Al's Top Rated Films: Alfred Hitchcock

Superb mystery thriller and my favorite from from the "Master of Suspense"—Alfred Hitchcock. Great story that follows a risk-taking photo-journalist named Jeff who's wheelchair-bound after injuring himself on the job. He's stuck in his apartment while he recovers, thanks to visits from his wise-cracking physical therapist Stella, and his gorgeous and alluring girlfriend Lisa. Being confined to his apartment, he starts watching and spying on his neighbors from his rear apartment window, when he witnesses certain events that makes him believe a murder took place, and continues to investigate the mystery with the help of Lisa, Stella, and his friend and police detective Tom. This is definitely my favorite film from Alfred Hitchcock. The most beautifully shot mystery/thriller I've ever seen. All the characters are interesting and well-developed. James Stewart arguably delivers his greatest lead performance of all time. The gorgeous Grace Kelly instantly became one of my favorites actresses with her fantastic performance. Thelma Ritter gave a particularly great supporting performance. Wendell Corey and the wicked Raymond Burr had very nice supporting roles among the great neighboring cast. Perfect film all around.

Superb action-packed mystery adventure from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a New York City advertising executive who's kidnapped by a group of spies that are convinced he's a government agent by the name of George Kaplan. After questioning him, they fail in a horrifying attempt to murder him. Nobody believes his story about the men trying to kill him (including his mother), and after he's implicated in a murder as this mysterious Kaplan, he goes on the run from these spies trying to kill him, and also from the authorities trying to arrest him. Incredible story with such an epic presence and cinematography. Cary Grant became one of my favorite actors with this film. He delivered his the best lead performance of his career. Eva Marie Saint was also fantastic, as she and Grant have some of the steamiest chemistry for a couple in a Hitchcock film. James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll, Philip Ober, Martin Landau, Josephine Hutchinson, Adam Williams, and Robert Ellenstein all have nice supporting roles, among many others.

This is one of my all-time favorite thrillers, and much more of a horror film than any Hitchcock film that came before it. The story follows a Phoenix secretary who steals $40,000 from her real estate boss's client after she was instructed to deposit it in the bank. Embarking on a new life for herself, she goes on the run as the police start to investigate her disappearance. After getting caught in a rain storm late at night, she finds the secluded and deserted Bates Motel, where she meets the quiet, lonely, and mysterious owner and manager, Norman Bates. After hearing maniacal screams from the house on a the hill above the hotel, he explains it was his ill mother, and shares his life story with her while they eat dinner in the hotel office. But there's a much darker mystery to Norman than he's letting on. The cinematography, camera angles, and lighting were all superbly done to heighten the suspense as much as possible. Front to back Hitchcock classic. Anthony Perkins plays one of the best most thrilling of any Hitchcock characters as Norman Bates. His performance was superb. Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, and Martin Balsam also had excellent starring/supporting roles. John Gavin, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Vaughn Taylor, Frank Albertson, Patricia Hitchcock, John Anderson, Mort Mills, and others had excellent supporting roles.

Fantastic crime thriller from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a former tennis star named Tony who meticulously plans to murder his wealthy wife Margot after he learns she's been cheating on him with another man. Margot and her lover know somethings amiss when a letter shared between them goes missing and Margot is blackmailed to get it back, while Tony invites a former college colleague to their apartment while she's away, and blackmails him to murder her so he can collect her inheritance. It's the perfect crime, if everything goes as planned. The whole film was shot in the apartment, which added great to the suspense of the film. I was shocked to see how fantastic Ray Milland's lead performance was here. He stole the show with his witty and bloodthirsty personality. Grace Kelly also arguably delivers her best lead performance. Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams also had excellent supporting roles. Every player involved was excellent. Classic Hitchcock.

