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4th out of 300 books
—
97 voters
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Any book-length interview with Alfred Hitchcock is valuable, but considering that this volume's interlocutor is François Truffaut, the conversation is remarkable indeed. Here is a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on two cinematic masters from very different backgrounds as they cover each of Hitch's films in succession. Though this book was initially published in 1967 when Hit...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
October 2nd 1985
by Simon & Schuster
(first published 1966)
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There’s a brilliant moment in Truffaut’s introduction in which he explains why suspense, far from being a mere trick or incidental effect, is in fact of the essence of cinema, indeed, of narrative itself: “Suspense is simply the dramatisation of a film’s narrative material, or, if you will, the most intense presentation possible of dramatic situations.” Which is one reason, perhaps, why Hitchcock, the wonderfully perverse genius behind Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and a host of other...more
Film director Mat Whitecross has chosen to discuss François Truffaut’s
Hitchcock: the definitive study of Alfred Hitchcock,
on FiveBooks as one of the top five on his subject – Film Directing, saying that:
“…Hitchcock is a great artist, but he hides his art behind these thrillers. So hearing Truffaut, who is another one of my favourite directors, talking to Hitchcock and having this conversation where they start to talk about his career in terms of art, rather than just entertainment, is fasci...more
“…Hitchcock is a great artist, but he hides his art behind these thrillers. So hearing Truffaut, who is another one of my favourite directors, talking to Hitchcock and having this conversation where they start to talk about his career in terms of art, rather than just entertainment, is fasci...more
With supplementary details thanks to Armchair Hitchcock Scholar and friend Chuck M, this book becomes a fascinating window into the revisionist legacy that Hitchcock would create for himself. Truffaut is a great interviewer, using his keen observations and flattery to get Hitchcock to open up about his creative process and eventually, become very self-critical. Beyond its relevance as a synopsis of Hitchcock's catalogue, I think this book provides an amazing document for how the movie industry u...more
Hitch as Hitch Can
Meine erste Bekanntschaft mit den Filmen Alfred Hitchcocks machte ich im Alter von 12 oder 13 Jahren, als ich an einem Samstagabend im Haus meiner Großeltern einem betrügerischen Medium dabei zusah, wie es einer alten Dame dabei half, ihren zur Adoption freigegebenen Neffen wieder ausfindig zu machen. Damals konnte ich natürlich mit dem Namen eines Regisseurs wenig anfangen und war deshalb auch kaum geneigt, über das Für und Wider der Auteur-Theorie nachzudenken. Ich fürchte so...more
Meine erste Bekanntschaft mit den Filmen Alfred Hitchcocks machte ich im Alter von 12 oder 13 Jahren, als ich an einem Samstagabend im Haus meiner Großeltern einem betrügerischen Medium dabei zusah, wie es einer alten Dame dabei half, ihren zur Adoption freigegebenen Neffen wieder ausfindig zu machen. Damals konnte ich natürlich mit dem Namen eines Regisseurs wenig anfangen und war deshalb auch kaum geneigt, über das Für und Wider der Auteur-Theorie nachzudenken. Ich fürchte so...more
An insightful interview that goes through all of Hitchcock's work over the span of a couple of days. The book had a very addictive pull. I ended up reading through the whole thing, even though I had only wanted to check out the sections on a couple of films I had actually seen. That said, this is not so much about the movies, but mainly about the aspects of visual storytelling and craft in moviemaking. Meaning you absolutely do not have to be a Hitchcock fan or have to have seen all of his films...more
In Paris recently I found some of the houses and streets that appeared in so many of his films and I must admit I teared up thinking how many more great films Francois Truffault would have made had he not been taken from us 20 years ago. As for the book, I read it again and again in 1967 when it first appeared and I recall thinking "Hey, just because something's popular doesn't mean it can't also have lasting merit." Which I suppose is what passed for insight in a teenage American mind back then...more
Feb 25, 2008
Shawn Nuzzo
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Film Students
This book will teach you more about the art of film making than 4 years (and $200,000) at NYU will.
