My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock

Mark Cousins dives into the oeuvre of the Master of Suspense in this entrancing film in which the long-dead Alfred Hitchcock delivers a lively lecture on his work from beyond the grave. Actor Alistair McGowan masterfully embodies that famous voice, but it is Cousins’s words that really nail the impression. Whether explaining the importance of camera movement, delighting in Strangers on a Train’s runaway carousel climax, or taking the measure of James Stewart’s desire for Grace Kelly in Rear Window, Cousins reveals a work of deep scholarship, yet one that is often humorous and playful. Populated by clips from Hitchcock’s entire career, from his early English period to his final picture, the San Francisco–shot Family Plot, My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock amuses and educates as it celebrates the auteur and his films.