Superb drama romance/film-noir from Alfred Hitchcock, and among his very best films. Great story set in 1946 South America, and follows the daughter (Alicia) of a Nazi spy who was just convicted of treason, as she turns to alcohol and men to forget the pain. That's how she meets an American government agent named Devlin, who asks her to gather information against a group of Nazi scientists operating out of Rio de Janeiro. An unexpected romance blossoms between the two, which complicates how far she must go to collect the information. So many twists and turns in this fantastic drama. Cary Grant and the gorgeous Ingrid Bergman share the steamiest chemistry I've seen in any Alfred Hitchcock film. They both deliver a couple of their best lead performances. Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, and others had great roles among an excellent supporting cast.

Excellent mystery/thriller/romance from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a former San Francisco police detective (John) who's lead to an early retirement following a treacherous brush with death, leaving him with an irrational fear of heights and an extreme case of vertigo. Soon after, he reluctantly takes a job to help an old college friend (Gavin) by following his wife (Madeleine) who is mentally unbalanced and may commit suicide after being possessed by a mysterious spirit. Throughout the story, John becomes more fascinated with Gavin's gorgeous blonde wife, which turns to obsession following a dreadful incident that unfolds into an even more mysterious and thrilling story. This film is often cited as being Hitchcock's best film, and it's easy to see why. James Stewart plays a complex, injured, and often times controversial character in this film. It's one of his finest lead performances. The gorgeous Kim Novak also delivered a fantastic and complex performance throughout. Barbara Bel Geddes and Tom Helmore had excellent roles among a great supporting cast.

Top-notch Alfred Hitchcock film-noir drama that follows a persuasive and crazed man who ultimately coerces a stranger on a train to kill his father he desperately wants dead—and in turn, he will kill his wife—which the stranger wants to divorce so he can marry the elegant daughter of a state senator. It's the story of a seemingly perfect murder with no motives to be found. Farley Granger delivered an excellent lead performance, but it was Robert Walker who had the standout performance with his deranged and maniacal interaction with Farley. They both made a great duo. Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock, Kasey Rogers, Marion Lorne, John Brown, Norma Varden, and Robert Gist all had great roles among the supporting cast.

Fantastic Alfred Hitchcock mystery/thriller that really elevated the horror genre. It starts as a witty romantic comedy with a beautiful and wealthy socialite named Melanie Daniels, who is pursuing a handsome lawyer named Mitch Brenner that she randomly meets in a pet store. With a little investigation work, she finds out where he is staying for the weekend, and heads out to the small town of Bodega Bay to surprise him. Shortly after their surprise meeting, the story takes a dramatic and terrifying turn, which finds unexplained attacks and killings by swarms of birds. Soon there are hundreds of thousands of blood-thirsty birds killing more victims by the hour, and it becomes seemingly impossible to escape the town alive as the number of birds continue to multiply. Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren both deliver fantastic lead performances. Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw, Ruth McDevitt, Lonny Chapman, Joe Mantell, Malcolm Atterbury, Richard Deacon, and others have very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic British-era mystery/thriller from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a rich young woman who's traveling by train in continental Europe, and realizes an old English woman she had earlier befriended has mysteriously disappeared. Everyone who had previously come in contact with the woman claims they never met or seen such a person, and try to convince her that it's all in her mind, except for one kind gentleman by the name of Gilbert; who helps search for the woman.After some clues reveal the woman is actually missing, they find there's a conspiracy to investigate. Great mystery with lots of twists and turns throughout, and a great ending. Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave both deliver excellent lead performances. Paul Lukas, May Whitty, and Cecil Parker all had very nice roles among a great supporting cast.

Excellent and unique war drama that follows several survivors from a variety of different backgrounds on a small lifeboat after an American merchant ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat—resulting in the sinking of both crafts. Tensions are high from the get-go, but they soar when they end up saving a man who turns out to be a German from the sunken U-boat who claims he can't speak English, and appears peaceful. Heavy debates go on about how trustworthy he could possibly be, when it's revealed he was the U-boat's captain, speaks perfect English, and actually presents a great threat. Hitchcock brilliantly toys with the audience into feeling sympathy for the German Nazi the picture moves on. The entire film takes place on the lifeboat, and there isn't a dull moment involved. Controversial story, and a great film. Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel, Hume Cronyn, and Canada Lee all had great performances.

