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I personally find Vertigo to be Hitchcock's most overrated work. Psycho is also overrated, but is deserving of its title as Hitchcock's best (and perhaps the best film of the 60's). Rear Window, North by Northwest and even Dial M For Murder are better than Vertigo in my opinion - then again, all of these were great films. So is Marnie - hats off to Connery there.
The only one I didn't like was The Birds.
I will say this, it is a great concept and a better film could be made from the same ideas.
I'm sure you've already realized this, but just about every remake of Hitchcock's films or films with virtually identical themes/plots always turn out to be bad. Hitchcock had a way of selling the stuff that almost nobody else could.
You mean Birdemic?
But is it supernatural or is it just nature run amok? I've never seen it as supernatural.
1. North by Northwest
2. Rear Window
3. Vertigo
4. To Catch a Thief
5. Psycho
6. The Man Who Knew Too Much ((1956 version)
7. Notorious
8. The Birds
9. Frenzy
10. Dial M for Murder
I always think that, too, and I also love how he casually checks his hands after killing Guerra.
If you've never seen The Trouble with Harry, I highly recommend it. Not Hitch's best, but very much underrated.
@Birdleson, Vertigo is also my #1, and I also really appreciate The Birds. People bash it because it's a bit dated, but it's only dated because of how damn ambitious it is. Not his best film by any means.
The one film everyone else loves that I don't as much is North by Northwest, which i respect moreso than I love.
Huge fan of Shadow of a Dobut and Rebecca as well.
No The 39 Steps!??!
The orginal spy film and still one of the best.
2. To Catch a Thief
3. Rear Window
4. Dial M for Murder
5. Marnie
6. Torn Curtain
7. Rope
8. Vertigo
9. Rebecca
10. Notorious
11. The Birds
12. Strangers on a Train (saw it for the first time yesterday. A little too dated for me but nice premise. I would like a remake as was rumoured a year or so ago).
13. Psycho
14. Frenzy
I haven't seen 39 Steps.
North By Northwest is my favourite film of all time. Cary Grant at his best.
It isn't in my top 10...but this doesn't mean I dislike it. I also love Suspicion and Rope, as well as The Trouble with Harry
Just reading that fine list (not saying I agree with all of your choices) makes me feel ashamed at the Hitchcock films I have on DVD. I only own the NBN 50th anniversary bluray, Psycho bluray and 39 Steps DVD.
That's really not enough is it?
You're right though. Cary Grant is fabulous and sets the template for Roger Moore style adventure romps.
Love the auction scene when he's on his way out 'Sorry old man, keep trying'.
I wanted to get Dial M for Murder, and found out it was packaged with North By Northwest and Strangers On A Train in a UK set for a great price, so I sold my standalone 50th anniv. copy for a reasonable price, and picked up the box set instead.
Unfortunately, not all of the films are properly remastered. Dial M For Murder looks badly washed out. Strangers on a Train, despite being black and white, is much better. So are Rebecca and Notorious (despite also being b & w). Very sharp.
I know, I"ve seen it.
I believe I've seen that. It's a bit of an unusual film (then again, weren't all of Hitchcock's?) but it was genuinely suspenseful.
Back on topic, that Bond/Hinx fight is way up there with the Bond/Grant one.
Quite a strange ranking. I'm especially curious to see why Psycho is a couple places below The Birds, considering it's more tense/suspenseful, better written with better characters, and is a far more terrifying prospect to contemplate. It was also a vastly greater impact in its respective genre.
I like seeing North by Northwest, Rear Window and Dial M for Murder up so high, though. These are some of my favorites and have received a lot of critical acclaim, and quite deservingly so in my opinion.
Then in the 90's (I think) I saw a Gus Van Sant remake starring Vince Vaughan which was so poor I wanted to walk out of the theatre. I also purchased and watched Psycho 2 and 3 (I think these were tv movies). By the end of it all I was just completely done/exhausted with the whole premise of mother issues and a motel. So perhaps I'm a little biased.
I realize I rank Dial M for Murder higher than most. The reason being I love 'play' style films in one setting. It's all about the dialogue and the acting in these instances, and the ability to hold one's attention with this. I think Ray Milland is just brilliant (when he proposes the crime to his Oxbridge buddy, the glee on his face is chilling) as is Grace Kelly. Love this film. I also am a huge fan of the pseudo remake (A Perfect Murder) starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen.
I rank The Birds higher than Psycho because my earliest impressions of the film (when these things really tend to stick) was just much more positive. I was frightened by the way the birds attacked. I wonder if I'll feel the same way if I watch the film now (it's been many years). Perhaps not.
I rank Marnie high because of the incredible Sean Connery ("well, now that we've established that you're a thief and a liar"), Tippi Hedren (superb, disturbed and unhinged performance) and Diane Baker.
Frenzy never did anything for me. The drab 70's aesthetic killed the mood as well.