Hitchcockian Thrillers: Must-See Films in the Style of the Suspense Master

(Hardback)

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During Alfred Hitchcocks five-decade reign as the screens internationally celebrated Master of Suspense, he directed 53 motion pictures hence the number in the title of this book. In such Hitchcock gold standard classics as The 39 Steps, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds, he staked his claim as the architect, the O.G. of the thriller. He laid down the rules and rhythm of the genre, created an immediately identifiable visual style, experimented constantly with technique, pushed boundaries, tweaked censors, and shattered the expectations of his audiences -- along with their nerves. In exploiting his private fears and vulnerabilities, Hitchcock was as brilliant as making us think and feel as he was at making us scream and invading our nightmares. His films elevated the form and were among the biggest box-office successes and most influential of their time. They were and are emulated for their fashion sense and, more lastingly, even nudged the culture forward by liberalizing attitudes toward cinematic violence and sexual frankness.

Hitchcockian Thrillers: 53 Must-See Suspense Movies in the Alfred Hitchcock Style is a curated, opinionated, authoritative, highly personal, lavishly illustrated guide to nine decades of international moviemaking featuring films by directors beginning in the era of Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, and Sir Carol Reed and moving right up through todays David Fincher, Jordan Peele, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Martin Scorsese who have all tried to do a Hitchcock.

Author Bio

Stephen Rebello is a well-known film historian, screenwriter, and commentator. Since the 1990 publication of his first of six books to date, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, published in eight languages worldwide, he has been invited to speak about Hitchcock and his work in England, Japan, China, Italy, and throughout the U.S. Stephen has been interviewed about Hitchcock on Today, Larry King Live, Good Morning, America, and numerous other national TV shows and have recorded three audio commentaries for Hitchcock films on DVD and Blu-ray. He also recorded the audio commentary for the home entertainment release of the 2012 feature film Hitchcock starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson, which is based on Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho and on which he was a screenwriter.

Four of Stephens acclaimed nonfiction books have documented the making of specific live action or animated films. His coffee table book on the art and commerce of American movie posters Reel Art Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen (Abbeville Press) has won several awards, including a citation by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of the 50 best books ever written about movies. He has also written extensively on films and filmmakers for such magazines and websites as GQ, People, Vibe, Playboy, and Movieline was an editor of the latter three.