Alfred Hitchcock
A Brief Life
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Narrated by:
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Gildart Jackson
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By:
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Peter Ackroyd
About this listen
A gripping short biography of the extraordinary Alfred Hitchock, the master of suspense.
Alfred Hitchcock was a strange child. Fat, lonely, burning with fear and ambition, his childhood was an isolated one, scented with fish from his father's shop. Afraid to leave his bedroom, he would plan great voyages, using railway timetables to plot an exact imaginary route across Europe. So how did this fearful figure become one of the most respected film directors of the 20th century?
As an adult Hitch rigorously controlled the press' portrait of him, drawing certain carefully selected childhood anecdotes into full focus and blurring all others out. In this quick-witted portrait, Ackroyd reveals something more: a lugubriously jolly man fond of practical jokes, who smashes a once-used teacup every morning to remind himself of the frailty of life. Iconic film stars make cameo appearances, just as Hitch did in his own films: Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, and James Stewart despair of his detached directing style, and, perhaps most famously of all, Tippi Hedren endures cuts and bruises from a real-life fearsome flock of birds.
Alfred Hitchcock wrests the director's chair back from the master of control and discovers what lurks just out of sight, in the corner of the shot.
©2016 Peter Ackroyd (P)2016 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror
- By: Jason Zinoman
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Much has been written about the storied New Hollywood of the 1970s, but while Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola were making their first classic movies, a parallel universe of directors gave birth to the modern horror film - aggressive, raw, and utterly original. Based on unprecedented access to the genre's major players, New York Times critic Jason Zinoman's Shock Value delivers the first definitive account of horror's golden age.
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A good listen, but narrow in scope
- By Billy on 01-31-13
By: Jason Zinoman
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Pictures at a Revolution
- Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
- By: Mark Harris
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Dolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde - and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood and America forever.
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Would It Be Too Much To Ask?
- By Casey Keller on 12-31-08
By: Mark Harris
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The Queens of Animation
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History
- By: Nathalia Holt
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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From Snow White to Moana, from Pinocchio to Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained millions. But few fans know that behind these groundbreaking features was an incredibly influential group of women who fought for respect in an often ruthless male-dominated industry and who have slipped under the radar for decades.
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Buy this book!! Truly Inspiring and fascinating!
- By Ellen on 02-05-20
By: Nathalia Holt
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Get Happy
- The Life of Judy Garland
- By: Gerald Clarke
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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She lived at full throttle on stage, screen, and in real life, with highs that made history and lows that finally brought down the curtain at age 47. Judy Garland died over 30 years ago, but no biography has so completely captured her spirit - and demons - until now. From her tumultuous early years as a child performer to her tragic last days, Gerald Clarke reveals the authentic Judy in a biography rich in new detail and unprecedented revelations.
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A good book, but...
- By Donna Deal on 08-27-21
By: Gerald Clarke
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Chasing the Light
- Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game
- By: Oliver Stone
- Narrated by: Oliver Stone
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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An intimate memoir by the controversial, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter about his rarefied New York childhood, volunteering for combat, and his struggles and triumphs making such films as Platoon, Midnight Express, and Scarface.
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Impressive
- By Merle O. Tanner on 10-07-20
By: Oliver Stone
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Myrna Loy
- Being and Becoming
- By: James Kotsilibas-Davis, Myrna Loy
- Narrated by: Holly Palance
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The actress recalls her long, rich, and varied career in Hollywood, on the stage, and as a political activist.
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Great actress, great person, great book.
- By MikeEC on 10-15-20
By: James Kotsilibas-Davis, and others
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American Rebel
- The Life of Clint Eastwood
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Marc Eliot
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times best-selling author Marc Eliot comes the definitive biography of one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful actors, producers, and directors in the history of American motion pictures. Marc Eliot examines the ever-exciting, often tumultuous arc of Eastwood's life and career, from his days as a disaffected college dropout, to his rise to fame as the archetypal loner, to his acceptance into the pantheon of the Academy as a multiple Oscar Award winner.
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I learned the hard way.
- By Ty Pritchard on 07-23-10
By: Marc Eliot
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Another Nice Mess
- The Laurel & Hardy Story
- By: Raymond Valinoti
- Narrated by: Jack de Golia
- Length: 2 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Arguably the greatest comedy duo in show business history, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy delighted filmgoers and theatregoers for over 30 years. The public not only found Laurel's serene simpleton and Hardy's pompous buffoon hilarious, but they also thought of them as friends. Laurel and Hardy may have been nitwits, but they were loveable nitwits.
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Two Hours + of Biography
- By Jim on 05-13-15
By: Raymond Valinoti
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Orson Welles's Last Movie
- The Making of The Other Side of the Wind
- By: Josh Karp
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 1970, legendary but self-destructive director Orson Welles returned to Hollywood from years of self-imposed exile in Europe and decided it was time to make a comeback movie. It was about a legendary self-destructive director who returns to Hollywood from years of self-imposed exile in Europe. Welles swore it wasn't autobiographical.
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Engaging and human portrait of Welles
- By TrevorTrujillo on 06-20-20
By: Josh Karp
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Age of Cage
- Four Decades of Hollywood Through One Singular Career
- By: Keith Phipps
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Nicolas Cage is many things, but love him, or laugh at him, there's no denying two things: You've seen one of his many films, and you certainly know his name. But who is he, really, and why has his career endured for over 40 years, with more than a hundred films, and birthed a million memes? Age of Cage is a smart, beguiling book about the films of Nicolas Cage and the actor himself, as well as a sharp-eyed examination of the changes that have taken place in Hollywood over the course of his career.
