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Rating: 
Summary: A tantalizing rag-bag
Review: A collection that promises much but proves repetitive and unsatisfying. The pieces were mostly aimed at a broad popular audience and contain little to interest today's more informed cinema-lovers. The account of the technical challenges posed by "Rope", though, is fascinating and almost worth the price of admission by itself. Most Hitchcock buffs will be better off with Truffaut's book of interviews
Rating:
Summary: A rare chance to read a great director in his own (!) words.
Review: So few of the great directors from Hollywood's Golden Age wrote about their craft, either its theory or practice, so this collection of articles, interviews, speeches, lectures and publicity pieces from Alfred Hitchcock is very welcome, even if most were ghost-written. The volume covers his career from humble menial in 1919 to aging maestro in the 1930s, and includes his thoughts on acting, plots, the studio system, producers, production, technicians, genre audiences, Britain, and, of course, style. There are some priceless anecdotes about Hitchcock's early directing days in the haphazard British film industry, a short story parodying Poe and sensationalist horror stories; the important essay 'Why I am Afraid of the Dark', acknowledging his debt to Poe and the Surrealists; an hilarious interview with a wannabe auteurist who doesn't even know what a cut is (Interviewer: 'our magazine is for 'the intelligent motion picturegoer''. Hitch: 'Are there intelligent picturegoers'!); and an intriguing transcription of a screenwriting session for 'Marnie' with Evan Hunter. The great problem with this book is its editing. Firstly, Gottlieb's claims for the material are ludicrously disproportionate, and his lengthy introductions overstretch what is largely superficial material. Hitch's ruminations on the audience and narrative, say, do not look forward to the current interests of film studies as if he were some kind of soothsayer, but reflect the concerns of all film-makers working in the same periods. As Truffaut's book on Hitchcock proved in any case, it would be unwise to take everything the Master said at face value; and there is a typical unwillingness in these pieces to discuss the 'meaning' of his work. More seriously, there is far too much repetition of material, as we watch Hitchcock recycling the same insights, stories and examples for different readerships; no amount of editorial sophism can prevent the reading becoming tedious.
Rating:
Summary: A rare chance to read a great director in his own (!) words.
Review: So few of the great directors from Hollywood's Golden Age wrote about their craft, either its theory or practice, so this collection of articles, interviews, speeches, lectures and publicity pieces from Alfred Hitchcock is very welcome, even if most were ghost-written. The volume covers his career from humble menial in 1919 to aging maestro in the 1930s, and includes his thoughts on acting, plots, the studio system, producers, production, technicians, genre audiences, Britain, and, of course, style. There are some priceless anecdotes about Hitchcock's early directing days in the haphazard British film industry, a short story parodying Poe and sensationalist horror stories; the important essay 'Why I am Afraid of the Dark', acknowledging his debt to Poe and the Surrealists; an hilarious interview with a wannabe auteurist who doesn't even know what a cut is (Interviewer: 'our magazine is for 'the intelligent motion picturegoer''. Hitch: 'Are there intelligent picturegoers'!); and an intriguing transcription of a screenwriting session for 'Marnie' with Evan Hunter. The great problem with this book is its editing. Firstly, Gottlieb's claims for the material are ludicrously disproportionate, and his lengthy introductions overstretch what is largely superficial material. Hitch's ruminations on the audience and narrative, say, do not look forward to the current interests of film studies as if he were some kind of soothsayer, but reflect the concerns of all film-makers working in the same periods. As Truffaut's book on Hitchcock proved in any case, it would be unwise to take everything the Master said at face value; and there is a typical unwillingness in these pieces to discuss the 'meaning' of his work. More seriously, there is far too much repetition of material, as we watch Hitchcock recycling the same insights, stories and examples for different readerships; no amount of editorial sophism can prevent the reading becoming tedious.
Rating: 
Summary: Rambling And Forgettable
Review: This should have been a great book. However, this collection of interviews, essays and writings from Alfred Hitchcock develops into an almost utterly incoherent mess that has no shape and is hard to get into. The editor clearly loves Hitchcock and his work, it's just a shame this love is so poorly expressed. The constantly changing, unconnected 'chapters' will leave you confused and losing interest in finishing the book. However, I endured all the way to the end. Whilst it's nowhere near the satisfying read it should be, there are a few - repeat a few - interesting tidbits of information. But unless you're a die hard Hitchcock fan you're better off avoiding this book.
Rating:
Summary: Rambling And Forgettable
Review: This should have been a great book. However, this collection of interviews, essays and writings from Alfred Hitchcock develops into an almost utterly incoherent mess that has no shape and is hard to get into. The editor clearly loves Hitchcock and his work, it's just a shame this love is so poorly expressed. The constantly changing, unconnected 'chapters' will leave you confused and losing interest in finishing the book. However, I endured all the way to the end. Whilst it's nowhere near the satisfying read it should be, there are a few - repeat a few - interesting tidbits of information. But unless you're a die hard Hitchcock fan you're better off avoiding this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good reading
Review: Yes, some of it dragged a bit. But overall I found it very interesting indeed. There was a chapter on the making of "Rope", as well as a speech Hitchcock made at a dinner which is worth buying the book for. His sense of humour is very humourous. It was fascinating to read all the things he had to say about filmmaking and how to please the audience. I read it straight through except that once I jumped ahead and read the chapter on Rope, but it's more the type of book where you read a chapter here and another there - whatever interests you at the moment. I thought it very good and I recommend it.
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