Endorsements

Acting and Performance in Hitchcock, the first collection on this subject, argues that Hitchcock's famously dismissive view of actors has helped to obscure the importance of acting in his work. His films are full of exceptional performances, with many stars delivering their best work, and they also show a continuing fascination with acting and impersonation as a theme. The collection offers close analysis of key performances in his work, covering a range of films from the silent era to the 1960s. Detailed readings of specific roles convey the centrality of performance to the director's films, as well as considering acting in relation to issues of stardom, gender, sexuality, and national identity. The actors discussed include Ivor Novello, Cary Grant, Doris Day, and Tippi Hedren. Among the films considered are Notorious, Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train and Dial M for Murder. With contributions by leading film scholars, this book offers new insights into Hitchcock's work through the prism of performance.