Alfred Hitchcock

June 13, 2016
“Why another book about Alfred Hitchcock?” is the question readers may ask themselves before beginning the latest offering from Ackroyd (Wilkie Collins). The answer becomes clear in the opening chapter, which stresses the significance of the acclaimed director’s strict Catholic upbringing in early 20th century London. Hitchcock, “the Master of Suspense,” is introduced as a fearful, eccentric, and solitary figure whose life and work were profoundly impacted by his Jesuit education. The author, himself a Londoner who was raised as a Catholic, is the perfect candidate to explore this fascinating aspect of the director’s character, but Ackroyd often changes course while trying to cram his subject’s 80 years into a single slim volume. The book’s pacing feels rushed as Ackroyd introduces an array of Hitchcock’s famous friends and collaborators, including producer David O. Selznick, costume designer Edith Head, and filmmaker François Truffaut. Despite the limited scope of this condensed account, it should find an audience with Hitchcock novices eager to consume a vigorous and immensely readable study of a consummate film craftsman.

A celebrated biographer adds to the tall pile of biographies about cinema's master of suspense.As a baby, Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) never cried, yet he would react in terror whenever a female relative leaned into his cradle and made baby sounds, which may explain why, in his films, "he enjoyed devising the rape and murder of women." From a modest upbringing as the son of a greengrocer, he went on to become one of the most recognizable film directors in the world. In the latest in his Brief Lives series, Ackroyd (Charlie Chaplin, 2014, etc.) traces Hitchcock's career from his early years designing title cards for the film distribution company Famous Players-Lasky to his Hollywood years working with Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and lots of blonde actresses with whom the married director was obsessed. But Ackroyd's book suffers from the same deficiency that marred his Chaplin biography: we get to know Hitchcock as a legend but not as a person. After early attempts to define Hitchcock's character, the author then delivers a laundry list of career events: the films he directed, the anthology TV series he presented, the lighting techniques he used, and so on. It's a sketchy, by-the-numbers book, with a few pages on each film, and this material has been documented many times before. Fans already know that Psycho was referred to during filming as "production 9401" or "Wimpy," and those who don't can learn such facts from the better and more comprehensive biographies Ackroyd frequently cites. Still, there are juicy, inside-Hollywood tidbits that will keep readers entertained, such as the revelation that, on the wet set of Lifeboat, Tallulah Bankhead had a habit of not wearing underwear. "Hitchcock, when told of the situation," writes the author, "said that it was a problem for a barber and not for a director." Ackroyd writes of his enigmatic subject, "he did not want anyone to come too close." Alas, readers of this book will not get as close to that subject as they might like. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2016
There are a handful of good biographies of famed film director Hitchcock, McGilligan's Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) and Spoto's The Life of Alfred Hitchcock (1983), among them. What Ackroyd offers here is not a radically new take on Hitchcock's life but, rather, a stylish but straightforward biography for those who haven't read the other ones. He takes us through the director's life, portraying a greengrocer's son whose early interests in travel, crime, offbeat humor, and people-watching would manifest themselves on-screen. There is some film criticism and analysis hereit would be tough to write a book about Hitchcock's life without at least briefly mentioning the content and themes of his moviesbut, in general, the author eschews highfalutin analysis in favor of a well-rounded, sometimes surprising portrait of a unique man. Not a replacement for earlier Hitch bios; more like a companion piece. Still, Ackroyd is such a graceful, compelling writer that he can take a familiar story and make it feel fresh all over again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2016

Whitbread Book Award for Biography recipient Ackroyd's (Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life) succinct study of one of the most famous filmmakers of the 20th century takes a chronological approach to Hitchcock's life and films (e.g., Psycho; Rear Window). Starting with "Hitch's" birth and moving forward to directing, Ackroyd goes through Hitchcock's productions individually. Some films are covered in a paragraph, but the more noteworthy ones are discussed in much longer and detailed prose. Ackroyd is not a film critic, but he does a fine job of discussing the positives and negatives, as well as behind-the-scenes stories, and even technological innovations for each film. Hitchcock began by directing silent movies and was one of the first adapters to include sound and real dialog. He immediately began to construct storyboards to help the cameramen and production crew visualize what the finished product would look like. VERDICT Not only are film buffs obvious candidates as potential readers, but also 20th-century historians, early British and American film enthusiasts, suspense and mystery aficionados, and photographers. Part biography and part film criticism, this is a worthy addition to all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 4/3/16.]--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016

An award winner in both fiction and nonfiction, Ackroyd here explains how a fearful, chubby little boy became the masterly and iconic director Alfred Hitchcock. Lots of film-focused social media promotion, including a "Which Hitchcock heroine are you?" pitch.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.