‘There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it…’
Alfred Hitchcock is a figure who has fascinated audiences for generations. Not just his filmography (which is beyond reproach) but also the man himself. As a personality, he was just as devilish and mysterious as many of his films. As a result of this, there have been several attempts to get to the heart of Hitch, both through biopics (Hitchcock, The Girl) and documentaries. This means that any new attempt to analyse Hitchcock must offer something different. Film historian and filmmaker in his own right, Mark Cousins (The Story of Film), brings a fresh perspective to the material with the kind of clever conceit that Hitch himself would have adored…
Cousins employs impressionist Alistair McGowan to provide the voice of Hitchcock, with the concept being that Hitch has returned from the dead to provide us with a commentary on his filmography. What follows is a video essay almost entirely voiced by McGowan (with occasional interjections from Cousins) in which Cousins (through McGowan/Hitchcock) breaks down Hitchcock’s oeuvre into six distinct phases: escape, desire, loneliness, time, fulfilment and height. This structure allows Cousins to present his academic eye over Hitchcock’s material in a way that is accessible and compelling. Indeed, his passion for Hitchcock and cinema generally is palpable throughout and while non-cinephiles might find My Name is Alfred Hitchcock hard-going at times, the converted will be fascinated by this latest fresh take on one of the most iconic directors in the history of cinema.
There is so much Hitchcock-related media around that it can feel overwhelming at times. Well, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock is a great starting point. I loved it.
