Just a quick post with my Hitchcock favorites. He is of course one of my favorite directors and with such a dense filmography filled with triumphs, it is sometimes difficult to put his films in order as far as my favorites. It is tricky because I have an ever changing relationship to each of his films. I really feel slightly differently about each from one day to the next. He's had very few failures in his career overall. There are several films which I consider to be much much more bland than they should be when you consider all the elements contained. TO CATCH A THIEF for example, has always been a film that I find hugely disappointing(but it certainly has it's following). It's always odd to me to notice that this film came before NORTH BY NORTHWEST by 4 years as it seems like a later, weaker effort. Perhaps it is my love for the Hitch/Grant collaborations in both NORTH BY NORTHWEST and NOTORIOUS that makes me a harsher critic when it comes to TO CATCH A THIEF. There are some other "blandies" in Hitchcock's filmography, but a very small percentage considering how many films he made. Overall, it is quite easy to see why a great filmmaker like Brian De Palma would choose to emulate him over the course of so many of his own films. Hitch was a truly inspirational visionary. Just a quick disclaimer: as I've said before with these lists, these are just my preferences, not some sort of definitive 'this film is BETTER' than this film'. If there are some on the list that you've perhaps not seen, I recommend you check them out!

1. Rear Window(1954)
2. North By Northwest(1959)
3. The Birds(1963)
4. Vertigo(1958)
5. Notorious(1946)
6. Rebecca(1940)
7. Dial M for Murder(1954)
8. The Lady Vanishes(1938)
9. The 39 Steps(1935)
10. Shadow of a Doubt(1943)
11. Psycho(1960)
12. Saboteur(1942)
13. Family Plot(1976)
14. Strangers On a Train(1951)
15. Rope(1948)
16. Frenzy(1972)
17. Marnie(1964)
18. Lifeboat(1944)
19. Sabotage(1936)
20. Mr. and Mrs. Smith(1941) Posted by Rupert Pupkin at 9:44 AM T.L Bugg said...

Now granted I have not seen all the Hitchcock films (that's why I'm bringing back my Hitch on the hump segment to get through the remaining 20 or so titles I need to see), but here is my top picks.

1. Vertigo -Also my favorite overall film.
2. Psycho
3. North by Northwest
4. The Man Who Knew too Much
5. Strangers on a Train
6. the Birds
7. Lifeboat
8. The Lodger
9. the 39 Steps
10. Frenzy (Though I find this one fascinating, and seems to go back to it time and time again)

I still have many see, but that's what I came up wiht off the cuff.

March 1, 2010 at 12:36 PM Bryan said...

I haven't seen as many as you, Mr. Pupkin, but here are my favorites.

1. Vertigo
2. Rear Window
4. Frenzy
6. Spellbound
7. Suspicion
8. Sabotage
9. The Lady Vanishes

March 1, 2010 at 12:52 PM Rupert Pupkin said...

Thanks for your lists guys! I REALLY need to give VERTIGO another look. Like tonight! A lot of people list this as their number 1. I like it quite a bit and used to like it more, but it's faded a bit for me. Perhaps a rewatch will knock it up closer to the top. It'd be hard to unseat my #1 and #2, bu there a chance it could knock Notorious out of the #4 spot..

March 1, 2010 at 1:23 PM in fact, in recollecting a bit a realize that I definitely do like VERTIGO more than NOTORIOUS. Consider that a type-o! fixed!

March 1, 2010 at 1:29 PM don said...

1.Shadow of a Doubt
2.Rear Window
3.North by Northwest
4.Strangers on a Train
8.The 39 Steps
9.The Trouble with Harry

By the way, I just saw Family Plot a couple of weeks ago, and that is an awfully underrated film. In my top 20 for sure

March 1, 2010 at 1:56 PM good man on the FAMILY PLOT, I totally agree. Much dismissed, unnecessarily. Has such a great cast too!!

March 1, 2010 at 3:32 PM Kate Gabrielle said...

Wonderful list! Could I consider this a tag & do a post on my blog?

March 2, 2010 at 8:16 AM Jennythenipper said...

Eh, Vertigo is over-rated. Certainly not his masterpiece any more than Rear Window, which has similar themes, is told just as effectively and is actually well, coherent. I wouldn't even put Vertigo in my top ten:

Rear Window
The Lady Vanishes
The 39 Steps
North By Northwest
Foreign Correspondent

And just to be contradictory...I love To Catch a Thief. I'd rather watch it than Vertigo any day. Sorry. Not that Vertigo is a bad movie, per se, it's just that it's not as out and out perfect and great as it lately been made out to be.

March 2, 2010 at 8:30 AM I should also add Rupert that I too have a constantly evolving or REVOLVING relationship with Hitchock's films. These are the ten that come up most frequently, though there are times certain of these might be there:

Shadow of a Doubt
Strangers on a Train
Mr. and Mrs Smith
Dial M For Murder

March 2, 2010 at 8:43 AM -Kate-Yes please feel free to post a list of your top Hitchcock! Would love to read that.

-Jennythenipper- Fair enough re: Vertigo. I do need to rewatch, but I guess it is pretty highly praised(showed up on several of my friends lists). TO CATCH A THIEF I know is a fun film for some, just not sure what my problem is with it. Just bores me to no end and I love Cary Grant! I like both your top ten and your addnls. That's such a neat thing about Hitch, that he has so many good films and its really hard to pick favorites and stick with em forever. So many fantastic films. I need to rewatch MURDER! as well. Recall liking it...

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