At a time when the Hollywood studio system was at its peak, and film producers were considered the primary authors of movies rather than directors, Alfred Hitchcock stood out as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. French critics such as André Bazin and François Truffaut admired Hitchcock in the 1940s and 1950s. He became a key inspiration—if not the catalyst—for the auteur theory, which argued that the director is, and should be, the primary creative voice of a film, to the point where, given enough artistic freedom, cinema becomes a reflection of the director’s personal vision.

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DE EN ES FR IT PT RU

No one embodied this principle better than Alfred Hitchcock. His career spanned more than 50 films, from his first unofficial and unfinished silent project Number 13 (1922) to his final film Family Plot (1976), released just a few years before his death. Hitchcock pioneered the suspense genre and continues to inspire directors and entire movements in cinema. He is often referred to as the greatest director of all time. In honor of his first and last steps in directing, we look at his filmography and highlight the most important works that are essential viewing.

 

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The Eras of Hitchcock – Key Stages of His Filmography

Silent Era

Hitchcock began his journey in cinema in 1919 at London’s Islington Studios, working as a title designer. In 1922, he was given the chance to direct his first film, Number 13, which remained unfinished due to financial issues. Soon after, he joined Gainsborough Pictures as an assistant director, and by 1925 he directed The Pleasure Garden.

This period included Hitchcock’s first thriller, The Lodger (1927), and concluded with The Manxman (1929), which was also released in a sound version. During this time, Hitchcock directed nine feature films (often called “Hitchcock’s Nine”) and one short. These early works are considered less significant, as the director was still honing his craft.

British Films

The arrival of sound in 1927 marked the end of the silent film era. Hitchcock adapted quickly, directing Blackmail (1929), which became not only his first sound film but also the first in British cinema history. Over the next decade, he directed 16 films. Beginning with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), his career gained momentum, reaching a high point with The Lady Vanishes (1938). In 1939, Hitchcock made Jamaica Inn before moving to the United States.

Early Hollywood Years

Hitchcock moved to America because the British film industry felt too limited for his ambitions. Among many offers, he chose to sign with producer David O. Selznick, then Hollywood’s most powerful figure, known for Gone with the Wind (1939). However, Hitchcock soon grew frustrated with the Hollywood system, where producers had more authority than directors.

Even so, he achieved success: in the 1940s, he directed 13 films, including Rebecca (1940), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His peak in this era came with Notorious (1946), though by the time he released Rope (1948), critical reception was cooling.

Golden Age

Hitchcock’s true golden age began with Strangers on a Train (1951). His most brilliant period lasted from 1953 to 1963, starting with Dial M for Murder and ending with Marnie. In that decade, he created his greatest masterpieces: Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds.

During this time, Hitchcock also became a recognizable media personality with his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Later Years

With the arrival of New Hollywood, Hitchcock, like many of his contemporaries, struggled to find fitting stories. In his last 15 years, he directed only four films: Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot. Among them, Frenzy (1972) received particularly warm reviews. Hitchcock passed away in 1980 from liver failure, leaving behind one of the greatest legacies in film history.

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15 The 39 Steps, 1935

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A man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.

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14 The Lady Vanishes, 1938

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Travellers on a trans-European train are delayed for a night due to bad weather in a small fictional country called Mandrika. The passengers cram into the small village hotel where socialite Iris Henderson meets an old governess called Miss Froy. Shortly after the journey restarts, Miss Froy disappears.

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13 Rebecca, 1940

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A shy lady’s companion, staying in Monte Carlo with her stuffy employer, meets the wealthy Maxim de Winter. She and Max fall in love, marry, and return to Manderley, his large country estate in Cornwall. Max is still troubled by the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in a boating accident the year before. The second Mrs. de Winter clashes with the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, and discovers that Rebecca still has a strange hold on everyone at Manderley.

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12 Shadow of a Doubt, 1943

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The Newton family of Santa Rosa, California receive an unexpected visit from their Uncle Charlie. He lives in Philadelphia and is a bit of a legend in the family, being a wealthy, self-made man. His niece, also named Charlie, is particularly fond of him. However, when he arrives, Uncle Charlie starts to act suspiciously. Soon two surveyors appear at the house and start to ask questions about Uncle Charlie. His niece investigates and discovers that the men are detectives and her uncle is a suspect in a nationwide manhunt and murder investigation. The closer she gets to the truth, the more her own life is potentially in danger.

