Alfred Hitchcock (Midsize) [Paperback]

Paul Duncan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3822815918 | ISBN-13: 978-3822815915 | Publication Date: November 1, 2003 | Edition: First Edition ~ 1st Printing

Master of the macabre Hitchcock is analyzed in this volume that cover his most famous films ("Frenzy, The Birds, Psycho") and memorable cameos in all his movies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mystery is mystifying; It is an Intellectual thing. Suspense Is an emotional thing." - Alfred Hitchcock"

About the Author

Paul Duncan was born at a young age. Since then he has seen lots of films and read lots of comics and books. He wanted to share his enthusiasm for these subjects so he published magazines about comics (Ark) and crime fiction (Crime Time) before launching a series of small film guides (Pocket Essentials). He gets all his best ideas in the shower.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; First Edition ~ 1st Printing edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822815918
• ISBN-13: 978-3822815915
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,400,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born at a very young age and have grown older ever since. I have passed the time sharing my passions for films, mystery fiction and comics by publishing, editing and writing books and magazines. I spent my teenage years publishing 'Ark: The Comics Magazine' (1980-1990) and writing graphic novels ('Second City', 'Overload', 'Beautiful People'), before graduating to a life of crime.
I co-founded 'Crime Time' magazine (1995-present), and edited 'The Third Degree: Crime Writers In Conversation', as well as writing some mystery short stories. It was during this time that I discovered the fantastic fiction of Gerald Kersh, who I have championed ever since through many articles and short story collections. (He's famous for the novel 'Night and the City', which was turned into a fantastic Film Noir by Jules Dassin in 1950.) One day, I'll even finish Kersh's biography. Promise.
Unemployed and in need of an income, I founded Pocket Essentials in 1999, edited around 50 titles in the series, and wrote eight of them, including 'Martin Scorsese', 'Alfred Hitchcock', 'Film Noir' and 'Noir Fiction'. This brought me to the attention of the illustrious Mr. Benedikt Taschen, who took me under his wing and told me to make film books. Since 2003, I have happily, if not ecstatically, carried out his wishes by editing over 50 film books for TASCHEN, big and small, including the award-winning 'The Ingmar Bergman Archives'. I've even written a couple of them. Yesterday, somebody told me I had the best job in the world, and for the life of me I cannot find anything wrong with that statement.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Illustrated Hitchcock, October 11, 2005

By 

OverTheMoon ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock (Midsize) (Paperback)

Although this is meant to be looked at more than read, you should choose this volume if you want to splendour occasionally over some very interesting Hitchcock movie frames, `on the set' photographs and family album memorials, this is more of a film makers enlightenment than a Hitchcock tome for information. There are hundreds of photographs, black & white and colour, many covering a full 20cm x 25cm page, or even two of them. There are plenty of shots of Hitchcock in the middle of direction, standing by an actor or beside a camera, waving his arms about or pulling a face. It is interesting to see the early Hollywood sets and dollies, the kind used by Orson Wells to the new wave 70s helicopter rigs flying alongside the river Themes. It is not the kind of book that we are supposed to read from back to back, but is there for our amusement as a coffee table picture book and certainly a fine reference manual for any film making enthusiast. I highly recommend it to complement a Hitchcock DVD film collection. I often turn the pages to reference a film I have just watched to see some of the set design. It also covers some interesting topics like where and when Hitchcock appears in his movies with still-frames for orientation. The binding is high quality. There is tons of stuff on framing and lighting including the dynamics of camera elevation. Each image is something to be deeply considered. I can not see a film maker go wrong using these images as a director's template. It is a bit of imaging bible in that respect.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Information - Well Below Average / Photos - Great!, July 25, 2007

By 

Daniel A. Espina - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock (Midsize) (Paperback)

The information in this book is few on any details. It basically rushes from one film to the next getting the "just of" Hitchcocks filmography in less than 200 pages in a book that is 50-60% photographs. Worse off it is not always completely accurate. Here is a good example of this books rushed and somewhat innaccurate information.

"Hitchcock realised that the only way he could make a lot of money was to move to America. He canvassed the studios in Hollywood with little success. Only David O. Selznick semmed interested so, after some haggling, Hitch signed a 4-picture deal with him on 14 July 1938."

This paragraph covers one of the more interesting parts of most Hitchcocks biographys. The transistion from Britain to America. It was a time full of uncertainty for Hitchcock and he was in some ways belittled from one of the greatest directors to being treated in some ways like a nobody. The story of how he struggled to get his first American project off the ground is indeed interesting. The line "Only David O. Selznick seemed interested" is completely false, infact lots of people had contracts waiting for Hitchcock to sign, and he most likely would'ive but he coulden't until DOS officially said yes or no since he got to him first. An entire chapter could be written on what this book squezzed into this one bland paragraph.

Yet why could I still recommened this book? Well its the pictures. As childish as it may sound the pictures are really good, and this book is full of them. As a companion to any full-fledged biography of Alfred Hitchcock, this book does wonders. As you move from movie to movie in your biography you can follow along visually as the book has excellent photos of even some of his rarest work like The Mountain Eagel.

I spent my $15 on this simply to use as a high quality photographic scrap book of movie stills, posters, behind the scenes photos etc of Hitchcocks filmography to accompany my much thicker and more detailed Hitchcock biography. I did not however buy this book for its information, and I don't recommend you should either.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Photos!, October 20, 2003

By 

The Raven (Herndon, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock (Midsize) (Paperback)

Not much new here in the way of text, but the book does contain plenty of excellent photographs, many of which I have not seen before. A seriously great price for such a nice publication. Taschen certainly puts out some great stuff!