Product Description
Hitchcock at Work is a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes examination of the work of 'The Master of Suspense', Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980).

Film expert Bill Krohn looks beyond the usual anecdotal sources about Hitchcock, paying unprecedented attention to the director's personal papers and the archives of the film studios he worked for. The result is a major reassessment of the working methods of the director, one which explores many of the myths - often promulgated by Hitchcock himself - that have warped previous criticism.

Hitchcock at Work is fully illustrated with film stills, shots taken on set, storyboards and annotated film scripts. There is also a complete filmography.

'Of all the books on the Master, Bill Krohn's is quite the most splendid and involving. Given the kind of breathtaking visual treatment that is the hallmark of the publisher Phaidon, keen and penetrating text is matched by images that do full justice to the remarkable pictorial qualities of Hitchcock's films. Absolutely essential.'

(News International Genre Hotline)

'The most useful book I've read recently about Alfred Hitchcock Ö I bought it last year, at first sight mainly for the pictures - rare, unusual and immaculately reproduced in colour and monochrome - and then found it telling me more than I had ever known about the behind-the-scenes Hitch Ö a real contribution to primary scholarship.'

(Alexander Walker, Evening Standard) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

SO FAR SO GOOD...
I haven't quite finished the entire book, however, what I have read and seen is excellent...If you are HITCHCOCK MOVIE FAN, this is a MUST-HAVE book...Lot's of photos on all of his movies, great chronological lay out and for the DIRECTORS OUT THERE [like me] great info on his approaches to each film given the constraints he faced from studios, product codes and others...I love behind the scene shots on movie sets...and this one has it's share...Can't wait to read more and finish it in detail...

The most astute (non-interview) book on Hitchcock's films
After the Truffaut interview book called 'Hitchcock', this is the one that is best informed, and most insightful, about Hitchcock's involvement in the art and craft of his films.

Bill Krohn has gone on from here lately with a superb article - based again on meticulous research in the Hitchcock files - about the scripting, production, and post-production of SUSPICION.(See the 'Hitchcock Annual', 2002-03 edition.)

I highly recommend 'Hitchcock at Work'.

An essential book about a great director
In essence, this is a book intended to demythologize Alfred Hitchcock.It has long been a staple of criticism on Hitchcock's films to buy into his assertions that he made his films in his head, via screenplays and storyboards, prior to production, and that the production itself was largely irrelevant.This claim, amazingly, has gone largely uncontested until Krohn's book comes along and shatters it to pieces.One would expect that that sort of demythologization would result in a feeling that Hitchcock's films were, somehow, less great than we felt them to be before, but that is anything but the case.If anything, Krohn's work reaffirms Hitchcock's status as one of the all-time great filmmakers.

A previous reviewer criticized Krohn's book for giving some films more attention than others.Why carp?What's here is great, and it is reasonable to assume that Hitchcock improvised more on some sets than he did on others, and that the sort of documentation one needs to do the necessary research was more in abundance for some films than for others.Therefore, it is unfair to expect a film-by-film rundown.What we should focus on is what IS in the book, not what isn't, and what's here is amongst the most important work ever done on Hitchcock's films.

If you are a fan of Hitchcock's, and enjoy reading about his films as well as watching them, then you owe it to yourself to own this book.

Lavishly illustrated, but not without its flaws
First and foremost it should be noted that "Hitchcock At Work" suffers greatly from an imbalance in coverage of the director's titles.For a major work such as "North by Northwest", author Bill Krohn devotes 13 pages, and to a significantly lesser work, like "Saboteur", he allows 16 pages.This initial imbalance held promise.Was someone finally going to give attention to some of Hitchcock's films that for years have been overlooked?If that was the author's intent, it was quickly rejected, for many of the less appreciated films which would have been interesting to read about, such as "Frenzy", "The Wrong Man", "Torn Curtain", "I Confess", "Under Capricorn", and others, receive a scant two pages each!(As another reviewer noted, the British Period is almost completely ignored - but most books on Hitchcock are guilty of that.)

Some major works, like "Rebecca", are also glossed over in a couple of pages (as are all the films Hitchcock made for producer David Selznick, which is surprising, since the author makes a case for Hitchcock adopting a number of his pre-planning methods from Selznick himself).Even "Suspicion", which had such trouble over its ending that at different times it was rewritten, reshot, and even edited all over again, warranted only two boring stills, and four brief paragraphs.

The publisher, Phaidon, has put together a respectable volume, as they usually do (their "The American Art Book" is a fine example).Many of the illustrations have been published in other volumes on Hitchcock, but a majority of them are fresh and interesting.The frame enlargements from the actual films are often grainy or blurry, as they were meant to be projected at 24 frames per second, not printed in an expensive coffee table book.For the hefty price tag, one would expect the definitive edition on Alfred Hitchcock.This definitely isn't it.

