Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light

The author of this book did not forget one tiny detail. Everything you ever wanted to know about Alfred Hitchcock, personally or professionally, is in this book. It is highly recommended.

McGilligan's Alfred Hitchcock : A Life in Darkness and Light is not a "tell all the dirty secrets" biography, but rather a serious attempt to examine the man and his life, filling in the pieces through interviews, letters and published writings. That very much works in its favor. While other bios have often focused on the "dark" side of the Master of Suspense, painting a portrait of a disturbed man, McGilligan's work is more measured. We see the darkness, but we also see the light. There are some "tell all" moments that show Hitchcock's strange/dark side, but they don't come across as too gossipy. The pacing is a bit off - the initial chapters, for instance, spend far too much time dealing with a handful of short stories he wrote for publication prior to his film career - but the writing is good, and more detail is gone into on the state of Hitchcock's life during each individual film than any other bio. It's a really strong look into his life AND his films. For film lovers, the looks at how Hitch handled direction and his inventiveness are especially a joy to read. You get a very strong insight into how the master worked, which made me appreciate his films all the more. This bio is very long, but also very comprehensive. Highly reocmmended.

As with John Ford, Orson Welles and a few other monument-like auteurs, one wonders if there is anything else to add when library shelves already groan under the weight of books about these great directors. In the case of Alfred Hitchcock, a proverbial household name, the challenge for a writer seems to double. And yet McGilligan as he did with Fritz Lang, Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood has pulled it off. In addition to seamlessly blending new research with a compelling narrative, this biography allows the reader to rediscover the familiar. McGilligan humanizes the director in the best way. Hitchcock is neither the repressed almost deviant sadist that Donald Spoto painted back in his controversial bio nor a droll, almost Santa Claus-like teller of ripping yarns, as mytholgized in Time-Life articles, but a highly talented man, a flawed, but essentially decent husband and father, and a complex artist caught between serving the demands of mainstream Hollywood and fulfilling his creative instincts. This is a big book, but it reads as briskly as one of Hitch's best films. Essential for any serious film book library.

The third biography of Hitchcock focuses as much on Hitchcock and his work as it does the surrounding circumstances that informed it. What's really outstanding about this biography is the new bits of information and the careful research. I read Donald Spoto's book on Hitchcock 15 years ago and, while I found it informative, I also found it focused on Hitch's character flaws at the expense of providing a well rounded view of the person. This National Enquirer approach to Hitchcock look much of the credibility away from Spoto's book in my mind. In contrast, there's more information and fair balanced analysis than in John Russell Taylor's offical biography. Like Taylor's book is, like Spoto's, well researched, this biography has the advantage of additional scholarship and sources willing to share new information and insights on Hitchcock. We get to see short stories that Hitch wrote when he was young, a number of interesting onset observations about the various films Hitchcock made and a shred analysis of Hitchcock's relationship between his leading men and ladies. In fact, I don't think any book has done such a great job of pointing out the reasons why Grant and Hitchcock broke off their collaborations in the 40's.Likewise, there are tidbits about both Robe and Strangers on a Train that I had never known (for example, Stewart Granger who is one of the leads in both films was gay. That's not important except when you realize that Hitchcock cast against sexual orientation in Strangers having the straight Robert Walker play the homosexual killer and Granger the straight hero of the film).There's also a discussion about the casting decisions for various Hitchcock films, who he had in mind for various roles (some of which turned him down). For example, Grant was originally the actor that Hitchcock had in mind for Robe rather than Jimmy Stewart. While Grant wanted to do Vertigo desperately and Hitchcock ultimately got his first choice, Jimmy Stewart. There's also quite a bit of information on the various films Hitchcock consulted on but never took credit for and a detailed analysis of the relationships between the best writers he worked with (John Michael Hayes, Ernest Lehman, Joseph Stefano, Ben Hect)and why their various working relationships splintered and fell apart. If you like this book on Hitchcock check out the author's other two biographies on two overlooked directors (both of whom Hitch admired)Friz Lang and George Cukor.

Exhaustive, rich and incredibly detailed, this is sure to please the film enthusiast who enjoys scholarly film biographies. The text is over 700 pages and each film of Hitchcock's career is covered in detail, with particular attention to his relationships with his collaborators (screenwriters, costumers, musicians, actors, etc.). Hitckcock's creative genius was unique - he could visualize his film down to the most minute detail before the cameras even rolled (indeed after the script was completed he felt that filming the work was the most boring aspect of it). Script conferences were lengthy and detailed and Hitchcock's mulling and proscrastination often drove many screenwriters to distraction. Those who perservered however, earned respect and dedication from Hitchcock. Despite the book's meticulous attention to detail (some readers might find the analysis of Hitchcock's contract details with David Selznick exasperating), the personal character of Hitchcock shines through. He was a devoted family man, faithful and respectful of his wife Alma Reville, whose opinion he valued above all others when it came to criticism of his work. But he was also a passive admirer of beautiful actresses, often becoming obsessive with them, with sometimes devastating results. He was also a highly sensitive man and despite his own tendency to be unforgiving when crossed and boorish on the set, he was easily hurt by comments about his weight, habits, etc. And he loved animals and would not watch a film that depicted cruelty to animals (one of his favorite films was "Benji".) A lover of life, travel, good food and wine but most of all his work, his life is shown here as an exuberant one and not as dark as depicted in Donald Spoto's earlier biography. A wonderful read and highly recommended!