Alfred Hitchcock [Paperback]

Alfred Hitchcock rigorously controlled his public image, drawing certain carefully selected childhood anecdotes into full focus and blurring out all others. In this gripping short biography, Peter Ackroyd wrests the director’s chair back from the master of control to reveal a lugubriously jolly man fond of practical jokes, who smashed a once-used tea cup every morning to remind himself of the frailty of life. Iconic film stars make cameo appearances throughout Hitchcock’s story, just as the director did in his own films: Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, James Stewart and, perhaps most famously of all, Tippi Hedren, who endures cuts and bruises from a fearsome flock of real birds. Perceptive and intelligent,Alfred Hitchcockis a fascinating look at one of the most revered directors of the twentieth century.“A smart, fluent overview of the director’s life and art, and the mysterious dynamic between the two.” —The New York Times

“A masterful book on the Master of Suspense: like all good movies, it’s over too soon.” —The Seattle Times
 
“Superb, insightful. . . . [A] deft and moving biography.” —The Guardian

“A character portrait . . . guided by a novelist’s skills of characterization and texture.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Ackroyd masters the suspense ofAlfred Hitchcock.” —Vanity Fair
 
“Irresistible.” —The Independent(London)
 
“Immaculate and phenomenally readable.” —The Buffalo News
 
“As packed with anecdotes as an after-dinner speech. Everyone, it seems, had a story about Hitch, most of them ghoulish.” —Newsweek
 
“Well written . . . and unusually well attuned to the religious element [of Hitchcock’s movies].” &mdlc5