Superb mystery/thriller and arguably Alfred Hitchcock's best early British film. Great story that follows a Canadian man in 1930s London who helps a woman running away from secret agents. After the woman is killed, he stands accused of the murder, and goes on the run to investigate the mystery behind these secret agents, and to prove his innocence. One thing I love about Hitchcock's British-era is the injection of witty humor that gives an otherwise "wrong man" dramatic thriller a nice twist. Robert Donat projected a lot of that fun humor, and delivered one of Hitchock's finest characters. Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Wylie Watson, and Godfrey Tearle had nice roles among a great supporting cast.

Excellent mystery thriller from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a retired jewel thief that becomes the police's prime suspect in a case of stolen jewels from high-class folks along the French Riviera resort towns. After learning that a copycat jewel thief is framing him, he must track down the real cat burglar to prove his innocence. Along the way in his investigation, he befriends a rich widow along with her gorgeous and sophisticated daughter, which adds to the mystery after jewels are stolen from them. Cary Grant and the Grace Kelly are my two favorite Hitchcock stars, and they both delivered excellent performances and share superb chemistry together. Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Brigitte Auber, Jean Martinelli, and others also had very nice roles among the supporting cast.

Excellent film-noir drama/mystery from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a rich widower (Maxim) on vacation in Monte Carlo when he meets a beautiful young woman who works as a lady's companion to a wealthy and unpleasant woman. They immediately hit it off and fall in love, which leads to them getting married, then traveling back to their Maxim's family estate and home to live their life together. She immediately feels inferior and self-conscious dealing with the luxurious house full of servants she isn't used to; especially the strong and menacing housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, who still loves the man's late previous wife (Rebecca), which leads to more drama after a mysterious discovery is made. This is my first times seeing Joan Fontaine in a lead role, and she was really magnificent. Her innocent, uneasy, excitable, and often times awkward character was perfect for the role. She had some impeccable interaction with Laurence Olivier, who was also excellent. Judith Anderson, George Sanders, Gladys Cooper, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny, C. Aubrey Smith, and Florence Bates also had very nice roles among a great supporting cast.

Excellent thriller from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a young New York newspaper man who's working to get the scoop on a secret treaty agreed between two European countries by the famous diplomat, Mr. Van Meer, when a group of Nazi spies adds twists and turns to the story. I'm not very familiar with Joel McCrea, but he delivered an excellent lead performance and held everything together perfectly. Laraine Day, George Sanders, Albert Bassermann, Herbert Marshall, Robert Benchley, Eduardo Ciannelli, Harry Davenport, Edmund Gwenn, Martin Kosleck, Charles Wagenheim, Barbara Pepper, and others had great roles among a fantastic supporting cast.

Thrilling drama from Alfred Hitchcock that follows an American doctor named Ben, his wife Jo, and their young son Hank, who are on vacation in Morocco when they witness the murder of a mysterious Frenchman that's impersonating an Arab. With a knife driven through his back, Ben goes to the man to see if he can help, and the man whispers into his ear that there will be an attempted assassination in London of a statesman, just before he dies. Their son is consequently kidnapped over the information, as they desperately try to stop the assassination while simultaneously rescuing their son in the process. The big expensive production gives this movie and epic feel. James Stewart delivered one of his finest roles yet, and Doris Day was exceptional for being one of her first big acting roles. Christopher Olsen, Brenda de Banzie, Bernard Miles, Daniel Gélin, Hillary Brooke, Reggie Nalder, Carolyn Jones, and others also had nice roles among the supporting cast.

Excellent crime drama from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a German immigrant who enters a Catholic church at night, and confesses to Father Michael Logan that he accidentally killed his employer while trying to rob him. Witnesses report that the killer was dressed like a priest, which immediately finds Father Michael Logan to be the main suspect in the police's investigation. Now he is stuck in a moral dilemma of not being able to clear his own name since he is prohibited to reveal information taken in confession. One of the more underrated and less talked about Hitchcock films I can think of. It's unique that we find out who the murder is immediately, but the characters reveal more details throughout the film which builds nice suspense. Montgomery Clift delivers an excellent lead performance. Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, O.E. Hasse, Brian Aherne, Dolly Haas, and others had great supporting roles.

