This comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at Hitchcock's work examines his entire career--from the early films he made in the UK in the 1920s to his Hollywood productions. Going beyond the usual anecdotes, Krohn taps the director's personal papers and film studio archives to craft this rare portrait. 85 color, 200 bandw photos, line drawings. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Considering the wealth of Alfred Hitchcock books produced recently, it's good that Krohn (Hollywood correspondent for the influential Cahiers du cinma) finds the director's oeuvre inexhaustible. First published last year in France, where it won the Prix de la Critique, this book refutes the director's mythology. Krohn argues that the enigmatic director, once quoted as saying that once the screenplay was finished the actual making of the film bored him, was more open to improvisation and less a slave to the script and storyboard than his public image allowed. Focusing on the Hollywood years, Krohn examines each of the major films and details the progression of the filming, from casting to titling, adding interesting commentary gleaned from Hitchcock's papers. Although the thesis is a bit overstated, the sumptuous photographs alone make this a necessary addition to film libraries. A very readable treatment for scholars and popular audiences and a fine study for film collections.DKelli Perkins, Herrick Dist. Lib., Holland, MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

This is a serious work of scholarship and a useful addition to knowledge of the processes Hitchcock went through in making a film. Krohn's thesis is that the Hitchcock myth is faulty, that the director did not have every shot planned in his head before shooting and was open to changes on the set. This will not be startling news to anyone, but it does afford Krohn a starting point. The author tries to touch on every film, from Rebecca onwards. He discusses some of them only briefly, but his longer discussions are eye-opening. One learns a great deal more about the making of Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. This reviewer's only criticism is that the illustrations are too often production stills and too seldom frame enlargements, and that the latter are sometimes reversed. One would expect better graphics in a book priced so high. All film collections. W. A. Vincent; Michigan State University From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Prologue: The Unknown Hitchcock	p. 9
Panorama of the British Period (1926-39): A Star is Born	p. 18
Hitchcock in Hollywood
Rebecca	p. 30
Foreign Correspondent	p. 32
Mr and Mrs Smith	p. 34
Suspicion	p. 36
Hitchcock vs Hitler: Saboteur	p. 38
An American Film-maker: Shadow of a Doubt	p. 54
Lifeboat	p. 74
Spellbound	p. 78
Writing with the Camera: Notorious	p. 80
The Paradine Case	p. 104
Rope	p. 106
Under Capricorn	p. 108
Stage Fright	p. 110
Hitchcock the Producer: Strangers on a Train	p. 112
I Confess	p. 128
Dial M for Murder	p. 130
The Uncertainty Principle: Rear Window	p. 132
To Catch a Thief	p. 148
The Trouble with Harry	p. 150
Reinventing a Classic: The Man Who Knew Too Much	p. 152
The Wrong Man	p. 180
A Failed Exorcism: Vertigo	p. 182
A Realistic Nightmare: North by Northwest	p. 200
The Art of Mise en Scene: Psycho	p. 218
Winging It: The Birds	p. 236
Marnie	p. 264
Torn Curtain	p. 268
Topaz	p. 270
Frenzy	p. 272
Family Plot	p. 274
Epilogue: In Memoriam Mary Rose	p. 276
Filmography	p. 280
Notes	p. 285
Acknowledgements	p. 288

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.