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Excellent filmography of a successful career
- By Pamela Plimpton on 04-04-22
By: Keith Phipps
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Can I Go Now?
- The Life of Sue Mengers, Hollywood's First Superagent
- By: Brian Kellow
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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A lively and colorful biography of Hollywood's first superagent - one of the most outrageous showbiz characters of the 1960s and 1970s, whose clients included Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Faye Dunaway, Michael Caine, and Candice Bergen. Before Sue Mengers hit the scene in the mid-1960s, talent agents remained quietly in the background. But staying in the background was not possible for Mengers.
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A little long.
- By Doris on 11-29-15
By: Brian Kellow
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Toast on Toast
- Cautionary tales and candid advice
- By: Steven Toast
- Narrated by: Matt Berry - as Steven Toast
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In Toast on Toast - part memoir, part "how to act" manual - Steven Toast draws on his vast and varied experiences, providing the reader with an invaluable insight into his journey from school plays to RADA and from "It's a Right Royal Knockout" to the Colony Club. Along the way he reveals the secrets of his success. He discloses how to brush up on and expand your technical and vocal skills, how to nail a professional voiceover, and how to deal with difficult work experience staff in a recording studio....
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Glorious performance from Matt Ber-Ray.
- By Stanley McHale on 11-18-16
By: Steven Toast
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Close the doors. Shut the blinds. Turn out the lights. Make that room dark. Get ready for Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ghost Stories for Young People. Originally recorded in 1962, the album features 11 ghost stories introduced by Hitchcock himself and then read by actor John Allen. If you were a kid during the early '60s, this may bring back some very good memories.
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Loved it!
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Fascinating listen if you love movies!
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Disappointing...
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Author Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon - what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world. Illuminating different aspects of Hitchcock's life and work, the book's 12 chapters reveal something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived, but also the various versions of himself that he projected and those projected on his behalf.
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Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the roots of Hitchcock’s obsessions - with food, murder, and idealized love, among others - and traces the origins of his incomparable, bizarre genius, from his childhood and education to the golden years of his career. Based on interviews with his writers, actors, and longtime associates, and on exhaustive research, The Dark Side of Genius is the definitive biography of Alfred Hitchcock.
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What listeners say about Alfred Hitchcock
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andrey Zaitsev
- 10-26-24
Interesting but not satisfying
Feels like you want to find more. It was a long but brief read. Mostly jumping from film to film giving not much about man’s personality
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- Ringland
- 03-11-24
Excellent short treatment of a huge figure
This draws you close to a person who was hard to really know, but had such an impact in our lives through film. The tidbits of Hollywood history and his actors are little pearls sprinkled through the narrative. This was the perfect length, expertly packed and entertaining.
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- William
- 03-03-24
“Hitch”
Detailed and warm portrait of a genius. I have seen nearly every one of his films. I’m entranced every time I watch one of his films.
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- Melissa
- 06-30-17
Informative
short and sweet. well spoken and a very entertaining listen. would highly recommend this book
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5 people found this helpful
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- Minko
- 06-19-24
Hitchcock's persistence with murder, degradation of women.
Disliked his abnormal sexuality, attempts to control female actresses, inappropriate behavior with female actresses, fat torso.
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- An Alexandria music lover
- 11-13-16
Excellent intro to a great film director's legacy
From 1954 through 1960, Alfred Hitchcock directed and helped write and produce one of the most astonishing strings of great movies in the history of cinema: "Rear Window", "To Catch a Thief", "The Trouble with Harry", "Vertigo", "North by Northwest", and "Psycho" among others. I don't mean to suggest this was the only phase of his career when he made great movies. "Notorious" (1946) and "Strangers on a Train" (1951), among other movies, were also terrific.
If you're curious about the life of the man responsible for this impressive and varied body of work, Peter Ackroyd's "Brief Life" offers a succinct, lively, and very informative introduction. Much of the text is taken up by brief descriptions of the genesis of the stories leading up to the films (including the less interesting ones), Hitch's successes and failures in recruiting writers, actors, costume designers, and music directors for each project, critical and popular reaction to each film, and the director's peculiar and varied relationships with his writers and stars. Hitch famously likened his actors to "cattle," but despite this fact he seems to have had reasonably warm relationships with a few of them. Some of his great actors -- including James Stewart, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and Janet Leigh -- did not enjoy or had very mixed feelings about the process of making Hitchcock films, but nonetheless contributed immeasurably to the films' success and longevity.
Ackroyd touches lightly on a fact which must be evident to anyone who has seen a number of Hitch's films: The man could be a creep, and his creepiness probably worsened as he got older. The author mentions in passing, but does not emphasize or give too much credit to, rumors of the director's questionable propositions to some of his stars and company employees. He is more effusive about Hitchcock's dependence on his wife, Alma, for moral support and keen, insightful advice.
If you have wondered how this great English director managed to achieve such remarkable success, both in Britain and even more dazzlingly in Hollywood, this book offers a terrific brief, 10-1/2 hour, survey. After listening to it you might not end up liking the man, but you'll understand much better why he won the confidence of wealthy movie producers and some of his best peers in the film directing business ... as well the affection of cinema lovers worldwide and the broader public. The book is extremely well written, and the Audible version is wonderfully read by Gildart Jackson. Completely absorbing, at least to this long-time fan of the movies.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Shawn
- 04-29-23
Very interesting look into the master of suspense
I really enjoyed this book. It didn’t necessarily go deep, but it covered a whole lot of Hitchcock‘s life. He was a fascinating man. There was a lot I learned that I didn’t know before. The narration was top-notch. It felt at points as though Hitchcock himself was narrating the book. Really great work here!
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1 person found this helpful