Pretty good
I now like Rhomer/Chabrol's "Hitchcock:the first forty-four films" better. ... Read more

Product Description
When Hitchcock´s Films was first published, it quickly became known as a new kind of book on film -one that came to be considered a necessary text in the Hitchcock bibliography. When Robin Wood returned to his writings on Hitchcock's films and published Hitchcock´s Films Revisited in 1989, the multi-dimensional essays took on a new shape -one that was tempered by Wood's own development as a critic. This new revised edition of Hitchcock´s Films Revisited includes a substantial new preface in which Wood reveals his personal history as a film scholar -including his coming out as a gay man, his views on his previous critical work, and how his writings, his love of film, and his personal life have remained deeply intertwined through the years. This revised edition includes all original eighteen essays and a new chapter on Marnie titled "Does Mark Cure Marnie? Or, 'You Freud, Me Hitchcock.'"Amazon.com Review
This is really two books in one. It contains the entire textof Robin Wood's groundbreaking Hitchcock's Films andsupplements it with articles and commentaries on Hitchcock that Woodwrote from the time of that book's publication until today.Tracingthe trajectory of Hitchcock's career, Hitchcock's FilmsRevisited also allows us to follow the intellectual and emotionaldevelopment of one of the cinema's major critics.Wood's closereadings are always revelatory and exciting, and this volume containsprobably the best single essay ever written on a Hitchcock movie,Wood's analysis of Vertigo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Interesting But Spotty
On the rare occasions when they bothered to contemplate him and his work, arts intelligentsia relegated Alfred Hitchcock to the status of competent craftsman of popular thrillers--until the 1960s, when a few critics began a major re-evaluation of his work.Among the best known of these was Robin Wood, who published HITCHCOCK'S FILMS in 1965.It would be among the first critical texts to give Hitchcock the status of master artist.

Republished as HITCHCOCK'S FILMS REVISITED, most of the body of the book remains the same as the originally titled HITCHCOCK'S FILMS, a critical study of eight of Hitchcock's then most recent films: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, PSYCHO, THE BIRDS, MARNIE, and TORN CURTAIN.But then as now, the study is very problematic, and this has a great deal less to do with the films than with the fact that Wood is much like the Mother Goose nursery rhyme.When he is good he is very, very good, but when he is bad he is horrid.

Wood was among the first to rescue VERTIGO from the dismissive reviews and tepid audience response it received upon its debut, and his comments here are tremendously insightful; he is no less effective in his studies of REAR WINDOW and PSYCHO.His thoughts on STRANGERS ON A TRAIN are excessively pendantic and have a forced quality, but they are none the less interesting.He does not manage to convince me that I should regard NORTH BY NORTHWEST as a masterpiece, but even so he makes a good case.

In his opening remarks, Wood states that he is not among those fans for whom Hitchcock can do no wrong, and attempts to prove his point by citing several famous Hitchcock films that he considers weak.Indeed, he largely dismisses virtually every film Hitchcock made before 1940 and has a tendency to regard Hitchcock's films of the 1940s as developmental.But there is no two ways about it: he is completely off the mark when describes THE BIRDS and MARNIE as masterpieces and TORN CURTAIN as merely disappointing.

The basic problem is that Wood focuses on thematic elements to the virtual exclusion of everything else.It is true that Hitchcock tends toward certain themes--perhaps most obviously an ironic form of individual isolation--so it is hardly surprising that these also occur in THE BIRDS, MARNIE, and TORN CURTAIN.Indeed it would be a shock if they did not.But thematic presence does not necessarily qualify a film for the description of "masterpiece," and where THE BIRDS and MARNIE are concerned Wood throws the word around much too freely for my liking.

The great strength of both THE BIRDS and MARNIE is their numerous set pieces, many of which are very famous and all of which are highly watchable.In each instance, however, the film emerges as a premise in search of a viable plot, and whatever thematic interest may exist pales alongside this very fundamental fact.TORN CURTAIN has several interesting performances in the supporting cast and one truly spectacular Hitchcockian set piece, but it is chiefly remarkable for being among the handful of boring films that Hitchcock made, and no amount of thematic presence can alter this rather basic observation.

Wood has annotated his original text with subsequent articles, and the same situation holds true here as well: he tends to offer praise to those films that have something he can identify as a consistent thematic purpose and dismiss those that do not, all of it without regard to whether or not the film actually works as a film.His comments are not without interest, but in the end these are the musings of a literary scholar instead of an individual who has any real idea of the difference between "interesting failure" and "cinema masterpiece."

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Wood
There are alot of cool insights and interesting ways of looking at the several of Hitchcocks's films in this book, but....Wood's prose is choppy and a real bitch to read.I feel like he is constantly making an exposition on some great insight into the films and then he sort of drops it, leaving the reader feeling a little cheated.The introduction is very long and not really applicable?Who cares that you are a gay marxist.The only real critique from a marxist perspective is the chapter on blackmail.this isnt your autobiography, and I don't really care to draw connections between your evolutuion in criticism and the events of your life.That said.. The second half is superior to the first.The first half reads like a high school english teacher wrote it.The second half has some gems.Specifically the chapters on Blackmail, Rope, The Man who knew too much

The Price of Innovation
Forty years ago Robin Wood joined a then-small number of serious critics who urged that Hitchcock be taken seriously.Since many of those critics did not receive a wide reading, Wood's effort was of extreme significance in garnering Hitch the respect he deserved.

It's wonderful to note that Wood, still writing, has continued to update his first work without repudiating or diluting any of it.He made some highly daring observations in 1966, which so many writers ridiculed or dismissed.His originality and critical integrity is so notable, though, that it has weathered these attacks and survived to the present, in actually even better form.

