Alfred Hitchcock-Master of Suspense

This hour-long documentary, written and directed by noted film critic Richard Schickel for the 1971 Public Television series The Men Who Make the Movies, offers a concise, intelligent look at Hitchcock's films. The Master of Suspense himself, who is interviewed extensively here, delights with (possibly apocryphal) stories of his deep-seated fear of policemen, elaborates on the difference between shock and suspense, defines the meaning of "MacGuffin," and discusses his use of storyboarding in designing a film. Clips from many of his greatest films (including North by Northwest, Shadow of a Doubt, The Birds, and the legendary shower scene from Psycho) illustrate his points, often to Hitchcock's own voice-over observations, with narrator Cliff Robertson offering other critical insights. An excellent introduction to the filmmaker Schickel describes as "the great artist of anxiety." --Sean Axmaker