Alfred Hitchcock was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. Hitchcock was among the most consistently successful and publicly recognizable world directors during his lifetime, and remains one of the best known and most popular of all time. This is a list of his ten greatest films. From good to great:
10. The Birds 1963Amazon
Spoilt socialite and notorious practical joker Melanie Daniels is shopping in a San Francisco pet store when she meets Mitch Brenner. Mitch is looking to buy a pair of love birds for his young sister’s birthday; he recognises Melanie but pretends to mistake her for an assistant. She decides to get her own back by buying the birds and driving up to the quiet coastal town of Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends his weekends with his sister and mother. Shortly after she arrives, Melanie is attacked by a gull, but this is just the start of a series of attacks by an increasing number of birds.
9. Dial M for Murder 1954Amazon
Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice decides to murder his wife for her money and because she had an affair the year before. He blackmails an old college associate to strangle her, but when things go wrong he sees a way to turn events to his advantage.
8. Shadow of a Doubt 1943Amazon
Charlie Oackley is the “Merry Widow Murderer”, an evil strangler who seduces and kills rich widows. In order to be safe from the police he is going to his sister Emma who lives with her husband, Joseph Newton and her daughter Charlie. A detective is on the killer’s track and arrives at the Newton’s too, but before he can discover the truth, one of the suspected murderers dies in an accident and the police considers the case solved. Charles seems to be safe, but Charlie suspects him.
7. Notorious 1946Amazon
Alicia Huberman is a frivolous girl who loves drinks and men; her father was a German spy in USA and he has committed suicide in prison. Government agent Devlin asks the girl to spy on a group of her father’s Nazi friends in Rio de Janeiro; this could be her chance to clean her guilty name. The girl falls in love with the agent, but he seems not to be attracted by the life she is living. Alicia accepts the duty and she goes to Brazil with Devlin. The agent suggests Alicia should marry the spy and gain free access into his house, so she does. During a party, Alicia and Devlin find some uranium dust hidden in Sebastian’s canteen, but now he has discovered Alicia is a spy and he starts poisoning her day after day.
6. Strangers on a Train 1951Amazon
Tennis star Guy Haines meets a stranger on the Washington-to-New York train who offers to exchange murders. The stranger, Bruno Anthony, will kill Guy’s estranged wife if Guy will kill Bruno’s hated father. Guy doesn’t take Bruno seriously until his wife, Miriam, is found murdered in an amusement park. Guy becomes the chief suspect, which threatens his tennis career, his romantic involvement with a U.S. senator’s daughter, Anne Morton, his hopes for a political career, and even his life. When it becomes evident to Bruno that Guy isn’t going to kill his father, he tells Guy he intends to establish Guy’s guilt conclusively by planting his monogrammed cigarette lighter on the island where Miriam was murdered. With Anne’s help, Guy attempts to stop Bruno after rushing through an important tennis match and racing to the amusement park.
5. Rebecca 1940Amazon
A shy ladies’ companion, staying in Monte Carlo with her stuffy employer, meets the wealthy Maxim de Winter. She and Max fall in love, marry and return to Manderlay, his large country estate in Cornwall. Max is still troubled by the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in a boating accident the year before. The second Mrs. de Winter clashes with the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, and discovers that Rebecca still has a strange hold on everyone at Manderlay.
4. Vertigo 1958Amazon
John “Scottie” Ferguson is a retired San Francisco police detective who suffers from acrophobia and Madeleine is the lady who leads him to high places. A wealthy shipbuilder who is an acquaintance from college days approaches Scottie and asks him to follow his beautiful wife, Madeleine. He fears she is going insane, maybe even contemplating suicide, because she believes she is possessed by a dead ancestor. Scottie is skeptical, but agrees after he sees the beautiful Madeleine.
3. North by Northwest 1959Amazon
Middle-aged Madison Avenue advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent by a gang of spies. He gets involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the government whilst being helped by a beautiful blonde.
2. Psycho 1960Amazon
Marion Crane is a Phoenix, Arizona working girl fed up with having to sneak away during lunch breaks to meet her lover, Sam Loomis, who cannot get married because most of his money goes towards alimony. One Friday, Marion’s employer asks her to take $40,000 in cash to a local bank for deposit. Desperate to make a change in her life, she impulsively leaves town with the money, determined to start a new life with Sam in California. As night falls and a torrential rain obscures the road ahead of her, Marion turns off the main highway. Exhausted from the long drive and the stress of her criminal act, she decides to spend the night at the desolate Bates Motel. The motel is run by Norman Bates, a peculiar young man dominated by his invalid mother. After Norman fixes her a light dinner, Marion goes back to her room for a shower….
