Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Books: The Twelve Lives Of Alfred Hitchcock By Edward White


 (Drivebycuriosity) - Alfred Hitchcock defined cinema and mingled entertainment with art. The biography "The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock" by Edward White shows how and why "Hitch" performed his magic ( amazon).

The book is not in chronological order. In each of the 12 chapters the author focuses on one special aspect of Hitchcock`s live and personality. We learn about Hitch`s anxieties, his voyeurism, his economic talents, his relations with women (would Hitch survive today´s me-too climate?), how he staged his obesity in public, how his talents got shaped by early German cinema and how Hitch developed after his move to America and much more.

The author condensed a vast amount of material into a very readable book. His portrait is analytical, but also entertaining. If it is possible to explain a genius, Edgar White came close to it. And "Twelve Lives" woke my appetite to re-watch Hitch`s masterpieces again.

No comments:

Post a Comment