My personal favorite is “Notorious.” Although I believe it’s not his essential masterpiece, it comes pretty damn close. I would be bold enough to even say that it may be his greatest film of the 1940’s. His style was never more exemplified, with scenes such as Bergman’s rotating P.O.V. shot early in the film, as well as all those amazing inserts. Rich cinematography, a compelling story that is well acted (Grant, Bergman, and Rains at their peak), this movie comes close to perfection. It exudes Hitchcock.
Runners Up and in no particular order: (The usuals)
Rear Window (The most Hitchcock)
Vertigo (My opinion as his best and his most personal)
Psycho (The most iconic and well crafted)
North by Northwest (The most fun and entertaining)
Top 5 Hitchcock
Best film by each of these directors
These two threads are good places to go if you want to try and find a quick consensus. Neither of them are particularly enlightening as to why the choices were made, but such are “list” threads.
My favorite is Notorious. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman? Yes, please. A lot of classic Hitchcock things going on, too: The whole domineering mother theme, the use of uranium ore as a MacGuffin. I love Hitchcocks 40s work.
I think this type of question, especially when it concerns someone of the caliber of Alfred Hitchcock, is an extremely difficult one. So what makes a film by Hitchcock his ‘best’? Is it the way he manipulates time and tension? Or is it the performances that he commands from his actors? I mean if it’s a reason similar to either of those, deciding what film happens to be his best is a difficult choice since all of his films are generally delicately paced and expertly acted. In my opinion, the title of the best Hithcock film could be between a group of films. For me it’s Lifeboat, North By Northwest, Rear Window and Rope. I think those are vastly different films treated with Hitchcockian precision. I can’t pick between these four films and I can’t tell you anything besides that they are completely brilliant.
dp
I know it’s a boring selection, but Vertigo. I find it psychologically the most interesting, and I don’t like the way Cary Grant plays Hitchcock leads.
Notorious is good too.
@ J.D.- Thanks for the links. I agree with your consensus about the themes in “Notorious”
@Tommy- True, it is a very difficult decision. All of those I metioned could easily be my favorite another day. That says a lot about a director, when he has more than one masterpiece to chose from. Just wanted to see other peoples opinions basically.
personal favorites
The Birds
Trouble with Harry
Frenzy
Notorious is my favorite as well I was blown away by it. the same cant be said for The Birds which had little plot and little suspense and it was long as hell :/
I love the detours of The Birds. The way she flirts with Rod Taylor then goes to that island. I did not care as much about the suspense parts (tho they were handled very well). It was almost like two movies, a off kilter amusing romance and a horror film. I responded to the first completely charmed and the fairly interested.
For me, its Psycho – a perfect suspense machine. Not a scene goes by where someone isn’t keeping a secret, hiding something or much worse. It builds and builds and builds. Of course the “money shots” are now very familiar to us, but there’s a good reason for that.
2) Vertigo
3) Notorious
I don’t like Hitchcock but, for me, what Den says about the Birds kind of applies to Shadow of a Doubt. I like Teresa Wright and her family but have no interest in Uncle Charlie and whatever he brings to the table.
The romance was not enthusiastic enough for me to enjoy it. Just two good looking people trapped in a bad situation who cling to each other for support. It may sound compelling but what Hitch did with the pacing of that film really bothered me. I very much like the romantic tension in Notorious and I dont understand how one can prefer The Birds…I guess I need to see it once more.
I cannot explain it Sek, I have issues with pacing as you may have noticed but this one was never boring or long for me, maybe I just have a thing for Tippi Hedren. I liked the lack of tension, it was almost like a Doris Day breezy thing until the horror started.
Strangers on a Train was always my favorite when I watched Hitchcock films. I was also quite fond of The Lady Vanishes and Lifeboat.
SHADOW OF A DOUBT is Hitchcock’s crowning achievement. Many others come close, but SHADOW takes everything that’s great about Hitchcock and puts it all together in its most strikingly original and emotionally honest form. Other great films of his go a little over-the-top in creating showy, but somewhat implausible setpieces (e.g. the carousel finale in STRANGERS, that whole walk down the stairs in NOTORIOUS), but SHADOW keeps it down to earth and that makes it special.
I see. I will watch The Birds again later on and hopefully enjoy it more. Tippi Hedren is gorgeous though
“The Birds” has the breeziest, most long-winded opening in a Hitch film since “The Lady Vanishes.” And its one of the best things about both films. You have so much fun hanging out with and watching the characters that you almost forget “Oops! I have a suspense thriller that I need to get into sometime soon.”
It’s almost impossible for me to pick a best Hitch film. For years I considered it to be “Vertigo”, which I also considered to be among my top 3 films of all-time. It still has to get strong consideration for being the best, if only because it may be the most unique Hitch film (and surely the most beautiful).
This is a losing battle. If you pick a canonized classic like “Vertigo”, you feel you’re being boring and repetitive. If you pick a “lesser” gem like “Lifeboat”, deep down you question if it really is better than the canonized classics. One thing I know for sure. The greatest Hitch film of his British period is “The Lady Vanishes”. It’s an absolutely perfect jewel with no flaws. I find its correlative in his American period to be “North by Northwest”. So what would the correlative of “Vertigo” be for the British period? Perhaps “Jamaica Inn”.
tony1990
The term “best” gets thrown a lot around in film circles. What is Welles’ best? What is Ford’s? What I’m curious to find out is, what is the most common favorite film of a specific directors canon? So I decided to post a question and see how many replies I would get. If I’m successful, I’ll post a new director every week asking the same question.
What is your favorite Alfred Hitchcock film and why? It may coincide with your opinion as his best, but then again it may not. Just curious to find out the general consensus.