Hailed as the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock has captivated audiences for decades. There is a Hitchcock movie out there for everyone.
Some people prefer the spy story North By Northwest with its romance between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. Others prefer the stranger-than-fiction The Birds, which tells the story of a town being attacked by vicious seagulls and crows.
One of my favorite things about Hitchcock’s legacy is his own cameo in each of his films. It became his trademark as a director, and he would do so early on in each film. This way, the audience would be focused on the story and not on looking for him.
Hitchcock paid attention to so many details in his movies, making sure everything was just right. There are so many secrets I never knew about, hiding behind each of my favorite Hitchcock films, and they are totally worth knowing.
Scroll through below for nine incredibly surprising secrets about his very best films!
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1. Notorious (1946)
The Hayes Code was enforced during filming, which gave very strict rules on what could and couldn't be done on screen. The big kiss between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman had breaks in it in order to comply with the three-second kiss rule, as they came up for air a few times.
2. Rope (1948)
Nothing would stop Hitchcock from filming long, continuous shots for the particular aesthetic, even when a cameraman offscreen had a dolly rolled over his foot, ultimately breaking it. He was gagged to muffle his sound, and that particular cut was used in the final product.
3. Rear Window (1954)
Major excavations were done on set in order to include all the buildings and the courtyard featured in the film. What is street level onscreen is actually the basement of the studio.
4. To Catch a Thief (1955)
Grace Kelly was only 24 years old during filming, while Cary Grant was 50 — more than twice her age.
5. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
The film was shot on location in Marrakech, Morocco, and in London, which made Doris Day weary of starring in the film due to her fear of flying.
6. Vertigo (1956)
Vertigo was originally a commercial failure (even though decades later, it is hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time.) Hitchcock blamed Jimmy Stewart, a frequent collaborator, for his age; the two never worked together again.
7. North by Northwest (1959)
A scene of the movie is supposed to take place inside Manhattan’s United Nations building. Hitchcock was unable to gain access to film in there, so he hid cameras in the lobby in order to capture images, thus making it easy to recreate the UN accurately on a soundstage.
8. Psycho (1960)
Hitchcock’s original intention was to make Psycho a comedy instead of a thriller. He found the content “amusing” and a "big joke,” and was surprised to find audiences took it seriously.
9. The Birds (1963)
The building that was used to film the schoolhouse scenes in Bodega, CA, was known to be haunted. When Hitchcock heard about it from Tippi Hedren, the film’s star, and he decided to shoot on that particular site.
What is your favorite Hitchcock movie? Let us know in the comments.
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