PeaceAnarchy wrote:I don't think The Birds, which is definitely dated and Psycho which is still interesting but in a different way than it would have been when it was made, are enough to dismiss Hitchcock. The man made dozens of films of which many are classics. The issue with both those films is that they depend more on scares than just suspense, and what modern audiences find scary in films has changed.
Oh, I'm not dismissing him by any means. Hitchcock made a lot of films in a number of different genres, and even though The Birds and Psycho were very underwhelming, who is to say I won't like Dial M for Murder, Vertigo, Rebecca, etc, etc?
And for their time, even those two films I have ranked may have been amazing. (Well, The Birds I'm not so sure about, but Psycho definitely was)
But I can definitely understand Dunder74's point of view, too. Even most classics from the 30s have aged better than "The Birds" and "Psycho", which is very unusual.
PeaceofAnarchy wrote:Shadow of a Doubt and Vertigo are my favourites, and rely much more on suspense and thrills. North by Northwest is also a lot of fun. I'd say those, along with Rear Window and Strangers on a Train are a better representation of Hitchcock and why he's so highly regarded.
Good to know, thanks. I'll check those out first from among his collection.