Hitchcock on Hitchcock ― Selected Writings and Interviews

This second volume of Alfred Hitchcock’s reflections on his life and work and the art of cinema contains material long out of print, not easily accessible, and in some cases forgotten or unknown. Edited by Sidney Gottlieb, this new collection of interviews, articles with the great director's byline, and as-told-to” pieces provides an enlivening perspective on a career that spanned seven decades and transformed the history of cinema.

In writings and interviews imbued with the same exuberance and originality that he brought to his films, Hitchcock ranges from accounts of his own life and experiences to provocative comments on filmmaking techniques and cinema in general. Wry, thoughtful, witty, and humorousas well as brilliantly informative and insightfulthis volume contains much valuable material that adds to our understanding and appreciation of a titan who decades after his death remains one of the most renowned and influential of all filmmakers.

Francois Truffaut once said that Hitchcock had given more thought to the potential of his art than any of his colleagues.” This profound contemplation of his art is superbly captured in the pieces from all periods of Hitchcock’s career gathered in this volume, which reveal fascinating details about how he envisioned and attempted to create a pure cinema” that was entertaining, commercially successful, and artistically ambitious and innovative in an environment that did not always support this lofty goal.

Sidney Gottlieb is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He coedits (with Richard Allen) theHitchcock Annual, and his books include Hitchcock on Hitchcock: Selected Writings and Interviews, Volume 1; Alfred Hitchcock: Interviews;and Roberto Rossellini’s Rome Open City.”