Take THAT Sight & Sound!
Alfred Hitchcock’s films have been a long passion of mine, so much so that I spent an awful lot of time at film school studying them. Since Sight & Sound saw fit to declare Vertigo the greatest film of all time – which it most assuredly is not – I feel like weighing in with my list of 10 Hitchcock films I like better than Vertigo. In truth, almost all of Hitchcock’s films I like better than Vertigo. Since ranking these is like a mother ranking her favorite children, I just randomly put them up there. Because I’m limited to ten films (and that’s harsh, man, really harsh), I point out that these are not necessarily Hitchcock’s ‘best’ films, but rather the ones that I return to time and again because they’re just so damn good/fun. And better than Vertigo.
There are a few spoilers, methinks, so be warned.
10. JAMAICA INN
Better then Vertigo?! Now you see how much I dislike Vertigo. I would never claim that Jamaica Inn is among Hitchcock’s best. But it’s one of my personal favorites. For all its flaws, up to and including Charles Laughton’s eyebrows, it’s one of Hitch’s few adventure stories, set in the 18th Century on the Cornish coast. Maureen O’Hara is a great heroine and spends most of the film being remarkably resourceful and feisty. Laughton is an excellent, if over-the-top, villain. The last twenty minutes of the film are absolutely harrowing, as Laughton goes from being a humorous caricature to a truly terrifying madman. I also have an abiding affection for young Robert Newton as the dashing ne’er-do-well smuggler. So despite being somewhat slow-burning and a little anti-climactic, I still advocate for Jamaica Inn.
9. YOUNG AND INNOCENT
One of the earlier manifestations of the ‘wrong man’ narrative that Hitch would use so effectively in later films like North by Northwest. In this case, the wrong man is a twenty-something young writer accused of murder, rescued by the daughter of the chief of police. A tentative, puppy-ish romance develops during the dash across the English countryside. This one has all the hallmarks of Hitchcock’s humor: bumbling policemen, a slew of British character actors, charming repartee, a dead body. It also contains one of the best crane shots committed to celluloid, right up there with Orson Welles’s opening of Touch of Evil. It’s very light and frothy when all is said and done, but you see the deft touch of the master in every shot.
8. ROPE
Speaking of camera tricks: Rope! Rope is far more than just an attempt at a continuous shot (there are several cuts, but Hitch disguises them quite well). There’s not a wasted movement in the whole film, but we tend to overlook the abilities of Hitchcock’s actors. John Dall and Farley Granger are excellent as the self-centered, self-serving murderers – Dall in particular ranks up there as one of the finest Hitchcock villains. He’s charming and erudite and sickeningly likable, even as he espouses nihilist sentiments and strangles a man to death. Hitchcock draws out the suspense as only he can, macabre humor heightening the horror as the audience is forced into collusion with the murderers. It’s 80 minutes of pure suspense, as Dall and Granger serve dinner from a chest containing a corpse. It might seem like an exercise in camera work, but you quickly forget about the roving eye and find yourself immersed in the story.
7. FAMILY PLOT
So. Much. Fun. Kidnapping, extortion, diamonds, psychics, murder, arson and Karen Black. A light, circuitous narrative with some great set-pieces – the runaway car in the California mountains, the opening jewel heist among them. Again, just a good bit of fun and a great way for the Master to go out.
6. TO CATCH A THIEF
I’m realizing that many of these films are among Hitchcock’s ‘lighter’ fare. To Catch a Thief might very well be the lightest. Grace Kelly is among my least favorite actresses, but here she’s wonderfully cold and blond and sexy by turns. Very much helped by Cary Grant with wisecracks and dinner clothes and some light fingers. The famous fireworks scene is ridiculous yet somehow incredibly sexy (‘Even in this light I can tell where your eyes are looking’). The undercurrent of sex and sadism is palpable, with a healthy perverse overtone in Kelly’s attraction to Grant’s jewel thief. In the end, there’s nothing better than Cary Grant climbing through your window. Just a well-done caper film.
