointed about the adaptation of his novel and this to such an extent that he asked 20th Century Fox to remove his name from the film poster! This is what he wrote:
New York January 10, 1944 Dear Sirs: I have just seen the film Lifeboat, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and billed as written by me. While in many ways the film is excellent there are one or two complaints I would like to make. While it is certainly true that I wrote a script for Lifeboat, it is not true that in that script as in the film there were any slurs against organized labor nor was there a STOCK COMEDY NEGRO. On the contrary there was an intelligent and thoughtful seaman who knew realistically what he was about. And instead of the usual colored travesty of the half comic and half pathetic Negro there was a Negro of dignity, purpose and personality. Since this film occurs over my name, it is painful to me that these strange, sly obliquities should be ascribed to me. John Steinbeck.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the information! I did not know that Steinbeck had issues with the film. Do you know when he wrote this? Because Steinbeck was nominated for an Oscar for Best Story! Hitchcock did make a couple of short war propaganda films in the UK the same year that he made Lifeboat – so perhaps they influenced his filmmaking at that time.
LikeLike
As I understood it, Steinbeck wrote this novella for the movie.
In general there was a considerable controversy about this film, esp. in relation of the German character. Some critics claim that the underlying cause for Steinbeck’s conflict with Hitch was here. In this light I’m actually quite surprised about these Academy nominations.
Btw. I read this famous Truffaut interview some time ago. I guess that Hitch did mention this issue there. I should refresh my faded memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I need to read the Truffaut – Hitchcock book again. I remember it being very insightful.
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I just realized that there is a 2015 documentary in which filmmakers discuss i.a. how Francois Truffaut’s book influenced their work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5dBxIatZw
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I bought this on DVD recently, but have not watched it yet. I need to ASAP! 🙂
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And look what I found by accident, a live recording of the interview! 😀 Maybe it’s a bit exhausting to listen to it entirely since the conversation took place via an interpreter but it’s certainly interesting to get an impression o it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwUnL23zrPvip0v2HuFysocXdw8Ut_k8
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Great thanks! I bet it will be really interesting.
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Here is the article that I read. An interesting website called Letters of Note. http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/02/nor-was-there-stock-comedy-negro.html
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Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.
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