Happy National Hitchcock Day

This post is directly inspired by Roku's Top 6 Hitchcock film post.  I saw it, shared it with my dad and he asked me, "what are your top 6 Hitchcock films?"  I hemmed and hawed trying to narrow down my favorites out of all of Hitchcock's wonderful films.  I decided to approach it by picking 3 from his pre-1950 films and 3 from his post-1950 films.  I'm not very good at "favorites", but I did my best.

So here's what I came up with:

Pre-1950
Notorious- Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, can't go wrong.  I love this movie.  This was one of the first Hitchcock movies I watched and really appreciated.  The camera work, the scandalously long kiss.  By far one of my favorites.

The 39 Steps-  Part of my reason for loving this movie is thanks to the off Broadway show of it that I saw in both NYC and London.  It could be viewed as such a cliched story.  Wrongly accused man on the run, gets shackled to a woman (literally), a love story blossoms and they solve the mystery!


Lifeboat-  I love movies that take place in one location and this movie does it so well.  Amazing cast and amazing Hitchcock cameo, if you can spot it. 


 Post-1950

Rear Window-  I love Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcock films, he's a lovable curmudgeon, who is turning down Grace Kelly!  Thelma Ritter is amazing.   Even the costumes and the set are wonderful.  I just love everything about this movie.

To Catch a Thief- I think this is such a fun movie, masquerade balls, mistaken identities, fireworks, chicken picnics.  This movie has it all.  And I love the pairing of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly (almost typed Gene Kelly, I think I'd love that pairing too). 

The Trouble with Harry-  This black comedy really tickles my funny bone.  Yes, it's about the repeated burying and unearthing of a dead body, but it's done with such love.  It's Shirley MacLaine's debut film!  What an introduction.  It has Jerry 'The Beave" Mathers!  Edmund Gwenn and John "Charlie's Angels" Forsythe.



Honorable Mentions- Vertigo- More Jimmy Stewart Love. Rebecca-  My friend Jen gave me the best review ever before I watched this movie, she told me, "Don't expect too much, nothing much happens."  It made me lower my expectations and approach the movie a little differently.  Plus, Laurence Olivier in a Hitchcock movie, right on! Spellbound- Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman and Salvador Dali dream sequences, need I say more?  And Stage Fright  (I told you I'm not good at favorites).

Bonus Least Favorite Hitchcock- Strangers on a Train- I don't know why I loathe this film so much, but I really dislike it, there was something about it that made it very unlikeable.  I'm usually all for a film about someone being oppressed upon, but for some reason I couldn't tolerate this situation.
Jamaica Inn- I found this movie boring, I'd like to give it another chance sometime.

What are your favorite Hitchcock Films?  Any of my favorites your least favorites?  Any of my least favorites your favorites?