Alfred Hitchcock’s Film Making Career

Alfred Hitchcock trivia is something that is surely of interest to anyone with an interest in the history of the cinema, as he is one of those iconic filmmakers whose work has helped shape the entire direction of the industry since his time. Did you know that his full name was Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, or that he was born on the 13th of August 1899? He made over fifty films throughout his career, many of which are considered to be among the masterpieces of cinema which all film students study and debate even to this day.

Did you know that Alfred Hitchcock was a dual citizen of both England and the United States? Any Alfred Hitchcock quiz might contain a question about this subject, as it was his passion for moviemaking and for Hollywood which would lead him away from England where he started his careers to the United States and Hollywood, even then the center of the movie making world.

Did you know that Hitchcock had connection to Germany as well? He made a film with Graham Cutts in 1924 which they produced in Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. He also was influenced by early German filmmakers such as Fritz Lang. His first directing credit would be for Gainsborough Pictures, the film was “The Pleasure Garden” and it was made in UFA studios in Germany. His first thriller, something he would of course become very well known for, came out in 1927 and was a large success back at home in the UK. That film would be called “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog”.

Did you know that one of films most famous terms comes from something done by Alfred Hitchcock? This is an important piece of Alfred Hitchcock trivia sure to come up in any film class. The term is “Macguffin” and it is a device used by many filmmakers. Essentially, the Macguffin is the item which drives the story, but ultimately has very little to do with the ultimate point of the movie. Hitchcock’s first use of this, and the one that would most commonly be modeled was in the movie “39 Steps”.

Some of his other most famous films include “Dial M for Murder”, “Vertigo”, and “Rear Window” and perhaps his most well known film “Psycho.” Many of the elements in that film have been copied by horror films in the decade since its release, and it is often considered one of the most perfect examples of the genre.