Masters of Cinema Interview With Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

With the recent release of Sacha Gervasi’s terrific Hitchcock, my having seen four of the master of suspense’s films (1954’s Rear Window, 1958’s Vertigo, 1963’s The Birds, and 1964’s Marnie) on the big screen this year, and this year being the 40th anniversary of 1972’s Frenzy (Hitchcock’s first film shot in his native England in over 30 years and the first to show clear nudity), I’ve decided to post this Masters of Cinema interview with Alfred Hitchcock (shot in 1972) that I recently stumbled upon.

The first part of the interview is conducted by Pia Lindström (daughter of Ingrid Bergman). Among the things discussed are working with actors, the casting of blonde women, why kitchen sink dramas never appealed to Hitchcock, the use of suspense in 1945’s Spellbound, the shooting of 1951’s Strangers On a Train, and Hitchcock’s handling of fame and success. The second part of the interview is conducted by William Everson. Among the things discussed are Hitchcock’s early career in Germany, F.W. Murnau’s 1924 film The Last Laugh, the influence of German cinema on 1927’s The Lodger, comparisons between the 1934 and 1956 versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much, the shooting of 1963’s The Birds, the cross cutting in 1932’s Number Seventeen, his move to Hollywood, how he nearly made a film about the Titanic, and what film schools should teach.