Interesting and informative discussion sessions with Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. There are a few humorous moments but I wouldn't exactly call this a fun read. It can be dry reading at times especially in the beginning and when they engage in technical talk.
The book is divided into sections covering different periods of Hitchcock's career. You get a little insight -- not a lot -- into some of Hitchcock's methods and thought processes. There are bits of information on just about all of H...more
The book is divided into sections covering different periods of Hitchcock's career. You get a little insight -- not a lot -- into some of Hitchcock's methods and thought processes. There are bits of information on just about all of H...more
A week-long interview with Hitchcock, covering his career.
Honestly, it's a very biased interview (you can tell how much Truffaut admired Hitchcock), and at times surprisingly crude, and the comments often come from two men who were very much products of their times. And if you're looking for on-the-set gossip, this isn't the place to go. That aside, it's absolutely fascinating to hear what Hitchcock thought of this or that movie, and the different technical aspects that stood out in his mind fro...more
Honestly, it's a very biased interview (you can tell how much Truffaut admired Hitchcock), and at times surprisingly crude, and the comments often come from two men who were very much products of their times. And if you're looking for on-the-set gossip, this isn't the place to go. That aside, it's absolutely fascinating to hear what Hitchcock thought of this or that movie, and the different technical aspects that stood out in his mind fro...more
Everyone who's interested in film should read this amazing book. No where else is Hitchcock so sincere and serious. Truffaut's admiration for the master's work is apparent in every question, but he doesn't pull any punches, and ample time is spent on Hitchcock's missteps as well. There is a great deal of wisdom in this book, and honesty, and one can learn a great deal about Hitchcock's films, method, and personality from reading it.
A semi-entertaining dialogue between two entertaining thinkers. The interviewing is most substantial when the conversation drifts away from the individual films and into the realm of art, craft, and industry.
Sadly, this simply doesn't happen often enough. Hitchock's sensitive nature and Truffaut's reverence for Hitchockian cinema ground the interview into the realm of anecdotal histories of each film.
Sadly, this simply doesn't happen often enough. Hitchock's sensitive nature and Truffaut's reverence for Hitchockian cinema ground the interview into the realm of anecdotal histories of each film.
this book is worth reading, re-reading, spending some alone time with every couple of years just for the hell of it. the ultimate desert island film study book, and the most intimate and in-depth interviews Hitchcock ever gave during his lifetime. Worthy of intensive study and appreciation if you love Hitchcock, love films, or have ever watched a film...
One of the essential books for film lovers, and the essential book for Hitchcock admirers. In a book length interview conducted by New Wave critic and director Francois Truffaut, Hitchcock's entire career is discussed and analyzed. Discussions of technique and intentions are fascinating.
This also works on a purely literary level, contrasting the magisterial yet jokey voice of Hitchcock with the business-like, humorless Truffaut.
Copiously illustrated. Essential
This also works on a purely literary level, contrasting the magisterial yet jokey voice of Hitchcock with the business-like, humorless Truffaut.
Copiously illustrated. Essential
François mainly plays interviewer role in this book, which is about all Hitchcock movies. They go chronologically from his first work to the last one and Truffaut asks questions. Although Truffaut sits in a dirver's seat of the conversation and jumps in with his opinions sometimes, there shall be no mistake, this book is NOT about Hitchcock and Truffaut movies, it's about Hitchcock movies.
Personally I would prefer visa versa. I've been enjoying "400 blows" and "Jul et Jim" more then any Alfred H...more
Personally I would prefer visa versa. I've been enjoying "400 blows" and "Jul et Jim" more then any Alfred H...more
This is a highly entertaining and insightful look at the career of the "master of suspense". All the photos and movie stills serve beautifully to complement this conversation between 2 great filmmakers. I'd long wondered exactly how he did that sequence with Marty Balsam falling down the staircase in "Psycho" and now I know!!!
If you are working in cinema field , so this book is a great way to fly inside the creative mind of the greatest director Alfred Hitchcock , beside that , when another great french director "Truffaut" is involved , so we must all respect and learn .