1. Rear Window 1954Amazon
Professional photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbours. He begins to suspect that the man opposite may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his society model girlfriend Lisa Freemont and his nurse Stella to investigate.
If you are interested in all of these films, you can purchase the complete Alfred Hitchock Signature Collection.
Notable: Rope, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes
Sources: Wikipedia, IMDB
Just switch No.1 and No.2 around, and then I will be happy with this list.
I love hitchcocks method os storytelling but i just cannot stand to watch his movies. I would read the books in an instant though.
“I love hitchcocks method os storytelling but i just cannot stand to watch his movies.”
HUH?
its been a long while..since childhood..so the details are fuzzy but Hitch*****published several books that i read as my introduction to him before the movies and his stint on TV. so i’ve been a diehard fan for most of my life. i’ve seen all these movies..if not all of his movies and most of the TV series too. i don’t think there is a director alive today that does not owe Hitch*****something in how they direct a movie. he was truly one of a kind. groundbreaker. trend setter. i doubt i’ll ever tire of watching his movies. i see something new w/ each viewing. excellent choice for a list, Jamie!
Why did you censor his name..?
Growing up I was very sheltered and didn’t get to watch/read Hitch*****(and many others). One of these days I will find a Hitch*****book and sit back and read it. I wonder if Netflix has his movies.
very good list. i think shadow of a doubt is one of the most underrated movies ever.
I’m continually impressed by your lists, jamie. Most people would put Vertigo at the top but I agree with you and have to go with Rear Window. You have some excellent taste man. The only thing I would change is putting “Rope” on the list, that would make my top 5.
Alfred Hitch*****always brings to mind his indtroductions to the books, “the three investigators” Great movies – The birds still freaks me out!
What? No mention of “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and “Torn Curtain”? Two of my favorites…
HELL YEAH REAR WINDOW!!!!
Borg: I really did want to put Rope on the list – but to do so I would have had to remove The Birds (which I added because of its popularity rather than Hitchcock’s skill as a director). It is the first on the notables list at the end though
SarahJ: Haha – thanks for reminding me of those
What about "I Confess"? That is definitely an awesome movie and amazing how he thought to use the device of the confessor's confidentiality to pull you along.
Great movie list. I think that the reason Vertigo is always #1 is because of the backstory with Hitch*****and how personal of a film it is to him and how it is apparent in the picture.
Also, the fact that the acting has nothing to do with the suspense, so much as the filming technique and visual effect of the set and costume. It's a lovely suspense/thriller.
Great list, though. I would've removed The Birds, though. Not really worth it to me. I would also like to have seen your critique on each of the films along with the description, which anyone could get from iMdB.
I totally agree with The Rear Window being number one. Truly a work of art. Keep the awesomeness coming!
A soft place in my heart for “The Trouble With Harry”. Shirly MacLaine’s first film role and the “Beav” (Jerry Mathers) never looked more cute. A good dark comedy with nice dry wit. But who out there has seen all the 60+ that Hitch directed?
Another favorite is “Lifeboat”
I would have substituted “Rope” for “Shadow of a Doubt”. “The Birds” has to stay in, if for no other reason than it effectively does for birds what “Jaws” did for sharks. I’ve never known someone who having just watched the birds for the first time, doesn’t pause apprehensively when they go outside and see a bunch of birds perched on a powerline somewhere.
“Rear Window” is undoubtedly his best however.
I agree that Rear Window is a great film in the full history of film and is one of his more suspensefull (and it shows his power apon us by having it all take place within one room- and yes it becomes an icon of cinema with “the viewer and the viewed/ the audience and the arena) but I think Vertigo may be his best representative as a collective whole. There are just so many more levels of complexity within that one! Psycho is a classic and I love Anthony Perkins and I still jump at the two chilling “jolts” that occur at the top of the stairs in the Bates house….but you know, maybe what it comes down to is that what is most memorable of his work is what we consider best at times. Rear Window is sort of bare bones sleakness and, in part, that is why it hits us…..A lot of modern thrillers depend apon what Hitch*****perfected, for better or for worse. Rear Window I love and it IS etched in the brain, but my hope is that modern styles will change and an altered view will allow for a new revaluation of his work that isn’t based on current redundancies..
Sorry if theres any mispelling here, I’m terrible, but by looking in a dictionary everytime I wish to make a comment, distracts me.
I recall hearing or reading somewhere that the original title for North by Nothwest was going to be “The Man Inside Lincoln’s Nose” !
