The new biography of Alfred Hitchcock by Edward White takes an innovative approach to understanding his career. (“Hitchcock was more than a Hollywood titan; he was the definitive modern artist, and his significance reaches far beyond the confines of cinema.” Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock. Economist Best Book of 2021.
Hitchcock’s work spans silents, classic black and white, color, expressionism, film noir and social realism, thrillers, screwball comedies, horror, Weimar cinema, Hollywood studios and television. This SDG will examine the work and creative process of motion pictures’ master of suspense, reading the new biography Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock.
“A provocative new way of thinking about biography....The radial structure vibrates, like Hitchcock’s best films, with intuition and mystery." New York Times. “The great strength of The Twelve Lives is that a reader comes away from it with a vivid sense of how Hitchcock ignited screen masterpieces with the fires of his inner discord and contradictions." Washington Post.
We will view one Hitchcock film on our own prior to each weekly SDG meeting. These film titles are designated in the SDG schedule. The designated films are viewable on numerous internet and cable platforms, including Amazon Prime, HBO, TCM, Tubi, etc. All the designated titles can be viewed currently on Amazon Prime. Half are available for free on YouTube.
