Pick Six: Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies

Vern of The Vern's Video Vangaurd returns with another Pick Six. 

With the recent release of "Hitchcock" in theaters  I thought I would take a look back at some of the best movies the master of suspense has made.   Alfred Hitchcock has made tons of movies throughout his career and trying to come up with just six is very difficult. There are tons of titles he has made that I have not seen yet. The following is a quick list of some of his greatest.

The Birds, 1963

On a normal typical day in Bodega Bay,California. A town is invaded by a group of birds without any warning. This is the first movie that I can recall that shows animals turning against humans for no reason. In typical Hitchcock fashion, the story does not begin with birds attacking. Instead it focuses on Tippi Hedren's character seeking out a man (Rod Taylor) to deliver a pair of lovebirds as a kind of joke. But when she gets there strange thing begin happening. The effects are kind of cheesy compared to day, but it still manages to have some very creepy scenes. The moment where all the birds are perched quietly all around while the protagonists try to escape is effectively chilling.

Rope, 1948

Two men (John Dall, Farley Granger) kill one of their classmates and stuff his body inside a dresser. They decide to hold a dinner party and invite other people over including their own school housemaster (James Stewart). They do this to prove their superiority and to show they can commit the perfect murder. This is the first movie that is shown to be done in one take. Well actually it was more like six but the editing is so seamless. You hardly notice when the change takes place. I do also believe that this was the first movie to have two gay characters in lead roles, and while the representation of having them be killers wasn't positive. It was still kind of a big deal especially back in those days.

Frenzy, 1972

In London a man has terrorized a small town by raping and killing a bunch of women. His latest victim was the ex wife of one of his friends and now the police suspect the friend to be the killer instead of him. This is the first movie from Mr. Hitchcock to have a strong R rating. There are scenes with nudity but it's never gratuitous. A nice enjoyable thriller with good performances all around.

North By Northwest, 1959

One of my all time favorite movies. If your a fan of James Bond, I highly recommend you seek this one out because it is the first one to have a secret agent even though Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) has no idea why he is being mistaken for one. The movie blends suspense, comedy, erotic seduction, and thrills  so well that you hardly notice the time going by. This is the model of how to make a great blockbuster. If this were to be made today it will still be a hit just like it was when it was first released.

Psycho, 1960

Without Norman Bates there would be no Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, or the many other psychopathic killers we have seen on screen.  Mr. Hitchcock has created the first horror slasher movie and the same elements are still used today. What really sets this one apart from the others is the way he makes you feel empathy for it's villain. After Norman disposes the body into a car and sinks it into the lake. There is a moment when it  just stops and you become scared that he might get caught. That is just brilliant no matter time period this was made. Also the whole marketing campaign was really quite brilliant by not allowing people to enter the movie after the feature had begun. I wish this was still used today.

Vertigo, 1958

Vertigo remains to be one of the most psychologically messed up movies in Hitchcock's career that I have seen so far. His main character played by James Stewart takes the idea of obsession a bit too far. He is so haunted by the death of this one woman that he makes another girl look just like her. Just so he can try to recreate that moment when he tried to save her but failed. This is a fascinating portrait of the insane things we do when we lose the people we love. This is a movie that continues to be analyzed and discussed to this very day.

Nick's Pick Six:
Rope
Psycho
Rear Window
North by Northwest
Vertigo
Shadow of a Doubt

What are your favorite movies by Alfred Hitchcock. Leave some suggestions in the comments below.