Alfred Hitchcock (UK, 1899–1980) is undeniably the world’s most famous film director. His name has become synonymous with the cinema, and each new generation takes the same pleasure in rediscovering his films, which are now treasures of our artistic heritage. Hitchcock started out in the British silent cinema of the 1920s, which reached its peak with successful thrillers such as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), Sabotage (1936) and The Lady Vanishes (1938). Recognized as a ‘young genius’, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and set about reinventing cinematic tradition, combining the modern with the classic in films such as Vertigo (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and The Birds (1963). Hitchcock gave talented actors such as James Stewart and Cary Grant the chance to play enduring antiheroes and imprinted the public imagination with the myth of the ‘blonde’, as embodied by Grace Kelly, Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren.


MASTERS OF CINEMA
Essential introductions to the work of the world’s greatest directors

Comprehensive, authoritative, yet concise and accessible monographs on leading figures in the history of cinema

Organized chronologically, from the director’s earliest works to their most recent films

Clear and insightful texts written by some of the world’s most respected specialists – film critics, journalists and scholars

Richly illustrated with 100 images, including film stills, set photographs, film sequences and posters, some of which have rarely been seen before

Useful guide to the seminal films of the best directors

Includes a detailed biography, filmography and plot summaries