Consider, for example, that Wood countered a then-contemporary tend in dismissing "Marnie" as a failure.Instead, in his first book and most recent edition, he insists that "Marnie" be counted in among films like Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo and North by Northwest as a masterly pairing of visual images addressing psychological elements.And who else before Wood saw the utterly original qualities of "Vertigo," or deconstructed them more effectively?

You won't be sorry to have this book in your library.It originated a critical lanugage of film, and celebrated one of film's greatest contributors in a unique way.

As brilliant as it is controversial
Most of the comments posted about this book are embarrassing in their refusal to engage properly with what Robin Wood is actually trying to argue. Previous readers appear to resent Wood's desire to take the cinema seriously, and suggest that we should look to Hitchcock's films for no more than "craft" and "technique". If that's all one is concerned with, I'm not sure why it would be worth reading a book on Hitchcock at all. Wood has always been firm in asserting that the experience of watching a film is both emotional and intellectual. Taking the cinema seriously doesn't mean one has to stop responding to it emotionally. Nor does Hitchcock's status as a consummate entertainer invalidate Wood's arguments that his films raise profound and troubling moral and political questions.

Wood writes beautifully. Complaints about his reliance on Freudian or Marxist terminology are wrongheaded - such terminology is in fact employed far more rarely than by most academic writers. Wood's use of language is magnificently precise and careful. It is true that he conducts his critique of Hitchcock, as of other filmmakers, from a leftwing viewpoint. One does not have to share his commitment to Marxism (a kind of reconstructed, humanistic Marxism, incidentally, which has nothing to do with the atrocities perpetrated by Mao or Stalin) in order to appreciate the strength of his analysis. Anyone who is prepared, as a reader, to engage in lively debate with a writer's ideological and moral assumptions, should be able to profit by reading Wood's book.

I certainly don't agree with everything Wood has to say either on a political or an aesthetic level. But no other writer on Hitchcock, or on the cinema, has the same depth, reach or passion for his subject. Hitchcock's Films Revisited, presenting in tandem Wood's earlier and later thoughts on one of the cinema's great masters, is not only great criticism; it is also a moving account of one man's personal and political evolution.

Occasionally insightful and obscure at the same time
Wood's seminal book was first published in 1966 and he has revised it since then on a number of occasions. This latest revision allows Wood to revisit his past and comment on both his acute observations on Hitchcock's films and comment some of the sillier concepts that dotted the original book as well. It's appropriate that Wood cites Freud as often as he does; Hitchcock was fascinated with psychoanalysis and it figures significantly in a number of films in one form or another. On the other hand, Wood also revisits many of the same films in the newer material and while the observations are always interesting, they are, at best just as overblown as some of his original inflated claims for Hitchcock as well.

Hitchcock's Films still stands as an essential read for Hitchcock fans and film students but much of what Wood has to say should be taken with a grain of salt. Wood frequently becomes so anayltical that he loses touch with the power and joy in Hitchcock's craft. Hitchcock's films are as much about his technique as they are about the themes that fascinated him. Hitchcock's Films isn't a bad book; it's a book that needs to be read by someone who has already developed enough critical skills to recognize when the author's arguements have become as full of hot air as a balloon.

Like all the hyperbole written about an important artistic figure, Wood's book has a number of noteable insights but, again, he reads more into the material than is there sometimes. I much prefer Patrick McGilligan's fine biography of Hitchcock. McGilligan manages to mix his observations with comments from people who actually were involved in the making of the films. We get insight from the artist's that collaborated with Hitchcock vs. second hand observations from someone sitting in a darkened cinema. ... Read more

Product Description
The Three Investigators search for an authentic haunted house. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Love it! Good spookiness without being too scary
I loved the Three Investigator books as a kid! I used to borrow my brothers' books and read them. Now I am rebuilding my own collection of them. The Terror Castle version I have does not have Alfred Hitchcock-it has a fictitious English director who later will tell the boys to see Hector Sebastian who has a Stuttering Parrot problem (but that's another story)

The thing about these books is that while people suspect paranormal things (like ghosts and such) they are ALWAYS humans pretending (so don't worry about spiritistic practices-i want to warn parents so they don't think divination is involved)

This book is about a supposedly haunted house of a reportedly long-dead silent movie actor (remember, this was written in the 60s, so silent films went south only 40 years previous), and how our heroes prove that it isn't really haunted (the film director wants a haunted house for his next movie, and Jupiter (the leader and brains of the group) promises to find him one if he introduces their book.

A little aside about Jupiter (or Jupe): not only is he the brains, but he is the heavyweight of the trio. This is interesting because obesity has reached the point where to us, Jupe (as he is depicted on the book covers) is barely above average size, not the rotund figure that the other characters see him as.

The gang is rounded out (hehe-excuse the pun) by Pete & Bob. Pete is the athletic member. I wouldn't call him the brawn because he doesn't really use his strength much in the book, just stamina and speed. He is also kind of a coward (sorry, Pete, but I call 'em as I see 'em), trying to back out of the situations and challenges that arise.

Bob is more bookish, but while his head holds a lot of facts, it is Jupe that can connect the dots. In the early books, he had a leg cast.

These books are fun, and clean! Which can't be said for a lot of the immoral filth that is nowadays published for the child and teen market.

There is no swearing, sex or violence (besides the slapstick, "G" rated kind, or near-misses with such things as falling rocks). I think the mysteries are fresh, and not recycled like some other book series (cough, Hardy Boys, ahem! Nancy Drew)

If you like mysteries, then I recommend the Three Investigators to all ages. If it seems beyond your youngster, perhaps try E.W. Hildick's McGurk series until they are a bit more advanced. Both series are page-turners!

