What was the first movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock?
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Few directors have had such a significant impact on filmmaking as Alfred Hitchcock, whose career behind the camera led to the creation of some of the most iconic movies of all time. Anyone with even the slightest interest in cinema will have surely seen one of his films, whether that be his classic horror movie Psycho or his tale of doubles and deceit, Vertigo.
The British filmmaker changed the face of cinema, pioneering new techniques that established him as one of the greatest in his field. Known as the ‘Master of Suspense’, Hitchcock knew how to make a film that would suck audiences in, wrapping them up in layers of tension and intrigue.
While most of his movies were thrillers, when Hitchcock released Psycho in 1960, he transformed the horror genre. It was a watershed moment, and alongside a string of other movies like Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom and Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, Psycho signalled a new era for horror that was more violent than ever.
Not only did the movie feature more violence and bloodshed than audiences of the time were used to, but it also showed Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane in her underwear in one sequence and implied she had just had sex with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis, in another. While Psycho is rather tame in terms of its explicit qualities when watched today, it really shocked audiences and inspired other filmmakers to incorporate more brutality and mature themes into their work.
Hitchcock’s ability to leave audiences on the edge of their seats, only to deliver a mind blowing plot twist or take the movie in the most unexpected but thrilling direction made him a cinematic genius. From Spellbound, Rebecca and Rope, to Rear Window, The Birds, and North By Northwest, his oeuvre is packed with classics.
What was Alfred Hitchcock’s first movie?
Before Hitchcock made the classics he is best known for, often soundtracked by Bernard Herrmann or illuminated in bright colours, he got his start making black-and-white silent films. In 1922, he was offered the chance to direct his first film for Gainsborough Pictures, but sadly, the project was never able to be completed due to a lack of funding. Still, the movie, known as both Number 13 and Mrs Peabody, was the start of Hitchcock’s foray into filmmaking, something he’d shortly become a master of.
After that, he co-directed Always Tell Your Wife with Seymour Hicks, but Hitchcock’s name did not end up on the final credits. It was just 20 minutes long and featured Hicks as the husband character and Ellaline Terriss as his wife. Not much is known about the film, with only half of it remaining intact.
Thus, his first proper solo feature debut was 1925’s The Pleasure Garden. He was allowed to direct it after Graham Cutts, a fellow Gainsborough Pictures filmmaker, wouldn’t allow Hitchcock to be involved in another film called The Rat. Thus, the film gave Hitchcock the chance to be in charge, although he used the book of the same name by Oliver Sandys as his source material while Eliot Stannard penned the screenplay.
The movie features several of Hitchcock’s trademarks, such as a shot featuring women descending a spiral staircase, although it isn’t exactly on par with his later works – understandably. Still, The Pleasure Garden paved the way for Hitchcock to become a pioneer.
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