Excellent Alfred Hitchcock film-noir drama, and the first to be based on a true story. The story is set in 1953 New York City, and follows a working class jazz musician who walks into an insurance office to see if he can borrow money off of his wife's life insurance policy when he is wrongly identified as an armed robber that held up the office twice a few months earlier. It turns out he is suspected of robbing several other places in the same neighborhood. While he's innocent and has nothing to hide, he appears more guilty by the minute, which causes great drama with his family throughout the investigation process. Henry Fonda delivers one of his best lead performances. Vera Miles also delivered one of her greatest performances. Anthony Quayle, Harold J. Stone, and Charles Cooper had nice roles among the supporting cast.

Excellent film-noir mystery from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a young and gorgeous psychiatrist who enters into a romantic relationship with a famous psychiatrist named Dr. Edwardes, who was just appointed head of the mental asylum she works at. After some time, he shows mysterious signs of amnesia and paranoia, and confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, and looks for her help in recovering his memory and prove his innocence. Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck both delivered excellent lead performances. Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll, Rhonda Fleming, John Emery, and Norman Lloyd all had nice supporting roles.

Excellent film-noir mystery from Alfred Hitchcock that follows an innocent young woman who falls in love and marries an attractive and enchanting man. After they return from their honeymoon, she learns he's a broke gambler who lies and borrows money from friends to live a high-class lifestyle. The lies soon have her paranoid about other activities and motivations he may be hiding, and suspects he may plan to murder her after she suspects he killed his business partner. The comical Cary Grant and wholesome Joan Fontaine were great together in this film. They both delivered excellent lead performances. It's no wonder why Fontaine won the Oscar for best leading role. Auriol Lee, Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, May Whitty, and Isabel Jeans also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent crime drama/mystery from Alfred Hitchcock that starts with two sadistic and conceited young men strangling and murdering their "inferior" former classmate in their New York City apartment. Afterward they get the idea that they want to get away with the perfect murder, as they hide the body in an old chest, which they also use as a buffet table for the party they are hosting that night. It seems that they will successfully get away with the perfect murder until a man named Rupert shows up to the party, and suspects they are up to no good. All shot in one apartment with very little editing, and great dialogue throughout. John Dall, Farley Granger, and James Stewart all delivered excellent lead performances. Edith Evanson, Douglas Dick, Joan Chandler, Cedric Hardwicke, and Constance Collier all have very nice roles among the supporting cast.

Excellent and underrated World War II era thriller in Alfred Hitchock's catalog. The story follows a Los Angeles aircraft worker who witnesses a Nazi firebombing the factory, and finds himself being accused of sabotage. He sets out to find the man he suspects is the real saboteur in New York City. Meanwhile, he's forced to kidnap a model named Patricia who soon becomes one of his allies in his quest to clear his name. I loved this story throughout, and definitely feel it's one of Alfred Hitchock's more overlooked films. The epic Statue of Liberty ending sequence is fantastic. Priscilla Lane and Robert Cummings both deliver excellent lead performances, and share nice chemistry. Norman Lloyd, Otto Kruger, Alan Baxter, Alma Kruger, Vaughan Glaser, Clem Bevans, Murray Alper, and others also had great supporting roles.

Great film-noir murder mystery from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a promising young actress named Eve that tries to help a friend named Jonathan prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of his mistress. His mistress is beloved actress and singer Charlotte Inwood, who Jonathan claims is the real murderer. Eve plans to get a confession out of Charlotte by becoming her dresser and becoming friends with her. Meanwhile, Eve and the police detective working the case make a connection. Nice build up of suspense as always from the master. Both Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich delivered excellent lead performances. Michael Wilding and Richard Todd were also great. Alastair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh, Hector MacGregor, Patricia Hitchcock, and Ballard Berkeley all had great supporting roles.

