Friday Spotlight: Hitchcock

North by Northwest. Rear Window. The Birds. Notorious. The list goes on and on.

Alfred Hitchcock is considered by some the greatest filmmaker in Hollywood history. More than a master of suspense, he had an uncanny ability to subtly bring human truths, good and bad, to his films. Whether it’s greed, honesty, jealousy or love, you’ll always find an emotion that resonates with you artistically intertwined in his mysterious plots.

Hitchcock appealed to humanity by presenting everyday people as lead characters—a tactic he used quite often during his career. Strategically using the camera to introduce his leading actors, he created a curiosity that immediately draws the viewer in. You want to know more about these people. They seem pretty normal. What kind of chaos could possibly be coming for them?

He had a unique ability to place ordinary people in extraordinary situations and make it believable. Take North by Northwest, one of my favorite Hitchcock films. NYC ad man Roger Thornbird is framed for stabbing a man in the U.N. General Assembly building, yet it comes across as a realistic scenario.

If you think about it, it’s a bit ridiculous. We see a man lurking in the corner, holding a knife. Across the room, Cary Grant is talking to a U.N. diplomat. A few seconds later, Grant is pulling the knife out of the diplomat’s back. How did it all happen? It’s unrealistic if you dissect it piece by piece. But the Hitchcock mystique makes it unquestionable and flawless.

Everyone refers to him as the Master of Suspense, but he is also a Master of Balance. He used whimsical landscapes to make the impact of unexpected drama more powerful. He had impeccable comedic timing that relieved the stress of the suspense. His characters could say as little as possible and speak volumes. He would constantly change the tone from scene to scene, never diminishing the dramatic focus of that story. All of these things worked together to create an immeasurable intrigue that impresses and entertains.

He may have been crazy, but his creativity was nothing less than brilliant. A glimmer of genius in cinematic history, he created stories and characters that are still relevant today. And he did it in his own unique way. That’s praiseworthy in my book.

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