Last Days of Alfred

After having years ago started and abandoned Donald Spoto's dry, psychologizing biography of Alfred Hitchcock, I found this book by Hitch's last collaborator a welcome surprise. It offers a far more tangible and intimate portrayal of the actual, day-to-day functioning of Hitchcock's genius, thrown into sharp--and often comic--relief by the old man's inexorable decline. This often poignant, always clear-eyed memoir examines Hitchcock's working methods in illuminating detail: his exploratory process of developing the screenplay, his focus on the minutiae of his characters and the topography of their environment, his views on editing and image size, shock vs suspense, "horizontal cinema" vs "pure cinema," and his use of rhythm and tempo to elicit detailed performances that help audiences identify with his characters. The author's penetrating analyses of Hitchcock's films, and his insightful behind-the-scenes commentary on the included screenplay made me want to go back to view again films I've watched a dozen times. This book is a treasure for Hitchcock fans, and required reading for working or aspiring writers and directors.

I've read "The Last Days of Alfred Hitchcock" with pleasure. Before saying why, I want to comment on a review posted by another reader. It's a misguided attack that cries out for a response. The objection seems to be that the Hitchcock that emerges isn't the one the reader wanted him to be. So? The book is a balanced and nuanced portrait of a great artist at the end of his life. Hitchcock was in bad shape. The pleasure of this book and the reason that people should read it is that we can see his struggle from day to day. Far from being "tabloid commentary" it's an immensely moving story. There's sadness in Hitchcock's deterioration, but there's inspiration in his refusal to quit. This book is about Hitchcock's humanity.