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So: Hitchcock by the Numbers.
In a career spanning 1925 to 1976, Hitchcock directed 54 feature films. You will find slight variations in this number being cited. The film Mary (1931) was filmed simultaneously and on the same sets as Murder! (1930) but with German actors and a German version of the script. I count this as two films. Some, when discussing the content of Hitchcock films leave out The Mountain Eagle (1927). The film is lost to history so we don't know, for example, whether Hitchcock made a cameo.
With that in mind, here goes.
- Directed 54 feature films.
- 40 were mysteries or thrillers.
- - 11 of these were spy thrillers.
- 10 were dramas or melodramas.
- - 1 was a sports melodrama.
- 3 were comedies and 2 more were mystery/comedies.
- 1 musical.
- 26 were adapted from novels.
- 12 were from original screenplays or stories original to the screen.
- - 1 of these won an Oscar for John Steinbeck (Lifeboat).
- 11 were adapted from plays.
- 2 were adapted from short stories.
- 2 were adapted from non-fiction sources.
- 39 had Hitchcock cameos.
- 6 films included Leo G. Carroll
- 4 films included Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart
- 3 films included Grace Kelly or Ingrid Bergman
From: http://news.muckety.com/2012/10/26/hitchcocks-favorite-actors/38751 |
As to crediting the writers, I looked at the source material, i.e., Rebecca was du Maurier and not those who worked on the screenplay. If the story was written directly to screen, then the screenplay writers or original story writers were counted. I limited my count to the credited writers. Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, often had a hand in shaping scripts. When three collaborated, a one-third value was given. When two, a one-half value. (Hence 5/6ths, 1/2 plus 1/3).
- From male writers: 42 and 5/6ths.
- From female writers: 11 and 1/6th.
IMDB ranking.
IMDB allows those registered to rate films from one to ten. With 42 million visitors per month it is the 48th most visited site on the internet. The films of Alfred Hitchcock have received a total of 2.5 million votes for an averaging rating of 7.0. Presented below are the films as ranked. While I disagree with some of the ordering, for example, Dial M for Murder is too high, overall, the list has merit. Psycho probably received first place because it is the most modern and highest impact Hitchcock film (it certainly has the most memorable soundtrack). Some were probably upvoted because they appeal to film enthusiasts for their experimentation (Rope). My personal favorite is Notorious.
Film title original (year released) IMDB rating, IMDB votes.
- Psycho (1960) 8.5, 453037
- Rear Window (1954) 8.5, 338201
- Vertigo (1958) 8.4, 268112
- North by Northwest (1959) 8.4, 233195
- Dial M for Murder (1954) 8.2, 115226
- Rebecca (1940) 8.2, 93236
- Strangers on a Train (1951) 8.0, 103272
- Rope (1948) 8.0, 101123
- Notorious (1946) 8.0, 76970
- Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 8.0, 47715
- The Lady Vanishes (1938) 7.9, 37720
- The 39 Steps (1935) 7.8, 41802
- Lifeboat (1944) 7.8, 21427
- The Birds (1963) 7.7, 136624
- Spellbound (1945) 7.6, 34644
- Foreign Correspondent (1940) 7.6, 14342
- To Catch a Thief (1955) 7.5, 49068
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) 7.5, 44830
- Frenzy (1972) 7.5, 32557
- The Wrong Man (1956) 7.5, 20022
- Suspicion (1941) 7.4, 25006
- I Confess (1953) 7.3, 15267
- The Lodger (1927) 7.3, 7286
- Marnie (1964) 7.2, 35784
- The Trouble with Harry (1955) 7.2, 26347
- Saboteur (1942) 7.2, 18534
- Sabotage (1936) 7.1, 11,670
- Stage Fright (1950) 7.1, 9879
- Blackmail (1929) 7.0, 7461
- Young and Innocent (1937) 7.0, 6838
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) 6.9, 13296
- Family Plot (1976) 6.8, 16276
- Torn Curtain (1966) 6.7, 19688
- Secret Agent (1936) 6.6, 6381
- The Paradine Case (1947) 6.5, 7871
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) 6.5, 7563
- Murder! (1930) 6.4, 4359
- Topaz (1969) 6.3, 13325
- Jamaica Inn (1939) 6.3, 6873
- The Manxman (1929) 6.3, 1913
- Under Capricorn (1949) 6.2, 4921
- The Ring (1927) 6.2, 2381
- Downhill (1927) 6.2 1321
- The Farmer's Wife (1928) 6.0, 1838
- The Pleasure Garden (1925) 6.0, 1499
- Waltzes from Vienna (1934) 6.0, 877
- Mary (1931) 6.0, 414
- Rich and Strange (1931) 5.9, 3139
- Number Seventeen (1932) 5.8, 3583
- The Skin Game (1931) 5.8, 2164
- Easy Virtue (1928) 5.7, 1935
- Champagne (1928) 5.6, 1459
- Juno and the Paycock (1930) 4.8, 1627
- The Mountain Eagle (1927) lost film, zero votes.
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Martin Hill Ortiz is the author of Never Kill A Friend, Ransom Note Press.
Never Kill A Friend, Ransom Note Press |
Never Kill A Friend is available for purchase in hard cover format and as an ebook.
The story follows Shelley Krieg, an African-American detective for the Washington DC Metro PD as she tries to undo a wrong which sent an innocent teenager to prison.
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