Happy reading!

A must read book - for older kids - and adults!
This is simply a great book - to me, this is probably the best book in the whole series.The movie made in 2010 is also good, but not as great as the book.What is awesome is to read this book, and to think about how advanced this book was for its time - how the sleuths intelligently used what they had available to make great detective tools - and used their powers of observation!

Alfred Hitchcock and the 3 Investigators - Terror Castle
I received the item way before I expected and it was exactly what I ordered.
Would gladly purchase from this seller again.
Thanks

A great start for a great series
This is the first book in the Three Investigators juvenile series. This book, being the first of the series, has more setup than most of the books. It is here that the boys relationship with Alfred Hitchcock is explained. It should be pointed out that the Hitchcock connection is largely a marketing ploy and Hitchcock plays almost no role in the stories themselves. Indeed, it was easy to replace Hitchcock with an entirely fictional character in later editions after his death.

The main protagonists are introduced in this book. Jupiter Jones, the "stocky" and intelligent one, is the natural leader of the group. Pete Crenshaw is the athletic one of the group. Bob Andrews is the studious one with the leg brace. Although, stereotypical in the beginning as the series progresses the boys are progressively more realistically portrayed. We are also introduced to Worthington, the likable chauffeur.

The plot is the classic haunted house story. There are mysterious goings on at Terror Castle and the boys have to get to the bottom of it. There are enough twists and turns to keep even an adult interested.

If you have a 10-15 year old reader you could do a lot worse than this series. The only possible drawback is that most of the stories are dated; they are set firmly in the 1960s. But the charm of the books are timeless. The illustrations by Harry Kane are worth the additional effort of tracking down earlier printings.

Great read!
I read this book to my 10 year old son and we both loved it. It was suspenseful, exciting, and even had a couple of really funny bits. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Lots of variety and some big names
I bought this for the Adobe James story, Tomorrow and Tomorrow.I have only found four of his stories in print and they all are excellent.The one in this anthology was no exception, although I was a little disappointed at its length (only three pages).I enjoyed the long story Royal Jelly by Roald Dahl quite a bit.His 'horror' stories for adults are always understated but brilliant.The Distributor by Richard Matheson is one of his most famous, but was so complex I had to read it twice to keep track of what was going on.Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov and Betty Ren Wright all turn in well written, enjoyable stories as well.My absolute favorite story was by an author I am unfamiliar with: Waldo Carlton Wright.Little Foxes Sleep Warm was an amazing read from start to finish.Highly recommended!

Not so much frightening as thought provoking
The title brings forth images of horror stories being told by candlelight.So considering that I'm not a big fan of 'scary stories', when I approached this book it was with a great deal of trepidation.However, I soon found that the stories inside were of the typical true Hitchcock fashion.More along the lines of 'North by Northwest' or 'Rebecca' than 'The Birds', for instance.If you are a fan of Hitchcock's movies, you will definitely enjoy the stories in this volume.I found that I had only read one of the stories, and was pleasantly surprised to find stories by such noted authors as Isaac Asimov and Roald Dahl.Definitely a good read, and because they are short stories, you can read each one at your leisure.

Fascinating,IntriguingStoriesforMysteryLovers
I have read many of Alfred Hitchcock's series of horror/mystery books and this is one of the best. Almost all of the stories are worth reading. The most particularly notable ones are: Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Adobe James)(an absolutely horrendous story about revenge), A Good Head for Murder (Charles Runyon), Invisible Cat (Betty Ren Wright), and The Distributor (Richard Matheson).I think that A Good Head for Murder as well as Invisible Cat are absolutely two of the best suspense short stories that I have ever read.
A great book for mystery/horror lovers.

Appearance vs. Reality
A lot of the stories are great stories that show the depiction of appearance vs. reality.One for example of this is the story "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Adoboe James.This story is a a short story that has you seeing how things may seem one way, but not be true at all

Appearance vs. Reality
A lot of the stories are great stories that show the depiction of appearance vs. reality.One for example of this is the story "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Adoboe James.This story is a a short story that has you seeing how things may seem one way, but not be true at all ... Read more

Product Description
The Three Investigators undertake a case involving an Egyptian mummy which whispers, but only to one man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Please see: Stories for Late at Night
Recently, I read a book titled "Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories for Late at Night." That book was a far better collection than this. These tales of murder, mystery and suspense seemed all rather similar, and it was easy to guess the inevitable ending in most cases. However, I did particularly enjoy the piece titled "Christopher Frame." ... Read more

Product Description
This new edition of A Hitchcock Reader aims to preserve what has been so satisfying and successful in the first edition: a comprehensive anthology that may be used as a critical text in introductory or advanced film courses, while also satisfying Hitchcock scholars by representing the rich variety of critical responses to the director's films over the years.