Oh God I love that! Is that verifiable? or just a joke?
Diogenes: great comment – thanks. It would appear, according to Wikipedia, that Hitch*****was considering calling the movie the Man Inside Lincoln’s Nose, but he changed his mind as he thought it may be insulting to the people of his adopted country.
If only there could be more than 10. Certainly “The Trouble With Harry” and “Rope” are groundbreaking and unusual(the stagey macabre farce; the editing experiment with plot inspired by Leopold and Loeb), but I also have to add that last year I watched “Frenzy” for the first time, and it keeps coming back to me in disconcerting flashes that remind me how effectively and almost staidly it was done in this age of CSI and Law & Order edgy jumpcuts.
I, too, love both “Rope” and “The Trouble With Harry.” I just wish that modern directors would learn from Hitch*****and realize that it’s the suspense, not the graphic horror, that is truly terrifying. Modern horror just makes me laugh — Hitch*****makes my heart pound!
North by Northwest is by far the best one
I’ve only watched “Psycho” and “Rebecca” on this list,and i loved them both.I wish I could watch more of his movies
I’ve seen the top four, and Birds, and I completely agree with the list on those accounts.
I totally agree with the number one being Rear Window! Ive just watched it yesterday after not really seeing a Hitch*****film in a while and it completely revived my love of Hitchcock. Watching Dial M for Murder next. I do think that alot of his earlier films have been neglected though and a film like Birds has been put in because of its popularity at the expense of missing out Sabotage! I also loved I Confess and Marnie. I also never really knew much about the Lifeboat but really want to see that now, its meant to be one of his most underrated films! Those comments aside though, i think this is a pretty good list and totally agree with number one and two, and its great to see Shadow of a Doubt make it.
I never knew you had this list here, and I’ve read nearly all of them!
I will add ” Frenzy” In this list ,as it is a bone chilling plot ,I do not know whether it was famous at that time.
Rear Window at No. 1 = U make great lists
i also liked Last of the Mohicans and Traffic
How come they aren’t on the lists
rear window is such a good effin movie.
Rope, The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes are my favorites.
i love rear window, and all the others on this list, but leaving ‘rope’ out? The movie was gruesome yet very intelligent and had a genuinely creepy murderer-who actually defended his killing AND invited his victims parents to dinner-come on!!
I would like to purchase The birds movie .how do i do it and how much
27. moe -
scroll back up to that part of the list and you should see a link to Amazon. that’ll have the info you need to purchase it.
Have loved all of Hitchcocks movies. These are definitely the best. He also made a lot of earlier movies which did not live up to standards of those on this list.
To Catch A Thief.
I agree with # 1 and #2, although I was too young for “Rear Window’s” initial release. As a child at a drive in movies, “Psycho” caught my attention, and forever made me a Hitch*****fan. I followed up on this as an adult, and think the psychological intensity as Grace Kelly walks up those back stairs is sublime, as are the diversions in the other windows. However, I think I would make “Vertigo” 3rd. The complex layers were so subtle, they continue to surpass even some of the more recent movies in which layers of time are also added in as another dimension. Nice list jfrater. I think I commented some time ago on a list you had participated in, if not made, on influential science fiction writers. Again, a thoughtful list. Thanks.
xD
Why is The Birds on there?
It made me and my friend laugh so hard our sides hurt for days after, and we’re only 11.
I do agree with Rear Window and Psycho, though.
yes! I was hoping you would put rear window at number one as opposed to psycho. I actualy just watched RW a couple of days ago.
Great list are we allowed to try at our own list?
10-Rebecca
9-North by Northwest
8-Psycho
7-Saboteur
6-Stranger on a train
5-39 Steps
4-Vertigo
3-The Lodger
2-Notorious
1-Rear window
I think you are over rating Rear Window, good though it is. Very difficult to come up with a top ten. Depends on your mood on a given day. Easier to identify top 3 poor Hitch*****films.
Worst
1. Topaz
2. Under Capricorn
3. Family Plot
and for the record my top ten.
10. Shadow of a Doubt
9. Jamaica Inn
8. Frenzy
7. Rebecca
6. The 39 Steps
5. Strangers on a Train
4. Saboteur
3. Psycho
2. Vertigo
1. North by Northwest
Theonly problem with your list is the top film. The top film should be Vertigo. Rear Window can come 2nd maybe. But vertigo shouldn’t be 4th on the list. The birds shouldnt be 10 either. The lady vanishes should be 10. Excluding those, the list is alright.
definetly rear window, i was on the edge of my seat by the end of it! didnt really like notorious i thought it focused too much on the characters of cary grant and ingrid bergman being in love
Just love Rear Window… my all time favorite! Agree with the top five… I think Dial M should be moved up a couple of notches.
