I intend to discuss the work of my favourite film director, Alfred Hitchcock. In doing so I aim to provide an examination of his legacy.
Alfred Hitchcock was the son of an East End greengrocer William Hitchcock and his wife Emma. Raised as a strict Catholic and attending Saint Ignatius College, a school run by Jesuits, Hitchcock had a normal upbringing. His first job outside the family business was in 1915 as an estimator for the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company. His interest in movies began at around this time; frequently visiting the cinema and reading US trade journals. In 1920 Hitchcock learned that "Lasky" were to open a studio in London and managed to secure a job as a title designer. He designed the titles for all the movies made at the studio for the next two years. In 1923 he got his first chance at directing when the director of "Always Tell Your Wife" (1923) fell ill and Hitchcock completed the movie. Impressed by his work, studio chiefs gave him his first directing assignment on Number13 (1922), however, before it could be finished, the studio closed its British operation. Hitchcock was then hired by Michael Balcony to work as an assistant director for the company later to be known as Gains Borough Pictures. In reality Hitchcock did more than this - working as a writer, title designer and art director. After several films for the company, Hitchcock was given the chance to direct a British/German co-production called "Pleasure Garden" (1925). Hitchcock's career as a director finally began. Hitchcock went on to become the most widely known and influential director in the history of world cinema with a significant body of work produced over 50 years.
Alfred Hitchcock was always the classic auteur, his legacy included a number of films that lacked creative control or as I see it, an urge merely to make money. Hitchcock's typical themes and styles are hard to identify.