When a young François Truffaut became transfixed by the cinema it was Hitchcock who baptized his imagination. He came to revere the older filmmaker (making several homages to him in the works of Shoot the Piano Player and especially Truffaut's last film, Confidentially Yours) and eventually became friends with him. The book he wrote is a series of interviews that Hitchcock granted -- owing to his respect for him -- that lays bare the soul of a master. It spans Hitchcock's work from the silent fi...more
Hitchovy odpovědi vtipné, věcné i zajímavé, ale Truffautovy otázky zbytečně nekonfliktní a takřka až "hujerovské". O kolik by to bylo bývalo zajímavější, kdyby tam bylo více konfliktních výměn názorů jako v pasáži věnované Nepravému muži.
Truffaut is so esoteric & sincere, Hitchcock so sardonic. It's uncomfortable to read a conversation between them, and sometimes, strangely boring? Thanks for helping me write endless college papers, Truffaut.
The definitive, film by film dissection of Hitch's films by fellow auteur Francois Truffaut. From his earliest British silent films to the classics Vertigo and Rear Window, down to the final chapters in the master's filmography, Truffaut manages to get the almost preternaturally diffident and private Hitchcock to open up and discuss the demons in his own life that gave notice to all of us of our own inner workings: jealousy, the wrongly accused innocent, obsession, split-personality, evil expose...more
Truffaut's obsequiousness before the Master aside, this book provides all the directorial advice that the less-famous yet no-less-useful Conversations with Wilder provides for writers.
As a child, I re-read this book many times. Yes, this is a self-serving and indulgent tome but it is fascinating. Hitch and Truffaut, two masters of cinema, discussing cinema. Brilliant.
Its Truffaut's ultimate fan geek out on,for and with Hitchcock. C'mon! This is a good stuff. Parts of it are silly but it's fun to read, and look at the stills from the movies.
Suspicion. 1941. Στη σκηνή με το ποτήρι γάλα που κρατάει στο δίσκο ο Κάρι Γκραντ, ο Χιτς έβαλε μία λάμπα. Για να φωτίζει στο σκοτάδι. Και να το κάνει πιο τρομαχτικό.
This is a film geeks dream. Musings and interviews by one of Europe's greatest filmakers/crital essayist. Francois Truffaut spent over fifty hours with 'Hitch' detailing every aspect of his career. From his start in silent films all the way to his hyper stylized Technicolor masterpieces. Mostly overlooked by film critics for his personal and often times metaphysical style, this book proves that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. I haven't finished it, but I can...more
A must read for cinema lovers. Hitchcock is a master of the art form. Truffaut 's questions are brilliant and get the master to explain his art.
Barajwaj Rangan might have got the idea of his Mani Ratnam book from this one.
Perfect !
Barajwaj Rangan might have got the idea of his Mani Ratnam book from this one.
Perfect !
Interesting but shallow. Truffaut is too reverent and Hitchcock is too evasive and opaque. Lots of interesting information but nothing revelatory.
Amazing! Hitchcock is hilarious, unpretentious, intelligent and totally honest, and Truffaut provides excellent insights. Absolutely essential.
A must for any Hitchcock fan. Not the definitive book on his films, but the one every subsequent Hitchcock book must inevitably refer to.
Es el diálogo entre dos grandes personalidades de la historia del cine. Una de ellas, Trufaut, es representativa de la escuela más ombliguista y autoril del cine europeo. La otra, Hitchcock, un bastión de Hollywood como factoría de historias y que, durante muchos tiempos, fue denostado por el público más culterano y pretencioso. Su encuentro, desde el respeto y la admiración mutua, se traduce en una conversación de varios días en las que se aprende sobre narrativa cinematográfica más que viendo...more
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François Roland Truffaut was an influential filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave; and remains an icon of the French film industry. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he was also a screenwriter, producer or occasional actor in over twenty-five films.
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Oct 05, 2009 11:01am