More than 20 years since his death, Hitchcock remains one of the most influential directors of all time. His films are regularly included in best film round-ups and Psycho has spawned a virtual industry of sequels. Yet, amazingly, he never received an Oscar for best director, despite being nominated five times - and only one of his films, Rebecca, won the best picture award. The public response to Hitchcock, however, has never been less than enthusiastic, despite or perhaps because of Hitchcock's delight in frightening the audience - his stated mission in life was "to simply scare the hell out of people". Psycho, The Blair Witch Project of its day, produced in black and white for $800,000 on the Universal back lot, went on to make $14 million on its first run.
Billed as 'The Ultimate Reference Guide', The A-Z of Hitchcock covers his early work as a titles' designer in the 1920s through to such classics as Rebecca, Psycho and Frenzy, each of which is reviewed at length, complete with credit details and video, DVD and CD availability. The book also features entries on everyone the director ever worked with, from such major names as Kim Novak and Cary Grant down to such lesser-known talents as cameraman Robert Burks (who shot 12 films for Hitch) and character actress Clare Greet (who worked with him eight times). Peppered throughout with insightful comments from Hitch and his co-workers, this all-encompassing guide explores every aspect of the director's work, including TV, radio and publishing, as well as his unrealised projects, among them an early version of the Titanic disaster.