• a total of 20 of Hitchcock’s films are discussed in depth - many others are considered in passing


• section introductions by the editors that contextualize the essays and the films they discuss


• well-researched bibliographic references, which will allow readers to broaden the scope of their study of Alfred Hitchcock

Product Description
This collection brings together outstanding critical essays on this influential and teachable film. The essays not only illustrate the complexities of Psycho, but represent the spectrum of criticism of the film. The contents include an analysis of its music and various close readings illustrated by many stills from the film. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pirate treasure and a ghostly merry-go-round
Jupiter, Pete, and Bob fly east to help Pete's dad with a movie project he's working on.The production company wants to film an exciting chase scene on a roller coaster at an old abandoned amusement park on Skeleton Island, but things keep breaking or going missing.So, the boys are called in to do a little snooping around and maybe find out who's causing the problems.It'll give them the chance to practice their scuba diving, too, and maybe even look for some of that famed pirate treasure the locals claim lies in the nearby waters.

Quite exciting at times, but not one of my `most favorite' from this old favorite series I loved as a kid.Still, a good mystery with lots of clues to follow as the story progresses, and my son and I recently enjoyed it.As with a few others in the beginning of the series, a young foreign boy who faces local persecution figures prominently in their adventures as a sub-plot.But I thought this one was a little easier to figure out than some others have been (... or perhaps I'm just remembering from all the times I read it as a kid?).Still, a highly recommended series for kids who like a good mystery (try to find the Alfred Hitchcock versions over the Hector Sebastian ones if you can).

Best in the series
Secret of Skeleton Island is a perfect example of classic Hitchcock.An awesome fictional work ...one of the best fiction books I've read even though it is mostly for younger readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Stories to excite, intrigue and keep you guessing
A smash and grab jewel thief is caught red handed, but when searched by the police he possesses no jewels.How will this crime be solved?A shipwrecked sailor finds himself trapped in a frantic game of death.How will the game end?Over England the birds start behaving very strangely. How will Nat, a rustic farm-worker, and his family survive this frightening outburst of nature? Poppy the dog inherits a fortune and Miss Crump, the animal's protector, is convinced that someone is trying to kill her.Can Miss Crump's neighbors, Iris and Peter, unravel the truth behind this seemingly outlandish claim?These and many more stories will keep you entertained for hours.

This is one of the very many books edited by Alfred Hitchcock, famed movie and television director.Hitchcock was constantly looking for new stories to make into movies and TV programs and one of the stories in this book, The Birds (Collector's Edition), was very successfully adapted to the screen by the director.This book contains thirteen mystery-suspense short stories, all of which are designed to excite, intrigue and keep you guessing until the end.Many of them are by masters of the field, such as Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier and Roald Dahl.Those by lesser known authors are not to be dismissed as mere padding.Richard Connell's is, for example, quite a memorable and original story.Some of the tales are of a lighter frame of mind and Percival Wilde'sis the best of these, being a very humorous spoof on some of the other authors represented in this book.The longest story is thirty-six pages and the two shortest are six pages.The best story in the book is, to my mind, Dorothy L. Sayers' and the least successful are the two six page stories, one by F. Tennyson Jesse and the other by Clayre and Michel Lipman.On the whole the quality of the stories were good and this book is certainly worth picking up if you have an hour or two to fill and a taste for the mysterious and slightly weird.It can be read by teenagers thirteen years and over, but certainly should not be ignored by adults.

Stories to excite, intrigue and keep you guessing
A smash and grab jewel thief is caught red handed, but when searched by the police he possesses no jewels.How will this crime be solved?A shipwrecked sailor finds himself trapped in a frantic game of death.How will the game end?Over England the birds start behaving very strangely. How will Nat, a rustic farm-worker, and his family survive this frightening outburst of nature? Poppy the dog inherits a fortune and Miss Crump, the animal's protector, is convinced that someone is trying to kill her.Can Miss Crump's neighbors, Iris and Peter, unravel the truth behind this seemingly outlandish claim?These and many more stories will keep you entertained for hours.

This is one of the very many books edited by Alfred Hitchcock, famed movie and television director.Hitchcock was constantly looking for new stories to make into movies and TV programs and one of the stories in this book, The Birds (Collector's Edition), was very successfully adapted to the screen by the director.This book contains thirteen mystery-suspense short stories, all of which are designed to excite, intrigue and keep you guessing until the end.Many of them are by masters of the field, such as Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier and Roald Dahl.Those by lesser known authors are not to be dismissed as mere padding.Richard Connell's is, for example, quite a memorable and original story.Some of the tales are of a lighter frame of mind and Percival Wilde'sis the best of these, being a very humorous spoof on some of the other authors represented in this book.The longest story is thirty-six pages and the two shortest are six pages.The best story in the book is, to my mind, Dorothy L. Sayers' and the least successful are the two six page stories, one by F. Tennyson Jesse and the other by Clayre and Michel Lipman.On the whole the quality of the stories were good and this book is certainly worth picking up if you have an hour or two to fill and a taste for the mysterious and slightly weird.It can be read by teenagers thirteen years and over, but certainly should not be ignored by adults.
... Read more

Product Description
Hitchcock's films provide a substantial and intriguing collection of architectural aspects - from his claustrophobic, single set films, such as Rope' and Rear Window' and his use of famous monuments for climatic scenes - to the characteristic use of the house as a labyrinth and trap, and of architectural motifs such as stairs and windows to develop narrative structures and typical themes. Author Steven Jacobs examines the master of suspense's' architecture and the myriad of interpretations and issues that it raises, and in addition also discusses at length a series of domestic buildings with the help of reconstructed floor plans. ... Read more

