Hitchcock and Philosophy: Dial M for Metaphysics

Popular Culture and Philosophy #27

by David Baggett (Editor)

The shower scene in Psycho; Cary Grant running for his life through a cornfield; “innocent” birds lined up on a fence waiting, watching — these seminal cinematic moments are as real to moviegoers as their own lives. But what makes them so? What deeper forces are at work in Hitchcock’s films that so captivate his fans? This collection of articles in the series that’s explored such pop-culture phenomena as Seinfeld and The Simpsons examines those forces with fresh eyes. These essays demonstrate a fascinating range of topics: Sabotage’s lessons about the morality of terrorism and counter-terrorism; Rope’s debatable Nietzschean underpinnings; Strangers on a Train’s definition of morality. Some of the essays look at more overarching questions, such as why Hitchcock relies so heavily on the Freudian unconscious. In all, the book features 18 philosophers paying a special homage to the legendary auteur in a way that’s accessible even to casual fans.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Film

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

David Baggett (PhD, Wayne State University) is professor of philosophy in the Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is the coauthor of Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality, God and Cosmos: Moral Truth and Human Meaning, and At the Bend of the River Grand. He is the editor of Did the Resurrection Happen? and the coeditor of C.S. Lewis as Philosopher: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty; The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes; and Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts.

Reviews

[Στέφανος Κυριαζίδης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αν σας αρέσει ο Χίτσκοκ, διαβάστε αυτό το βιβλίο.

Αν σας αρέσουν οι ταινίες γενικά, διαβάστε αυτό το βιβλίο.

Αν σας αρέσει η φιλοσοφία, διαβάστε αυτό το βιβλίο.

Τώρα, αν δεν σας αρέσει τίποτα από τα παραπάνω... ε κάντε ότι νομίζετε, τι να σας πω και εγώ!!!😀

[Lyzette Wanzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for the avid Hitchcock fan. The book's written in somewhat of a pithy, academic delivery, but if you watch all things Hitchcock, you won't want to miss this volume. I can attest to the fact that I've never watched The Birds the same way again. Two philosophy professors edited this essay collection (some readers might call them "papers"). This book was published by the well-known Open Court Publishing Company, one of the earliest academic presses in the nation. So a fair amount of cultural literacy and liberal-arts grounding is expected. The essays have titles like "Rear Window: Hitchcock's Allegory of the Cave," "Rope: Nietzsche and the Art of Murder," and "Vertigo: Scientific Method, Obsession, and Human Minds."

In my opinion, you'll get the most out of this anthology if you've seen the majority of Hitchcock's movies, and perhaps some of his Hitchcock Presents entries. After you read this book, go and watch your favorites again. How has your viewer's lens transformed? Is the film really about the topic you thought it was about prior to reading this book? I'll bet it isn't.

[michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

good collection of essays about the greatest movies ever made. Most of the essays have the same kind of ideas, and unfortunately not all of them are not zizek-level interpretations of his films, but this is a very very fun read nonetheless

[Mary Foxe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to philosophical ideas to Hitchcock fans.

[Munsi Parker-Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be a sucker for these, philosophy essays drawn from works of pop culture, using TV, Music or Film as entryways to a discussion of larger issues. Old Hitchcock films, this time around, and discussion of identity, the nature of knowledge, and whether morality is a fixed or flexible thing. If you enjoy the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock, the films make for a fun entryway to the book as a whole. If not, these are still interesting essays that give you a lot to think about. On the whole, highly recommended.

[Mel]

Rewatching several Hitchcock classics and reading essays along with them; it's hit or miss as all these compilation types are, but some really good stuff around Hitch's concept of evil, the trouble of 'knowing', and distrust of authority.