5. THE 39 STEPS
The film that Criterion likes so much they keep on releasing it. Widely considered his best British film, The 39 Steps does everything that North by Northwest does, only with greater simplicity and, I would argue, better results. Another entry in the ‘wrong man’ genre, this time with an ascerbic hero played by Robert Donat. Hitchcock was an excellent critic of his native land, and here both the love and the criticism of Britain as a nation are brought to front. There are villains, but there are also heroes, mostly among the working class. There’s also some good old fashioned bondage: when Hitchcock handcuffs his two leads together halfway through the film, you know it’s about to get interesting.
4. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY
I’m surprised by how much criticism has been levied at this film. It’s beautifully photographed – the Massachussetts countryside in the fall in glorious color – and the stream of character actors handle their parts admirably. This is an ensemble, not a star-driven film, and everyone has a part to play. Luckily, the parts are played by John Forsythe, Shirley Maclaine, Edmund Gwenn, Jerry Mathers, and Mildred Natwick. The whole plot revolves around a dead body that, for one reason and another, just won’t stay buried. It’s incredibly funny and optimistic for a film so steeped in death.
3. NOTORIOUS
Vertigo has a damaging love affair, unhealthy sexuality, an unsympathetic hero and all kinds of nasty manipulation. Guess what? So does Notorious! But it’s better. So much better. Nigh unto a perfect film, from the opening courtroom scene, to the infamous extended kiss that Hitch only just got away with, to the tense final rescue, there is nothing – nothing! – wrong with this film. A masterpiece of cross-cutting and chiaroscuro. Cary Grant plays against type as a real sonofabitch, Bergman is positively luminous and tough as nails. And Claude Rains? Don’t even get me started on Claude Rains, a man born to play likable villains. In Vertigo, I never understood why a woman would sacrifice herself for Jimmy Stewart. But for Cary Grant? Yeah. I get that. Almost Hitchcock’s best black and white film. Almost.
2. PSYCHO
And this is the almost. Psycho is not only Hitchcock’s masterpiece; it is one of his most influential films. It goes far beyond the well-known shower scene. How many films murder their leading lady half an hour in? How many establish a paradigm of audience sympathy, only to have it rudely snatched away at the end? How many linger on the aftermath of a vicious murder like it’s spring-cleaning? And how many do it all with a sense of masochistic delight? Psycho is a funny film, particularly on second viewing. It’s also scary as hell. The next to final shot of Norman’s face says it all. There are some forms of monstrosity that we cannot explain.
1. THE LADY VANISHES
But in the end, Psycho is not my favorite Hitchcock. It might be his best, but it’s not my favorite. The Lady Vanishes, his next to last British film and arguably his best from that period, is simply delightful. The first twenty minutes of the film plays like a screwball comedy, such that you’re almost surprised when the Hitchcockian elements begin falling into place once all your characters board the train and the lady vanishes. A lot of the credit goes to Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood as Gilbert and Iris, a screwball couple trading barbs even as they investigate the disappearance of a sweet old English nanny. Again, British character actors abound, there’s an action sequence on a train, a nun in high heels, vanishing cabinets, magic tricks, and a young lady who may or may not be insane. All in all, charming, sexy, suspenseful and great fun.
Remember, we here at Man, I Love Films don’t do definitive lists. We do our favorites and we want to hear yours. So, make sure and tell us about them in the comments section below.
Wayne (6)
Mette (4)
Nic Cage (4)
Sebastian (4)
steve (4)
John (3)
Nick (3)
Chip Lary (2)
Dan (2)
I agree with the Vertigo sentiments. I wasn’t a fan of that one, either. But I’ve only seen 2 on this list (Rope and Psycho). What about North by Northwest? Rear Window? The Birds? Not having even one–much less all three–not show up on a Top 10 Hitchcock is… somehow very wrong.
Wait … you’ve not seen the vast majority of these, but it’s wrong to leave off North by Northwest, Rear Window and The Birds? OK then.
I like all three of those, but I admit that they’re not my favorites. Rear Window is technically masterful, but the human emotions aren’t there. It’s a very cold film. The Birds has some serious problems (and his name is Rod Taylor). North by Northwest almost made it, but I actually prefer To Catch a Thief.