Product Description
Suspense ... Read more

Product Description
Alfred Hitchcock (UK, 1899-1980) is undeniably the world's most famous film director. His name has become synonymous with the cinema, and each new generation takes the same pleasure in rediscovering his films, which are now treasures of our artistic heritage. Hitchcock started out in the British silent cinema of the 1920s, which reached its peak with successful thrillers such as "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934), "Sabotage" (1936) and "The Lady Vanishes" (1938). Recognized as a 'young genius', Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and set about reinventing cinematic tradition,combining the modern with the classic in films such as "Vertigo" (1957), "North by Northwest" (1959)and "The Birds" (1963). Hitchcock gave talented actors such as James Stewart and Cary Grant the chance to play enduring antiheroes and imprinted the public imagination with the myth of the 'blonde', as embodied by Grace Kelly, Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren. ... Read more

Product Description
An entertaining, in-depth look at the films, including Rear Window, made by Alfred Hitchcock with screenwriter John Michael Hayes.

In spring 1953, the great director Alfred Hitchcock decided to take a chance and work with a young writer, John Michael Hayes. The decision turned out to be a pivotal one, for the four films that Hitchcock made with Hayes over the next several years -- Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much -- represented an extraordinarily successful change of style. Each of the movies was distinguished by a combination of glamorous stars, sophisticated dialogue, and inventive plots -- James Stewart and Grace Kelly trading barbs in the tensely plotted Rear Window, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly engaging in witty repartee in To Catch a Thief -- and resulted in some of Hitchcock's most distinctive and intimate work, based in large part on Hayes's exceptional scripts.

Exploring for the first time the details of this collaboration, Steven DeRosa follows Hitchcock and Hayes through each film from initial discussions to completed picture and presents an analysis of each screenplay. He also reveals the personal story -- filled with inspiration and humor, jealousy and frustration -- of the initial synergy between the two very different men before their relationship fell apart. Writing with Hitchcock not only provides new insight into four films from a master but also sheds light on the process through which classic motion pictures are created. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

A Profitable Collaboration
In 1953 John Michael Hayes met Alfred Hitchcock in the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel for dinner.After indulging in much wine and food with the legendary director, the 33-year-old writer, who was just starting to earn his spurs as a film scenarist after a luminous period in radio, returned home and told his wife he was certain that Hitchcock would never hire him to collaborate with him on projects.

How wrong Hayes proved to be, to the distinct benefit of himself and the great director.Hayes believed he would not be hired since he frankly criticized some of Hitchcock's earlier films.As things turned out, Hitchcock admitted he had heard very little of what Hayes was saying.Instead he focused on his manner, believing him to be glib and confident of himself.They then went to work on their first project together, with Hayes writing the screenplay adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's renowned short story, "Rear Window."

Steven DeRosa takes us on a fascinating journey with a succinct dual biography of the two men, brilliant creative forces with styles in some ways different, in other ways similar, while also showcasing the four films on which they worked during their collaboration.Despite his formidable background and lengthy film experience, Hitchcock knew where to tread and how to back off, giving Hayes plenty of suggestions on settings while providing him with all the independence he needed to place his own brand on his screenplays, particularly the masterful dialogue that made him sought after from the time he arrived in Hollywood looking for work.We learn that Hayes, before working on films, was a smashing success as a writer on the Sam Spade radio series starring Howard Duff and Lurene Tuttle.It was while cranking out radio scripts and being compelled to meet pressureful deadlines that Hayes developed a discipline that led him later to be branded as "Hollywood's fastest writer."

Another fascinating collaboration was "To Catch a Thief," in which the French Riviera settings form a brilliant visual backdrop to a thriller in which Cary Grant plays a reformed jewel thief who is enticed back into action to help the local police catch that period's successor to Grant.Along the way he finds romance with Grace Kelly, who will not that long afterward return to the French Riviera to reign over Monte Carlo with new husband Prince Rainier.

DeRosa provides interesting details on the remake of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," this time, 22 years after the original was released, as a spectacular color film.We learn how this film, starring James Stewart and Doris Day,was crafted in a way to utilize the good points of the original version while building upon that success and providing excellent original material.

This book is a rare effort.Scarcely ever does a reader receive such a close perspective on the important relationship between two master craftsmen, a brilliant veteran director and a young screenwriter at the peak of his powers.

Very recommended
The making of Rear Windows, The Man Who Knew Too Much, To Catcha Thief and The Trouble with Harry in one book!Through interviews with the key production personnel of Hitchcock and writer Hayes, this book covers each detail of how these films were made.Very recommended.

a must for any fan of Hitchcock
This book is about the successful teaming of Alfred Hitchcock and screenwriter John Michael Hayes. Hayes, a native New Englander, and recently a screenwriting professor at Dartmouth, wrote four films for Hitch, including Rear Window, To Catch a Thief and The Man Who Knew Too Much. They worked extraordinarily well together, Hitchcock bringing to the table his mastery of suspense and technique and Hayes his knack for sharp dialogue and strong characters. Predictably, ego, money and a battle for credit soon got in the way and ended their partnership. Steven DeRosa's research is impressive, and his style accessible, entertaining and informative.

Hitchcock at his best
Although the book's main focus is on the four films Hitchcock made with Hayes, and on the personal relationsip between the two, DeRosa provides many insights into the director's collaborations with writers throughout his long career.It becomes quite clear that the very nature of Hitchcock's technique, that of planning everything in advance, made him more reliant on writers than he ever admitted.At the same time, DeRosa shows what it was like to be an up-and-coming screenwriter during that era.

