The Master of Suspense

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

And I give my parents credit for that. They both relished suspense-filled films, and they loved to read murder mysteries like Sherlock Holmes or the Agatha Christie detective stories. (My father is still alive, and he still likes those things.)

Hitchcock was a particular favorite. Whether it was his movies or his TV show ”Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” my mother seldom missed an opportunity to watch anything that had Hitchcock’s name on it — even if she had seen it a dozen times before.

No one loved a good scare like my mother.

She’s been gone for 13 years, but I still have vivid memories of going to see certain movies with her at the theater many years ago — ”Alien,” ”The Shining,” and ”Jurassic Park,” just to name a few — and, during the most suspenseful moments, feeling her hand latch on to my upper arm in a deathlike grip.

She was the kind of viewer who appreciates the subtlety of Hitchcock’s art.

He knew how to push all the right buttons. And he knew that the mind doesn’t need much encouragement to conjure up more elaborate things than real life can ever produce.

”Suspense is like a woman,” he said. ”The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement.”

Why am I talking about Hitchcock? Because today is his birthday. He was born on Aug. 13, 1899.

And, although he made some of the greatest films of all time, he never won an Academy Award for writing or directing. None of his films were ever named Best Picture.

But, in my book, he’s one of the greatest directors of all time.

And I offer my Top 10 Hitchcock films.

These are my don’t-miss Hitchcock movies. Whenever you have the opportunity to see any of these films, don’t let it slip away — especially if the movie is being shown as part of a film festival on an old-fashioned wide screen.

Hitchcock died in 1980, but his brilliance lives on in his films.

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1. North by Northwest — The chase scene across the faces on Mount Rushmore is a classic (and so is the one where Cary Grant is chased by the cropduster).


2. Psycho — It's become a cliché in some ways. Try to imagine how frightening it was when it came out, especially for people who prefer showers instead of baths.


3. Vertigo — One of Hitchcock's masterpieces and one of Jimmy Stewart's finest performances.


4. The Birds — A man vs. nature story with the most unlikely villains you've ever seen.


5. Rear Window — Speaking of villains, has Raymond Burr ever been more menacing? And has Grace Kelly ever been more beautiful?


6. To Catch a Thief — Well, actually, Grace Kelly was just as beautiful in this film, which was made the following year. And it's tough to beat the French Riviera as a backdrop.


7. Shadow of a Doubt — Hitchcock often said it was his personal favorite.


8. Rope — Often overlooked, all the action takes place in the confined environment of an apartment. And the thrill killing is seen only briefly (and not in its entirety) at the beginning. A psychological thriller, and Hitchcock's first Technicolor movie.


9. Dial M for Murder — The plot may seem predictable today, but Ray Milland and Grace Kelly will keep you mesmerized. And watch how Hitchcock experimented with 3-D filmmaking in this one.


10. Strangers on a Train — This is one of my favorites, with its twin themes of blackmail and murder.

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