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11 Notorious, 1946

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It is 1946 and while World War II might be over, Nazis still loyal to the Third Reich can be found. Alicia Huberman’s father was such a man, and he has just been convicted of treason in the U.S. Ms. Huberman did not share her father’s views, but has gained notoriety as the daughter of a convicted traitor. U.S. Intelligence, in the form of Mr. Devlin, see this notoriety as an opportunity, recruiting her to infiltrate a group of Nazis living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group is lead by Alexander Sebastian, an ex-flame of Alicia. Alicia manages to infiltrate the group, but her previous relationship with Sebastian complicates things, as does her developing relationship with Devlin.

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10 Rope, 1948

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Two young men murder a friend of theirs, largely to prove that they can get away with it. They then host a small dinner party, with the body hidden nearby. Their hubris and intellectual arrogance gets the better of them and they start to drop hints at what they’ve done.

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9 Strangers on a Train, 1951

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Lost in thought, pondering on what stands in the way of happiness, famous tennis star Guy Haines is recognised on a fast train by eccentric Bruno Anthony. As the perfect strangers exchange pleasantries, with Bruno showing a detailed knowledge of Guy’s private life, an ingenious, deadly murder scheme gradually takes shape: Bruno is more than willing to help Guy get rid of his adulterous wife Miriam, and in return, Guy would lend Bruno a hand by doing away with his hated father. Indeed, the methodical plan is perfect in its simplicity. After all, by swapping murders, there would be nothing to connect two strangers on a train. However, does Bruno mean business?

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8 Dial M for Murder, 1954

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Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice decides to murder his wife for her money and because she had an affair the year before. He blackmails an old college associate to strangle her, but when things go wrong he sees a way to turn events to his advantage.

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7 Rear Window, 1954

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Professional photographer L.B. «Jeff» Jefferies breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbors. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his high society fashion-consultant girlfriend Lisa Fremont and his visiting nurse Stella to investigate.

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6 The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956

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Dr. Ben McKenna, his wife, Jo, and their son, Hank, are on a touring vacation of Africa when they meet the mysterious Louis Bernard on a bus. The next day, Bernard is murdered in the local marketplace, but before he dies he manages to reveal details of an assassination about to take place in London. Fearing that their plot will be revealed, the assassins kidnap Hank in order to keep the McKennas silent. Ben and Jo go to London and take matters into their own hands.

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5 Vertigo, 1958

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Former San Francisco police detective John «Scottie» Ferguson retires from the force after developing acrophobia and vertigo. He is approached by an old acquaintance, Gavin Elster, who hires him to follow his wife, Madeleine, whose behavior has become increasingly erratic. As Scottie investigates, he becomes entangled in a complex and unsettling mystery that challenges his perceptions of reality, identity, and obsession.

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4 North by Northwest, 1959

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Madison Avenue advertising man Roger Thornhill is thrust into the world of spies when he is mistaken for a man named George Kaplan. Foreign spy Philip Vandamm and his henchman Leonard try to eliminate him, but when he tries to make sense of the case, he is framed for murder. Now on the run from the police, he manages to board the 20th Century Limited bound for Chicago where he meets beautiful blonde Eve Kendall, who helps him evade the authorities. His world is turned upside-down yet again when he learns that Eve isn’t the innocent bystander he thought she was. Nothing is as it seems, leading to a dramatic rescue and escape at the top of Mt. Rushmore.

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3 Psycho, 1960

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Stressed and under pressure because of stealing a large amount of money from her employer and running away, a partly poor office worker who’s committed theft in order to be able to marry the man she loves, gets lost and decides to stay at a motel for the night, regretting what she’s done. But on her single night at the motel, she finds out it was a mistake to choose this motel, as she finds its young depressed manager’s mother an unrelenting psycho.

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2 The Birds, 1963

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Melanie Daniels is the modern rich socialite, part of the jet-set who always gets what she wants. When lawyer Mitch Brenner sees her in a pet shop, he plays something of a practical joke on her, and she decides to return the favor. She drives about an hour north of San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends the weekends with his mother Lydia and younger sister Cathy. Soon after her arrival, however, the birds in the area begin to act strangely. A seagull attacks Melanie as she is crossing the bay in a small boat, and then, Lydia finds her neighbor dead, obviously the victim of a bird attack. Soon, birds in the hundreds and thousands are attacking anyone they find out of doors. There is no explanation as to why this might be happening, and as the birds continue their vicious attacks, survival becomes the priority.

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1 Frenzy, 1972

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London is terrorized by a vicious sex killer known as The Necktie Murderer. Following the brutal slaying of his ex-wife, down-on-his-luck Richard Blaney is suspected by the police of being the killer. He goes on the run, determined to prove his innocence.

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