I didn’t say the ones on your list were bad choices/movies. After all, how could I? I just meant I was shocked not to see any of those major titles make the cut. No need to get snippy…
Sorry, didn’t mean to sound snippy. A lot of these I chose because I love them and they don’t get a lot of respect/love. There’s a tendency to just think of Hitch’s big, popular films and miss out on his lesser known ones … many of which are as good or better than the ‘big five’.
Hmm, wasn’t expecting those Hitchcock films. At least you are being honest.
I’m with Nick. Vertigo is the least of Hitchcock’s five classics–along with Psycho, the other films that should be here are North by Northwest, Rear Window, and The Birds.
Notorious? Frenzy? Suspicion? Rebecca? Shadow of a Doubt? The Lodger? The Man Who Knew Too Much? Dial M For Murder?
I find it interesting that the ‘masterpieces’ folks keep on mentioning are his later period, and almost all in color. I admit that I love his British period, and actually find it more technically and subjectively interesting than his more polished later films.
Twitter: fandangogroover
August 10, 2012 9:26 am
I only have one I prefer and it didn’t make your list, North by Northwest.
Twitter: agracru
August 10, 2012 9:30 am
This is a common problem with all obsessive nerd lists: they’re always subjective. The reason Sight and Sound’s matters is because they’ve been one of the most influential film publications on the planet for decades upon decades, but even then, I actually like the director’s list more– even if I understand why Vertigo made the number one slot.
For my own part, Strangers On a Train will ALWAYS be my favorite Hitchcock film, though The Wrong Man is up there and I frankly think Marnie gets much less credit than it deserves.
Twitter: T_Lawson
August 10, 2012 9:35 am
I don’t hate Vertigo (yet – I’ll give it one more mandatory classroom viewing), but I don’t especially like it. Stewart is good, but better in other roles, and even from a technical standpoint I prefer several other Hitchcock films. I’ll only name a few (since I might do my own Hitch-list someday), but I love the original Man who Knew Too Much, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, and Spellbound (which is far from a perfect film, but it’s one that I always come back to).
I see some other commenters have mentioned The Birds, but I think that aside from a few impressive technical sequences it is overrated – Tippi Hedren gives a more impressive performance (and has a more charismatic co-star) in Marnie.
There’s always the issue of ‘best’ films vs. favorite ones. So Jamaica Inn is among my favorites, but it is definitely not a ‘best.’ I also realize that I left off Stage Fright, Shadow of a Doubt, The Lodger, Murder!, Frenzy, and Secret Agent.
Twitter: agracru
August 10, 2012 11:15 am
Yeah, I’m with you here– there’s definitely a distinction worth drawing between “favorite” and “best”.
Twitter: ptsnob
August 10, 2012 10:17 am
Lauren, I’m with you on the top three. I’d add North by Northwest, Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train to this list. I like Vertigo and think Stewart is great in it, but it’s not one of my favorites.
I haven’t seen three on your list (Family Plot, Young and Innocent, Jamaica Inn). In terms of the other four, I think they’re good but put them on a similar level to Vertigo. It’s all so subjective because the styles are different for lighter fare like To Catch a Thief and The Trouble with Harry.
Twitter: ftstweets
August 10, 2012 11:51 am
Rebecca is one my top 3 favorite movies in general so I’m sad it didn’t make it onto your list. Despite it being his only Oscar winner I rarely hear anyone even talk about it but I think it’s such a fantastic film, plus I grew up with it watching B&W movies with my mom.
Obviously, Rear Window will be people’s biggest omitted beef. It’s all subjective though. I recently saw it in theaters and it was just mesmerizing on the big screen. The flash bulb scene in particular was brilliant (pun not intended?).
Only other films I’d probably include would be Shadow of a Doubt & Dial M for Murder.
I love The Lady Vanishes though so I’m totally cool with that topping your list.
Great list. I’ve never understood the love Vertigo gets.
