Alfred Hitchcock was a famous English film director born in 1899 in London. He worked in various jobs before joining the film industry in the 1920s. Some of his most notable silent films included The Pleasure Garden and The Lodger. In 1940, he moved to Hollywood where he became extremely successful and famous, with many of his films bearing his name. His 1960 film Psycho was particularly influential, featuring graphic violence and sexuality and establishing conventions for horror film music and editing. It was a major commercial success. Hitchcock died in 1980, having directed over 50 films in a career that left a significant influence on the film industry.

1. Alfred Hitchcock

2. • Birth: 13th August 1899 in London, England
• Death: 29 April 1980 in Bel Air, Los Angeles
Hitchcock was born in London, England. He had a mother and father, Emma Jane and William
Hitchcock; and had two older siblings, William Hitchcock and Eileen Hitchcock. Before Hitchcock
became involved with the film industry he worked with his family as a greengrocer and later
became an estimator for the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company. When he transferred jobs,
Hitchcock started taking an interest in movies and would often visit the cinema.
At the start of the 1920s, Hitchcock joined the film industry as a set designer. Hitchcock only
started to direct films after the director for ‘AlwaysTellYour Wife’ became ill. Hitchcock’s first real
attempt at directing a film was in 1923 when he was hired to direct the film Number 13. He
directed other films during the 1920s including: The Pleasure Garden (1925) and The Lodger
(1927), his first trademark film.
On the 2nd of December 1927, Hitchcock married Alma Reville. On July 7th, 1928, Alma gave birth
to Hitchcock's only daughter, Patricia Hitchcock.
In 1940, the Hitchcock family moved to Hollywood, during this time Hitchcock’s fame grew
rapidly. Film companies started to name his films as 'Alfred Hitchcock's‘. Alfred Hitcock's Psycho
(1960) and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972) are both examples of this type of film naming.
Hitchcock died during sleep due to renal failure on the 29th April 1980. His funeral was held in the
Church of Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, where over 600 people attended.
Biography

3. Films
• The Skin Game (1931)
• Mary (1931)
• Rich and Strange (1931)
• Number Seventeen
(1932)
• Waltzes from Vienna
(1934)
• The Man Who Knew Too
Much (1934)
• The 39 Steps (1935)
• Secret Agent (1936)
• Sabotage (1936)
• Young and Innocent
(1937)
• The Lady Vanishes
(1938)
• Jamaica Inn (1939)
• Rebecca (1940)
• Foreign Correspondent
(1940)
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
• Suspicion (1941)
• Saboteur (1942)
• Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
• Lifeboat (1944)
• Aventure Malgache (1944,
short)
• Bon Voyage (1944, short)
• Spellbound (1945)
• Notorious (1946)
• The Paradine Case (1947)
• Rope (1948)
• Under Capricorn (1949)
• Stage Fright (1950)
• Strangers on a Train (1951)
• Number 13 (1922,
unfinished)
• Always Tell Your Wife
(1923, short)
• The Pleasure Garden (1925)
• The Mountain Eagle (1926,
lost)
• The Lodger: A Story of the
London Fog (1927)
• The Ring (1927)
• Downhill (1927)
• The Farmer's Wife (1928)
• Easy Virtue (1928)
• Champagne (1928)
• The Manxman (1929)
• Blackmail (1929)
• Juno and the Paycock
(1930)
• Murder! (1930)
• Elstree Calling (1930)
• I Confess (1953)
• Dial M for Murder (1954)
• Rear Window (1954)
• To Catch a Thief (1955)
• The Trouble with Harry (1955)
• The Man Who Knew Too Much
(1956)
• The Wrong Man (1956)
• Vertigo (1958)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• Psycho (1960)
• The Birds (1963)
• Marnie (1964)
• Torn Curtain (1966)
• Topaz (1969)
• Frenzy (1972)
• Family Plot (1976)
• The Short Night (1979,
cancelled)

4. During Hitchcock's career he won 28 awards was nominated for 32 more.The
more noticeable awards were the 2 Golden Globes he won and the 5 Oscar
nominations for best director.
Psycho, arguably one of Hitchcock’s most famous films, was the film that made
modern horror so gory and violent. It truly broke the rules on censorship in the
1960s. It contained graphic violence, sexual themes, set the rules on how music
is used in modern film and created the world famous ‘Slasher’ genre.
Psycho started to allow audiences to get used to graphic themes of violence and
sex. The shower scene is one of the most prolific horror scenes in history.
Hitchcock purposely filmed the movie in black in white, if the blood was in
colour, the movie would have been to gory to show to 1960s audiences.
This scene contains non-diagetic music of loud and harsh string instruments
being played as the victim gets killed.This technique set the horror music
conventions for all horror movies, as audiences now associate loud music with
danger.
Career and Influence

5. • Release Date: 15 September 1960 (UK)
• Language: English
• Filming Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
• Budget: $806,947 (estimated)
• Gross:
-$32,000,000 (USA)
-$50,000,000 (Worldwide) ( January 2004)
Psycho - Information

6. Marion Crane is an office worker based in Phoenix, Arizona. After being
trusted to bank $40,000, Marion steals the money in the hopes of starting a
new life. She attempts to travel far away from Arizona, but gets caught in a
storm and decides to stay the night in the Bates Motel.
Later in the night she goes for a shower and is greeted by an unwelcome
visitor…
Psycho - Narrative

7. • Anthony Perkins – Norman bates
• Vera Miles – Lila Crane
• John Gavin – Sam Loomis
• Janet Leigh – Marion Crane
• Martin Balsam – Detective Milton Arbogast
• John McIntire – Sheriff Al Chambers
• Simon Oakland – Doctor Fred Richman
• Frank Albertson – Tom Cassisdy
• Patricia Hancock – Caroline
• VaughnTaylor – George Lowery
• LureneTuttle – Mrs. Chambers
• John Anderson – California Charlie
• Mort Mills – Highway Patrol Officer
Psycho - Characters

8. • Rotten Tomatoes – 96%
• ‘Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre.
Because Psycho was filmed with tact, grace and art, Hitchcock didn’t just create
modern horror, he validated it.’
Psycho - Reviews