A fresh take on Hitchcock
In almost stupefying detail DeRosa describes how Hitchcock and screenwriter Hayes conceived, wrote, and produced four of Hitchcock's better films, including Rear Window and To Catch a Thief.Along the way DeRosa tells how Hayes' reputation grew to the point that Hitchcock was no longer comfortable maintaining the relationship.Engagingly written, this is a fresh take on Hitchcock which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially after seeing three of the four on the newly released DVD's. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Best Hitchcock Juvenile Collection
When I was a child in the 1960s I took this book out of the library several times and it seemed to cast a spell over me.The illustrations were creepy and marvelously done, and it ran chills up my spines just to look at the pictures.This was the first book in the Random House Hitchcock "juvenile" anthology collection--I put the "juvenile" in quotes because the majority of the stories in this collection weren't written for children at all, but for adults.In fact it was above my reading level at the time and I could never get through it.As an adult I've since collected all the juvenile anthologies, but this one, and Haunted Houseful are by far the best of the series.If you're an adult thinking they might be good gifts for the young people in your lives, think again.I gave copies of these to my nephew when he was a child and I don't think he even attempted to read them.The kids now-a-days don't even know who Alfred Hitchock was, nor is it likely they've watched any of the Hitchcock movies or tv shows as we baby boomers did.I think this book is great for nostaligia and just some plain old scary stories with well known authors for the most part.In fact, I can honestly say, the entire series is better and more enjoyable than Hitchcock's adult anthologies--which were mostly forgettable pulp authors.

Not just for kids...
I first discovered the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies when I was in about fourth grade. Recently I found _Ghostly Galleries_ and _Haunted Houseful_ in a bookstore, and snapped them up for my kids to read when they get older. Of course, I had to read them again for the sake of nostalgia, and I found that I still enjoyed the stories as much as when I was 10. The collections feature some of the greatest names in fiction writing. _Ghostly Galleries_ has stories by H.G. Wells ("The Truth About Pycraft"), Robert Louis Stevenson ("The Isle of Voices"), Algernon Blackwood ("The Valley of the Beasts"), F. Marion Crawford ("The Upper Berth") and Lord Dunsany ("In a Dim Room"). Less well known, but a personal favorite of mine, is Robert Arthur ("The Haunted Trailer," "The Wonderful Day" and "Obstinate Uncle Otis"). He also helped edit the book, and was responsible for those great "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" anthologies, like _Stories My Mother Never Told Me_. If you're considering this book for your kids, most of the stories have a very mild 'spook' factor, and some are more humorous than scary, like "Miss Emmeline Takes Off" by Walter Brooks. "The Upper Berth" is probably the spookiest, but a ten year-old should be able to handle it. I did.If you're considering the book for yourself, rest assured that the stories are classics in the genre of pulp fiction, that is, stories from the old Weird Tales type publications that mixed horror, mystery, sci-fi and humor. There's more emphasis on humor than horror, but you should find the reading enjoyable.

For The Person With Supernatural Wonders
Could a heavy looking man actually be lighter than air?Stories like these and more can be located in Alfred Hitchcock's "Ghostly Gallery".Alfred Hitchcock is the mastermind behind these spooky stories including:"The Waxman", "The Haunted Trailer" and "In The Jungle"."What should I do about my lightness" said the George Healy is a quote from my favorite story "Heavy Man Healy".Have you ever done something you've regretted? Or have a feeling that you're being watched?If you like these types of stories,try this book.I recommend this book for for people, kids and adults because of his stories with frightening things that happen with strange endings and who loved his classic movies."Ghostly Gallery" can be found at a library or bookstore near you ... Read more

Product Description
Hitchcock and Selznick is the story of one of the oddestpartnerships in Hollywood history, the union of a reticent, overweightEnglishman with a flair for striking detail and a penchant for theperverse, and a dynamic movie mogul with a keen eye for successfulentertainment on the grand scale. It began in 1938, when producerDavid O.Selznick agreed to bring director Alfred Hitchcock fromEngland, where he was already gaining widespread acclaim for his"little thrillers," and the collaboration resulted in the making ofsuch masterpieces as Rebecca, Spellbound, and Notorious.

Hitchcock was softspoken and meticulous; Selznick was confrontationaland chronically disorganized. They were, moreover, two geniuses withwholly different approaches to filmmaking. The sparks that flewbetween them over the next eight years ignited into some ofHitchcock's most memorable achievements, but they made collaborationimpossible in the end. Drawing on unpublished documents, early draftsof script treatments, and humorous production anecdotes--and includinga wealth of previously unseen photographs--Leonard Leff has written abook for specialist and layman alike, a fascinating behind-the-scenesportrait not only of two great Hollywood figures but of the filmindustry itself.Amazon.com Review
The careers of Alfred Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick are intensely entwined, but the story of their work together is one of the cinema's best-kept secrets. Hitchcock is probably best known for the work he did in the 1950s and '60s, hosting his legendary television show and directing the films Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds. Selznick's many films have been eclipsed by his most popular achievement, Gone with the Wind. But it was Selznick who coaxed Hitchcock into emigrating from England to America, and it was Hitchcock who directed three opulent masterpieces for the producer's studio: Rebecca, Spellbound, and Notorious.

