This is an incredibly difficult list to have to make. Although Hitchcock directed his last movie in the 70’s, his fabulous films still hold up today. If you have an ounce of style or intelligence you should Netflix, rent, or buy every film on this freakin list. Handsome non-manorexic gentlemen abound, glamourous dames who had brains, beauty, bottled, big, blond hair, glistening jewels, and Edith Head designed wardrobes. The good old days of movie making, clever dialogue, slick, fast, little cars, deception, revenge, love, pain, exotic locations, wine flowing like wine, and cigarette smoking was still cool. Hitchcock’s movies make you want to be a better person. Remakes be damned! Disturbia was ai–ght, but it’s no Rear Window. Seriously. Plus, Hitchcock manages to put his big head in every one of his films, so it’s kinda fun ”where’s waldo-ing” him. Enjoy.
10. The Man Who Knew Too Much-This film stars James Stewart and Doris Day. It won an Oscar for that song that everyone seems to know, Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be. I’m not a fan of that song, but it gets into your head and you can’t get it out. That aside, it’s a clever story about a family who goes on vacation in Morocco, then stuff happens. There’s kidnapping, disguises, and Doris Day plays a former famous cabaret singer who gave up her career for her family. (She seems a bit bitter about it if you ask me, but back in the day you kinda had to grin and bare it.) This movie is shot is a zillion locations, and makes you realize you don’t travel enough.
9. Lifeboat- This movie stars alot of people, but the standout is Tallulah Bankhead. Every sense-able woman, and glorious dragqueen wants to be her. As a super fan of the tv program, Survivor, I love that this movie is about people stranded on a lifeboat after their ship gets shot down during the war. If being thrown together out to sea in a tiny space with no food, water, shelter, and other annoying people during WWII isn’t enough, add a Nazi soldier to the mix.
8. Strangers on A Train-I saw the Danny Devito movie, Throw Mama From the Train, another adorable film, many moons ago and Devito based his murderous plot to kill his mama on the “crisscross” model seen on, Strangers on A Train. Farley Granger is Guy Haines, a tennis star who wants a divorce from his trailer trash, cheatin wife, who won’t comply, and Robert Walker plays Bruno Anthony a guy who hates his overbearing father, and wants him out of his life, permanently. Basically, it’s two dudes (naturally they are dashing, handsome, charming, and nicely dressed) who meet on a train and jokingly decide to commit a murder for the other person, hence the crisscross, so that there would be no motive tying each of them to the murdered person. I’d love to see this one remade actually. In Vanity Fair they had a photoshoot with Emilie Hirsh and James McAvoy as these characters, that would be perfect casting.
7. Dial M for Murder- The enticing Grace Kelly plays a cheating wife. I know, shut yo mouf. It’s true. Ray Milland plays her cockholded tennis star husband, and Robert Cummings plays the writer/other man. Milland hatches a plan to have his wife bumped off, and of course it all goes wrong. Don’t you hate it when a plan goes awry?
6. To Catch a Thief-Grace Kelly and Cary Grant seem to be the go-to actors for Hitchcock, and as glamazons, you couldn’t do much better. Women and men love Kelly, and women and men love Grant. Especially men. This movie is set in the South of France, so even with the volume turned down you’d enjoy this movie. Grant plays a cat burglar, a cat burglar! When the profession took planning, and balance, and skill, and rope, and safe-cracking abilities, and hardly anyone got shot. You had to do research and scope out the joint before you slipped the diamonds into your socks and went on the lam, and sold the jewels on the black market and retired to Greece. Unlike today where crackheads steal your flat-screen for a rock. No work ethic. I kid. I kid. Anyways, Grace Kelly is her usual stylish, articulate, pretty, self. And there’s a masquerade party involved which only means more fabulousness.
5. Vertigo- I have a soft spot for James Stewart. Hotness. Anyways, Stewart plays a cop who has gets dizzy when faced with heights. Kim Novak co-stars in this psychological thriller. Beautiful sets. It makes you want to take a walk in the country.
4. North By Northwest- The handsome Cary Grant, and the lovely Eva Marie Saint star. This is the movie with that iconic poster of Grant trying to outrun an airplane as it chases him across a field. Who does that? I’d have just gotten run over. So so awesome.
3. Psycho- Probably the second most famous Hitchcock film ever. The popularity of the name Norman (Bates) declined when this movie came out. Everyone knows when you hear that music…..inght…inght….inght….watch your back, cause your ass is about to be shanked! Janet Leigh, a 1960’s milf, and also Jamie Lee Curtis’s mom, became famous for that shower scene. The leading lady of a film was never the first one wacked in a movie until it was done in this one. Drew Barrymore adopted this technique in Scream and it rejuvenated her career. I also quite enjoyed the Vince Vaughn adaptation, but, Hitchcock’s one is so, so, much better.
2. The Birds- Probably the most famous of Hitchcock’s films, starring Melonie Griffith’s hot mom, Tippi Hedren. I would have picked this as #1 had there been more then one wardrobe change. Sorry, I’m shallow. But it’s such an awesome film, it makes you wary of those flocks of sparrows you see having bird summits on telephone wires. I know what you’re up to birds. You’re not peckin me to death!!
1. Rear Window- Starring the legendary James Stewart, and the entrancing Grace Kelly. This movie has everything you’d expect from a Hitchcock movie. The movie is a typical Hitchcock suspence film, but it also focuses on the animal magnetism between an ice princess and a handsome, but, not overly Brad Pitt-type handsome, charming man (who is clearly waaaay below her in social, economic status, but she loves him anyway), which is also nice to watch. Also, there’s a Harper’s Bazaar shout out, not too shabby.