Very nice film-noir thriller, which is often cited as being Alfred Hitchcock's favorite film in his own body of work. The story follows a teenage girl who's ecstatic to find out her wealthy and sophisticated uncle is coming to their small California hometown for a visit. But there is something mysterious about his behavior surrounding a news story about a man who marries and murders rich widows. While the film was very well done, it doesn't quite rate as highly for myself as far as Hitchock thrillers go. Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright both deliver great lead performances. Macdonald Carey, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, and Wallace Ford all had nice supporting roles.

Great thriller from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a sadistic London-based serial killer and rapist who strangles his female victims with neck-ties, and has been aptly nicknamed "The Necktie Murderer" by the press. One of his victims is Brenda Blaney, who is the ex-wife of a troubled bartender named Richard Blaney. He ends up having to go on the run trying to prove his innocence after he is wrongly suspected of murdering her. This film contains more frightening and graphic scenes than Hitchcock film. Very nice thriller for one of his final films, but also not one of his greatest works. Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, and Barry Foster had great lead performances. Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Anna Massey, Billie Whitelaw, Bernard Cribbins, Vivien Merchant, Clive Swift, Michael Bates, Jean Marsh, Elsie Randolph, and others had very nice supporting performances.

Underrated drama/thriller from Alfred Hitchcock set during the Cold War in 1965, and follows an American physicist and rocket scientist named Professor Michael Armstrong who publicly defects to East Germany after United States government scratched his research project. He initially keeps his reasons a mystery to his assistant and fiancée, Dr. Sarah Sherman, who is appalled by his announcement. It's soon reveled they are on a secret mission to obtain vital information from a prominent East German scientist before making their way back to the United States. This film seems to be plenty criticized among Hitchcock's work for being such a solid and entertaining story. I love Paul Newman, and it was worth watching for his performance alone. He and Julie Andrews don't have a ton of romantic chemistry, but it's sort of unneeded for this type of film in my opinion. Ludwig Donath, Wolfgang Kieling, Günter Strack, Lila Kedrova, Hansjörg Felmy, and others had great supporting roles.

This comedy mystery is unique within Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, since it doesn't really have any thrilling or many suspenseful moments. Very funny story set in a beautiful small Vermont town which follows a man named Captain Albert Wiles, who finds a dead man lying in the grass near some local woods. The man's name is Harry Worp, and Albert believes he accidentally shot and killed him while he was hunting. He decides to hide the body, but before he can, several others start appearing out of the woodwork, and they're all puzzled on how to deal with poor Harry as many humorous situations present themselves. Excellent color, cinematography and an interesting story no doubt. It's definitely well done, but it simply isn't one of my favorites from Hitchcock. Edmund Gwenn, Shirley MacLaine, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick, and Mildred Dunnock all have nice performances.

Very nice early crime drama from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a police detective investigating a saboteur who's plotting to set off a bomb; and the plans go terribly wrong when the man learn he's being followed. I really enjoyed the story throughout, and it had a great ending. However, Oskar Homolka just didn't strike me as a great lead actor in this film, as he didn't seem to align with any of the other characters. That said, Sylvia Sidney delivered an excellent lead performance, as did Desmond Tester as Stevie. John Loder, Matthew Boulton, and William Dewhurst also had nice supporting roles.

Very nice crime drama/mystery from Alfred Hitchcock that follows a beautiful young woman named Marnie who's a habitual thief and suffers from deep-rooted psychological issues from her past. When she gets a job at Rutland's publishing company, the owner Mark Rutland is immediately taken by her, and soon persuades her to marry him. On their honeymoon, she has a meltdown when it comes to any sexual or physical contact, and Mark decides he's going to help Marnie stand-up to her problems and resolve them. The story is solid, but I personally just wasn't feeling Tippi Hedren's acting in this film (I thought she was great in The Birds (1963)), and the direction of Sean Connery's role wasn't great either. Diane Baker, Alan Napier, Louise Latham, Martin Gabel, and others delivered fine supporting roles.