Yes!!! I’m so glad you put Rear Window as #1! That’s definitely my favorite Hitch*****movie I’ve seen
Wow, no mention at all of Spellbound? Was it not creepy or gruesome enough? I loved the chemistry between Peck and Bergman and that old professor was a hoot! The Dali dream sequences were fascinatingly macabre and the ski scene so iconically epic. Spellbound would definitely make my top 10. I agree that The Birds is more camp than anything else; a must-see but not a great movie.
Wow – very solid list indeed. You definitely know your Hitchcock. I agree with several other posters that “Rope” would somehow have to sneak onto the list. For me it would bump Dial M For Murder – just too many awesome movies by Hitch to scrunch down to 10!
Why chose a better “Hitch” picture over a “bad” one, every Hitch movie has their moments of true cinema experiencie, even the not so called “classics” or “masterpieces” as “Frenzy” or the hated “Castro thriller” “Topaz”.
Remember the scene of the foreign girl breakin a porcelain figure when she is persecuted?
There´s a lot of good an “excelente” films of this british filmaker to make only a 10 best list, including teh overlooked in his silent (The lodger) era and english period, like “The man who knew too much” with Peter Lorre.
I recently see “The trouble with Harry” and discovered a very fine achievement in black comedy, a great sense of humor, with a beautiful cinemathografy by Bob Burks and a delightful fresh new face by then, newcomer Shirley McLaine.
I personally don’ t like to compare films, even the flaws has his bright moments…
What, No Lifeboat. It features my FAVORITE actress.. Tallulah Bankhead…
A good selection, however, i would have “Psycho” as number one. Hitchcock’s finest film, in my opinion, and one of the best films ever made.
I agree w/alfia. Spellbound is def in my top 10. Dali and Hitch*****collaboration is worth a spot on its own.
Just saw the shadow of doubt today!
I love Alfred Hitchcock, i can still remember the first moment i fell in love with his work. All that said, The Birds should not be on this list. Ridiculous storyline and pathetic ending. Sabotage in the other hand is the epitome of what Hitch*****brings to the screen and the nail biting edge of your seat suspense he brings to his audience.
This list should be re-named “Top 10 Famous Hitch*****Movies”
I like some of Hitchcock’s earlier films like “The 39 Steps”, “Lifeboat” and as the list mentioned, “Shadow Of A Doubt”. Hitch went into serious artistic decline after “Psycho” (face it, “The Birds”, though entertaining, was weak in comparison; there were no plot twists and the film ended unresolved), even though I believe “Frenzy” to be somewhat good. Others, such as “Marnie”, “Torn Curtain”, “Topaz” and “Family Plot”, were seriously below par.
You really put Rear Window ahead of Psycho? Shame.
If any one of his had to beat Psycho, it could only possibly be Rear Window. They're both such excellent films (obviously). I prefer Psycho though, it's actually my favorite film ever!
Great list, I think you really chose some of the best, my personal favourite is Strangers on a Train but Rear Window is a good pick for number one, it's really amazing as all the others in this list. My top 3 would definitely be: 1. Strangers on a train, 2. Rebecca, 3. Dial M for Murder. I also don't understand how so many people can say Family Plot is Hitchcock's worst, it is a very interesting and suspenseful film.
Umm hello??? ROPE???
Dial M for Murder is my favorite…
Rear Window, number one as it should be,got this movie on DVD never grow tired of watching it,keeps me on the edge of my seat every time
I really think Shadow of a Doubt should be moved way way up. The lighting alone was absolutely amazing.
I also don’t think that The Birds should have been included. I thought the 39 Steps should have been on the list instead.
I thin Foreign Correspondant should replace Dial M for Murder. Otherwise, the list is perfect – IMO!
Interesting enough, The Birds is the only one of Hitch’s films that I think would benefit from a re-make. On that basis alone, I think it should be replaced by one of his early masterpieces – probably The 39 Steps.
The reason that The Birds should be remade is that it is largely driven by the special FX and they were simply not advanced enough at the time. Also, Hitchcock’s original storyboards included a coda at the end where the escaping car is attacked – and it’s a convertible! He scrapped the ending when the budget ran over, but it should be included in a remake. I’ve heard they are indeed doing a Birds remake, but unfortunately, there is not a director today who will do it right.
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