What is it that folks don’t like about Vertigo? I’m kind of shocked. I didn’t realize this sentiment existed. It’s my favorite Hitchcock, and I say that as a huge fan of Hitchcock.
Twitter: agracru
August 13, 2012 5:13 am
I’m actually curious about this as well, now that you mention it.
I personally have some analytical problems with Vertigo that I don’t really want to go into here. So here’s my personal ones. I completely admit that it’s a technically masterful film, and probably Hitchcock’s best use of color. The opening is excellent. But for all that I find it incredibly dull. It takes an excessive amount of time to get from one scene to another, dulling the suspense without substituting anything interesting in its place. The drive Stewart takes around San Francisco alone could have been cut by half and lost nothing.
It’s also among Hitchcock’s coldest works, by which I mean I don’t feel the intensity or the passion that I think I’m meant to feel. This might be the fault of Stewart and Novak; Stewart has the sex appeal of a walking stick and Novak can only convey breathy suffering and wide-eyed idiocy. Their relationship is the central concern of the story, but by the time I get to the second half of the film, I don’t believe for a moment that Stewart loves her so passionately he’s going to destroy everything around him (including himself) for her. Nor can I believe that Novak has developed such a desire for him that she’ll allow him to effectively abuse and manipulate her. I think this sort of relationship, while disturbing, can be very believable and heart-wrenching (see Notorious and Marnie). It just falls flat here. Honestly, this feels like a problem with casting more than anything, but it could have been lessened with slightly less self-indulgence in the technical area.
I suppose I come down to it being a good idea that looks amazing on paper, but in film winds up boring and disgusting me by turns. The supposed tragedy at the end does not feel tragic; I’m just usually glad it’s over.
Actually, if my memory serves me correctly, Vertigo was ‘blah’ at the box office, and critics bashed it calling it too long, slow, etc. Hitchcock blamed Stewart on its failure and actually refused to work with him again after this point (I believe this was, in large, why Cary Grant got the role in North by Northwest… a role I believe was either intended for or very much anticipated by Stewart).
So Vertigo hate has been around since its release. It wasn’t lauded until its re-release in the 80s.
Twitter: agracru
August 13, 2012 1:01 pm
Yep, that’s just about right. As with a number of classics, it took a great deal of time before critics began to re-evaluate Vertigo and accord it the esteem it holds today. I think what John and I are curious over is this sort of renewed criticism of the film, though. Since getting another look after its re-release, Vertigo has become one of cinema’s sacred cows, so it’s interesting to see people take a different tact to it.
Ok, I think I have a new movie project now. I’ve seen a lot of Hitchcock (23 films to date, plus a few seasons of Hitchcock Presents), and plenty in black and white, but shockingly few from the UK and/or pre-1941- Sabotage and The Man Who Knew Too Much, and that’s it. I tried 39 Steps but the copy I had was so degraded that it wasn’t fair to the film to continue. And thus, in the next month or so, I’m going to try to bust out The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, and Murder!, as an appetizer.
I’m especially glad to see Rope and The Trouble with Harry getting a little love.
Regarding Psycho, you’re absolutely right that the genius of the film goes beyond the shower scene… but let’s not gloss over how amazing that scene was. It’s perfect in every way.
For whatever reason, I think of Family Plot and Frenzy as an either/or proposition, and Frenzy is one of my very favorites. Although I certainly enjoyed Family Plot.
Always the problem with his British films: the vast majority are available, but floating around in some really terrible public domain prints. Luckily, both The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps are on Criterion; The Lodger, Young & Innocent, Blackmail, and Sabotage are available from the Paramount (?) boxed set. Most copies of Jamaica Inn cut out about 8 minutes in the middle, and there’s some pretty essential exposition. The only complete version on DVD is the Kino disc.
I really wish someone would do a decent job of preserving films like Murder! and Secret Agent. They’re not AMAZING, but they deserve better.
Frenzy I think is in the running for an unsung masterpiece, but the central murder/rape scene is so disturbing to me that I’ve really only seen it twice.
I’ll never look at potatoes the same way again.