Hitchcock Flashcards
Train yourself to recognize Alfred Hitchcock's films, understand their plots, and recall their star actors.
When and where was Hitchcock born?
- August, 1899
- in London, England
When and where did Hitchcock die?
- April, 1980
- in Los Angeles, CA
What would Hitchcock wear everyday on the set?
a suit and tie
In how many of his films did Hitchcock make a cameo appearance?
- 34
- he was also the prologue narrator for The Wrong Man (1956)
What would Hitchcock do when finished with a cup of tea on set?
throw it over his shoulder and let it break
What was Hitchcock’s favorite film?
Der müde Tod (Destiny, 1921) directed by Fritz Lang
What was Hitchcock’s favorite film he directed?
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
What did Hitchcock consider the most important part of the filmmaking process?
screenwriting
In addition to his fear of the police, what other phobia did Hitchcock possess?
fear of eggs
How many of Hitchcock’s films were nominated for Academy Awards?
16
What is the Vertigo effect?
- an effect Hitchcock invented
- also called a dolly zoom
- invented while filming the movie Vertigo (1958)
- achieved by moving the camera in the opposite direction that the lens is zooming
- e.g., moving the camera back and zooming in
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How many Hitchcock films featured James Stewart?
- four
- Rope (1948)
- Rear Window (1954)
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
- Vertigo (1958)
Who was James Stewart’s co-star in Rear Window (1954)?
Grace Kelly
For what award was Janet Leigh nominated for her role inPsycho (1960)?
the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award
What did Hitchcock famously say about the writing and shooting aspects of the filmmaking process?
“When you finish the script, the film is perfect. But in shooting it you lose perhaps 40 percent of your original conception.”
How long did Hitchcock say a film should be?
“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”
How many of Hitchcock’s films were nominated for Best Picture Academy Awards?
- four
- Rebecca (1940; won)
- Foreign Correspondent (1940)
- Spellbound(1945)
- Suspicion (1941)
In Psycho (1960), who kills Marion Crane?
Norman Bates’s mother
What does L. B. Jeffries (James Stewart) see his neighbor do in Rear Window (1954)
kill his own wife
What affliction does John Ferguson (James Stewart) suffer from in Vertigo (1958)?
acrophobia (the fear of heights)
In reference to North by Northwest (1959), what did writer Ernest Lehman say he wanted to write?
“The Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures”
In one of the most famous scenes in North by Northwest (1959) what chases main character Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) across a barren landscape?
an airplane
What is a “MacGuffin?”
- something that the plot of the film revolves around but is not thecenter of the action
- e.g., the $40,000 in Psycho or “government secrets” in North by Northwest
- coined by Angus MacPhail, a friend of Hitchcock’s who wrote The Wrong Man (1956) and Spellbound (1945)
What is a “red herring?”
- a device whichdeliberatelydiverts the audience from the truth or something significant
- e.g., presenting Norman Bates’ mother as the killer in Psycho
Who is Norman Bates?
- played by Anthony Perkins
- the owner of the Bates motel in Psycho (1960)
- a character dominated by his mother
Who is Melanie Daniels?
- played by Tippi Hedren
- the main character in The Birds (1963)
What is the plot of The Birds (1963)?
A small town in the San Francisco area is unexpectedly subjected to widespread violent bird attacks.
What is the plot of North by Northwest (1959)?
A New York executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies. He is relentlessly pursued across the country and must fight to survive.
Who wrote the story that is the basis for Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944)?
John Steinbeck
What is the plot and who are the leads of Notorious (1946)?
Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) is recruted by T. R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to spy on a group of Germans living in Brazil after World War II.
What was Hitchcock’s last film?
- Family Plot (1976)
- it starred Blanche Tyler and George Lumley
What was Alfred Hitchcock Presents?
- half hour television show
- hosted by Hitchcock
- ran 1955-1962; replaced by The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, 1962-1965
- stories of horror, suspense, and mystery
What are Hitchcock’s nicknames?
- Hitch
- The Master of Suspense
What is Psycho?
- 1960
- screenplay by Joseph Stephano
- stars: Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
- plot: an embezzling secretary hides out in a motel
- nominated for Best Director Academy Award
What is Rear Window?
- 1954
- stars James Stewart & Grace Kelly
- written by John Michael Hayes
- plot: a photographer in a wheelchair spies on his neighbors and views one of them commit murder
- based on the short story “It Had to Be Murder”
What is The 39 Steps?
- 1935
- stars Robert Donat and Madeleine Carrol
- plot: a London man is wrongfully accused of killing a government agent and flee from spies
- based on the John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps
- adapted to a stage play in 2005
What is Rebecca?
- 1940
- stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine
- plot: a young woman marries a rich widower but finds his wife is still has power over him
- won Best Picture and Best Cinematography Academy Awards
What is Vertigo?
- 1958
- stars James Stewart and Kim Novak
- plot: a San Francisco detective suffering from a crippling fear of heights becomes obsessed with the woman he is hired to investigate
- based on the 1954 Boileau-Narcejac novel D’entre les morts (The Living and the Dead), which was written specifically for Hitchcock to direct the film adaptation
How many of Hitchcock’s films were nominated for Best Director Academy Awards?
- five
- Rebecca (1940)
- Lifeboat (1944)
- Spellbound(1945)
- Rear Window (1954)
- Psycho (1960)