Leonard J. Leff's richly detailed and entertaining book documents this collaboration, describing how two men of opposite temperaments were able to complement one another artistically. He gives a behind-the-scenes perspective on the creation of their movie masterpieces, also investigating their fourth and final production, the unsuccessful The Paradine Case. "Hitchcock spent nearly a decade with Selznick, beginning in 1938," Leff writes. "More than either acknowledged, they joined forces primarily to extend their independence as filmmakers. A director of 'little British thrillers,' Hitchcock lacked the wherewithal to attain international status. Selznick not only brought Hitchcock to Hollywood but offered him stories and actors commensurate with his profound talent. Their collaboration bore fruit: Hitchcock added bite to Selznick's style, Selznick added American gloss to Hitchcock's." Leff's account of this dynamic duo in action is as thrilling as the films they created together. --Raphael Shargel ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Mutt and Jeff of American cinema
They were the odd couple of cinema: Hitchcock's spry, intelligent thrillers were very much at odds with Selznick's adaptions notable for their fidelity to their source. Hitchcock, in contrast, was anything but faithful to the source material of his many film adaptions. Both adaptions and original material focused on key visual images around which the plot was built. Selznick was the opposite of Hitch in that his productions were focused more on the narrative. Their collaboration managed to enrich each other's skills.

Although they made few films together during their ten year "collaboration" (in reality Hitch was under contract so his status was more as suborindate than equal), most of them are hampered by their lack of cohesive styles. As producer/director they didn't hit their collborative stride until Hitch's Notorius in 1946. Most of Hitch's work was with other producers and studios for which he was loaned out like any other actor or director of the time.

Nevertheless, Hitch learned valuable lessons in structuring a film for the American audience. He also managed to reach an audience that he could only have imagined before coming to America. Selznick's most valuable lesson was learning to let his directors occasionally have their way on projects.

Leff's book is a bit too scholarly in tone for the average film fan but is well written and researched. It's also quite expensive given that it's a large format paperback (this probably has to do with the small audience imagined for it and the fact that it comes from the UC Press). Many of Leff's more interesting observations have turned up as commentary on a number of Criterion DVDs (particularly the Spellbound DVD released last year).

There were many classic films produced during their time together but just as many misfires (Spellbound, despite it's many attributes is a good example of the disasterous turn their collaboration could take). Hitch hadn't hit the height of his powers as a director yet. His most powerful films (Rear Window, North by Northwest, Vertigo, The Trouble With Charlie, Strangers on a Train, Psycho and The Birds)loomed in his future. Nevertheless, his films from this time frame are, at times, revolutionary in one way or another (Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Lifeboat among many others).

This book details their work together from uneasy partnership tothe truce that allowed Hitch to produce one of his most magnificient films (Notorius). Although Hitch's work has come to dominate our culture more than Selznick's (with the possible exception of Gone With The Wind), neither man would have achieved his goals without the other.

Good History, Fascinating Characters, Slightly Tedious
You probably couldn't find two more fascinating personalities in the history of cinema than Hitchcock and Selznick, and Mr. Leff does an excellent job providing background information and behind-the-scenesdetails on their collaborations.The book tends to slow down at times,mostly due to expositionary passages which are essential, but which delaygetting to the good stuff.

One thing I would have liked more of wouldhave been more information on what each of these characters did away fromeach other.I realize that gets away from the main thesis, but I thinkthat Mr. Leff tries to involve as many of those details as he can into hisnarrative but is forced to pare it down to stay on course.

What'sparticularly interesting is how Hitchcock and Selznick virtually switchedplaces in the Hollywood hierarchy over the course of their time together. Knowing what we know about each man in his later years lends an extracreedence to Mr. Leff's work.

A great read for Hitch fans. Highly recommended.
For any serious fan and student of Hitchcock, this compellingly readable book is a must.Should be on the bookshelf along with Donald Spoto's great book "The Dark Side of Genius."Where Spoto's book providesexcellent detail on the Hitchcock side of this strained but dynamiccollaboration, Leff's book fills the gap on the Selznick end, providingboth an historical perspective (Hitchcock on the rise, Selznick at thebeginning of his decline) and an insightful look at the filmmaking methodsof both men, striving to push the envelope in the repressive era of WillHayes' Hollywood code.Hitch may have bridled under Selznick'sheavy-handedness, his obsession with using name talent and his emphasis ondialogue and character development.Yet, many of the great Hitchcock filmsthat came after their colloaboration bear the mark of Selznick's influencein all these areas.Mr. Leff's book offers an eminently fair rendering ofeach man's creative contributions and personal angst in their 10 yearassociation, and is an important contribution to mid-20th century Americanfilm history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Blast From The Past
I used to read this book when I was in elementary school. The stories and illustrations always scared me. After reading it again 40 years later the stories aren't scary anymore, but they are really well written stories, even for adults. This book brought back a lot of memories from my youth. It was definitely a good purchase.

a childhood favorite
These were fairly scary when I was in elementary school.I recently received a copy as a gift and still greatly enjoy it.Diverse writing styles, ranging from Mark Twain and Sherlock Holmes to early 1960's.The artwork inside is phenomenal.These stories don't contain gore or violence, instead relying on unfolding stories with atmosphere, pacing, plot elements and memorable characters. ... Read more