Some scenes of Alfred Hitchcock at work:
Could Hitch really have created variations on his most famous cinematic moments? There surely would have been a lot of witnesses, as seen in these behind the scene photos.
Hitch&Alma
, the new novel by Robert Schoen, reveals the hidden meanings and the story behind Hitchcock’s work. This affectionate and knowledgeable tribute to Hitchcock's work explores his relations with many of his great collaborators: Bernard Herrmann, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and 'Tippi' Hedren.Hitchcock sometimes said he dreaded going into a studio to film a movie. For him, the greatest creative satisfaction came during the initial planning and scripting phase, so detailed that the entire movie perfectly existed in his head, before a single scene was shot. Hitch considered the actual filming to be just a mechanical follow-through of his already conceived inner vision of the film.
As seen here on location during the filming of The Birds, Hitchcock had a great sense of humor, and his supreme calm, even during the most trying of circumstances, is reflected in the directorial authority of his work.
Was this a gag photo, or proof of Hitch's claim that the actual filming process was strictly mechanical? A moment of boredom, on the set of one of his all time great films, Rear Window. This film was the second of three Hitchcock collaborations for Grace Kelly, seen here with Wendell Corey, and Jimmy Stewart.
The famous climax to The Birds. Tippi Hedren had to endure an entire week of live birds being flung at her by stagehands, to create the "illusion" of the final attack. Some birds were even tied to her clothes so they wouldn't fly away. The filming was finally called to a halt, when one of them left a deep gash on the lower lid of Hedren's left eye.
Was this Hitchcock's way of trying to top Psycho?
A reading sample from Hitch&Alma:
An interview with author of Hitch&Alma, Robert Schoen
Did Hitch have a secret collection of Outtakes? Some Photos and Posters:
Alma, the woman behind a very large man:
Hitchcock's Other Leading Ladies:
The Mother in Hitchcock's films:
Hitch & Herrmann, artists with the same obsessive vision:
Reader’s and Web Site Visitor’s Comments:
Book description and how to order a copy of Hitch&Alma:
1999, Events Celebrating the Hitchcock centennial:
Links to other Great Hitchcock Web Sites:
(About the music on this site: These sound clips are selections from
Bernard Herrmann's great film music. This page plays the Main Title Theme from The Snows of Kilimangaro.)