Author: Edward White
Genre: Biography/Film
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781324002390
W.W. Norton & Company
378 Pages
$14.99; $9.99 Amazon
April 13, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The book's twelve chapters illuminate different aspects of Hitchcock's life and work: "The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up"; "The Murderer"; The Auteur"; "The Womanizer"; "The Fat Man"; "The Dandy"; "The Family Man"; "The Voyeur"; "The Entertainer"; "The Pioneer"; "The Londoner"; "The Man of God." Each of these angles reveals something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived but also the various versions of himself that he projected, and those projected on his behalf.
From Hitchcock's early work in England to his most celebrated films, White astutely analyzes Hitchcock's oeuvre and provides new interpretations. He also delves into Hitchcock's ideas about gender; his complicated relationships with "his women" -- not only Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren but also his female audiences -- as well as with leading men such as Cary Grant; and writes movingly of Hitchcock's devotion to his wife and lifelong companion, Alma, who made vital contributions to numerous classic Hitchcock films and burnished his mythology. And White is trenchant in his assessment of the Hitchcock persona, so carefully created that Hitchcock became not only a figurehead for his own industry but nothing less than a cultured icon.
Ultimately, White's portrayal illuminates a vital truth: Hitchcock was more than a Hollywood titan; he was the definitive modern artist, and his significance reaches far beyond the confines of cinema.
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
I love biographies of old Hollywood, before the acting became blue-screened and actors had to show their abilities or fall by the wayside. Directors were a huge part of their success: John Ford, William Wyler, King Vidor -- and especially Alfred Hitchcock, who made many important and thrilling pictures that spoke to me. I have seen them all; I have been fascinated by every one -- so much so, that I have made them a part of my film library. I limit myself to classic films; and you cannot do without Hitchcock.
In this biography, Mr. White parses the man down to his parts and counterparts, piecing each one to discover who exactly Alfred Hitchcock was. He draws upon his birth and early years, showing us what his parents were like, and how it molded Hitchcock in his earlier years -- some things never leaving him, such as some things never leave us. He moves onto his first years as a filmmaker, using both versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much to show us how he changed his script yet kept the heart of the film alive.
He speaks of Hitchcock's troubles with his weight; but the man loved food; he never ate to live, he lived to eat. I never looked at his physical appearance too much; I guessed he would put the energy into his meals as he would his films. Beauty is what it is, whether it is food, cinema, the world around us. It just is.
Mr. White talks about his films, and how they relate to Hitchcock's thinking. Hitchcock's favorite film is also my own, Shadow of a Doubt. It has the brilliant actor Joseph Cotton, who can slip from being charming in one moment to seamlessly threatening in another. I have always been mesmerized by this film, and watch it at least once per year. Don't ask me why; the film itself is so well-made that it almost puts you in Santa Rosa and you become part of the action. It's suspense at its best.
Hitchcock's films are nothing if they are not suspenseful. They are so enticing to watch, that even if you have seen them over and over and you know what it coming, you still feel that frisson of thrill when the final scene comes. It's the details, all the big and small ones, that make the film what it is. And Hitchcock planned them all, from the costumes to the pacing to the dialogue.
What more can I say about this book except that Mr. White is thorough in his parsing of Alfred Hitchcock. He shows him as the Man, and also as the Great Director. It is an interesting note on both cinema and the director. If you have not seen any of his films, I suggest you watch them. You will never be the same. Highly recommended.
I received this book from Amazon and the publisher but it in no way influenced this review.
More on Edward White's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Edward-White/e/B00GAPBAFS/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
No comments:
Post a Comment