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The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock: An Anatomy of the Master of Suspense
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About This Book
In The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock, Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon—what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world. The book's twelve chapters illuminate different aspects of Hitchcock's life and work: "The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up"; "The Murderer"; "The Auteur"; "The Womanizer"; "The Fat Man"; "The Dandy"; "The Family Man"; "The Voyeur"; "The Entertainer"; "The Pioneer"; "The Londoner"; "The Man of God." Each of these angles reveals something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived but also the various versions of himself that he projected, and those projected on his behalf. From Hitchcock's early work in England to his most celebrated films, White astutely analyzes Hitchcock's oeuvre and provides new interpretations. He also delves into Hitchcock's ideas about gender; his complicated relationships with "his women"—not only Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren but also his female audiences—as well as leading men such as Cary Grant, and writes movingly of Hitchcock's devotion to his wife and lifelong companion, Alma, who made vital contributions to numerous classic Hitchcock films, and burnished his mythology. And White is trenchant in his assessment of the Hitchcock persona, so carefully created that Hitchcock became not only a figurehead for his own industry but nothing less than a cultural icon. Ultimately, White's portrayal illuminates a vital truth: Hitchcock was more than a Hollywood titan; he was the definitive modern artist, and his significance reaches far beyond the confines of cinema.
Reviews
"An absorbing, thoughtful, and balanced look at a master of his medium."
"White also occasionally falls into the trap of conflating Hitchcock's art with his life but, even there, he draws interesting parallels between the director's childhood traumas and violence depicted in his films ..."
"The book presents Hitchcock's best and worst behavior, and there is a good deal of both ..."
"White doesn't get into the nitty-gritty about Hitchcock's filmography as Francois Truffaut did in Hitchcock."
"White never forces an explanation or coherence."
"White engages in some fine detective work, too, trying to get to the truth behind some of the most intriguing Hitchcock legends, including an oft-told origin story that might be more fiction than fact."
"White regards Hitchcock as 'the emblematic artist of the 20th century'...occasionally he over-reaches in trying to prove his ambitious case ..."
"While not essential to casual filmgoers, the study helpfully dissects, for Hitchcock obsessives, this most calculatingly self-conscious director's methods and compulsions ..."
"but it offers an intriguing approach to a much-chronicled career."
"Although the author doesn't uncover much groundbreaking information, he presents the man and his films in a readable, entertaining package."
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