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  • Author: Mark Johnson
    August 16, 2012

    In my opinion, there has been no finer film director to ever walk this planet than the great Alfred Hitchcock, who would have turned 113 this past Monday, August 13th. The legendary filmmaker has made so many incredible movies that you could zoom down to the man’s seventeenth greatest film and still find a movie better than most directors personal bests. He’s just that good, people.

    Whether you rank him as the preeminent director like I do or not, I don’t think there is anyone who could argue against his contribution to film nor the influence he has had on directors that followed in his footsteps. He was a pioneer not only in terms of technical brilliance, but also in the suspense/thriller and horror genres, using psychological techniques to amplify anxiety and despair. His Vertigo was recently named the greatest movie of all time by the Sight and Sound critics’ poll, and while I don’t believe it to even be Hitchcock’s best film, it is far and away my favorite of his. I’ve always believed the greatest stain in Academy Awards history to be the fact that the great Alfred Hitchcock – despite having been nominated six times – never won a single Oscar for Best Director.

    My Circuit 3 for Alfred Hitchcock is:

    1. Psycho (1960)
    2. Vertigo (1958)
    3. Rear Window (1954)

    What do you think are Alfred Hitchcock’s three best films? You can view his entire filmography here.

    About Mark Johnson


    Lover of all things film and Oscar. Fantasy sports’ equivalent of George Steinbrenner. Your very own Han Solo, making friends all over the movie-loving galaxy in spite of himself. When he’s not ranking just about everything or dominating boardgames, Mark is breaking down the Oscar race 24/7 with Rain Man-like stats and knowledge. In his downtime, you can find him commiserating with other Northeast Ohio sports fans because a hero isn’t complete without a little heartbreak. If Lost, Homeland, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Survivor are your style, then congratulations, you have something in common with this inglourious basterd.

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    14 Comments

    1. 1. Strangers on a Train
      2. North by Northwest
      3. Psycho

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    2. psycho
      north by northwest
      the 39 steps

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    3. Psycho
      Strangers on a Train
      Shadow of a Doubt

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    4. 1. Rear Window
      2. Dial M for Murder
      3. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

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    5. Aaron – I was hoping someone would list Shadow of a Doubt. Definitely one of my favorite Hitchcock films.

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    6. 1. Psycho
      2. Vertigo
      3. North by Northwest

      Two years ago, this list would have been in reverse.

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    7. I’ll go with 3 no one’s mentioned yet (except for my #1)…

      1. Rear Window
      2. Suspicion
      3. Rope

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    8. 1. Psycho
      2. North By Northwest
      3. Rebecca

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    9. 1. Dial M for Murder
      2. Psycho
      3. Rebecca

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    10. For he is the single most over rated director in the history of the cinema — there I have said it — shoot me — Psycho (1960) is superb, North by Northwest (1959) is great fun and Lifeboat (1944) very good, but beyond that?? Sorry, not a huge fan of Vertico (1958) as apparently everyone believes I should be — was not a popular theory to through out in university to the film professor…but I did. Give me John Ford, Elia Kazan, David Lean, Billy Wilder, John Huston or William Wyler anytime over Hitch.

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    11. This will likely be one of my favorite Circuit 3′s ever considering its my all-time favorite filmmaker. Here goes:

      1. Vertigo
      2. North by Northwest
      3. Psycho

      Most overrated Hitck flick? That would be ‘Rear Window.’ I love the Hitch, but this film doesn’t quite impress as much as it’s lauded.

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    12. This is like askingme what chocolate cake I love the most. But here goes anyway.
      1. Psycho
      2. The Birds
      3. Vertigo

      If it were a ten best list I would add in order: Strangers in a Train, Shadow of A Doubt, Rebecca, Notorious, The Lady Vanishes, North by Northwest, Spellbound

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    13. John – I knew you’d be a fan of this post! :)

      Interesting how 10 out of the 12 people (including me) to leave their 3 best included Psycho, but only 4 of 12 included Vertigo. Makes the Sight and Sound choice even more strange. I would never argue Vertigo as one of the best films ever, or even as Hitch’s best, but the best of all time? Still seems off from a group like that.

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    14. Rear Window (54)
      Shadow of a Doubt (43)
      Psycho (60)

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