Alfred Hitchcock's Birthday: August 13 (VIDEOS)
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On August 13, we celebrate the memory of Alfred Hitchcock, who was born on this day in 1899. If he were as immortal as his films, this would make him 112 years old.
Hitchcock, who has often been called the greatest British director in the history of cinema, created numerous classic films and introduced various thematic and technical innovations to his craft. His visual imagination and commitment to suspense reshaped mid-century cinema to such an extent that it's difficult even to think of film as a medium without conjuring up the image of the wheelchair-bound voyeur, the bi-plane in the cornfield or the shadow behind the shower curtain.
But he is remembered nearly as strongly for his droll personality and visibility in front of the camera. Besides the cameos he frequently made in his own films, his Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series was a major success and introduced him face to face with audiences for ten seasons.
His contributions to cinema and to mid-century culture are too numerous to list here, but the exploits--from a zoom technique that's been used in works such as Goodfellas and The Wire, to his interest in psychoanalysis and collaboration with Salvador Dalí--are worth catching up on, and to a more curious reader is recommended this biography.
In the slideshow below, we present images and video of the Master of Suspense, along with trailers from five of his most celebrated films. What's your favorite Hitchcock film? Let us know in the comments.
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First Posted: 08/13/11 06:30 AM ET Updated: 10/12/11 06:12 AM ET