The Sociological Quarterly (1989) - Reputation Building and the Film Art World: The Case of Alfred Hitchcock
Details
- article: Reputation Building and the Film Art World: The Case of Alfred Hitchcock
- author(s): Robert E Kapsis
- journal: The Sociological Quarterly (01/Apr/1989)
- issue: volume 30, issue 1, pages 15-35
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1533-8525.1989.tb01509.x
- journal ISSN: 0038-0253
- publisher: Midwest Sociological Society
- keywords: "A Hitchcock Reader" - edited by Marshall Deutelbaum and Leland A. Poague, Academy Awards, Alfred Hitchcock, Andrew Sarris, Cannes Film Festival, Chicago, Illinois, Claude Chabrol, Dave Kehr, Donald Spoto, Éric Rohmer, François Truffaut, Helen Scott, Ivor Montagu, Laura Mulvey, Leland Poague, Lifeboat (1944), London Film Society, Marnie (1964), Marshall Deutelbaum, New York City, New York, North by Northwest (1959), Notorious (1946), Pam Cook, Psycho (1960), Raymond Bellour, Rear Window (1954), Richard Schickel, Robert E. Kapsis, Robin Wood, Rope (1948), Saboteur (1942), Sean Connery, The Birds (1963), The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock (1983) by Donald Spoto, The Trouble with Harry (1955), Universal Studios, Vertigo (1958), Vincent Canby, William Rothman
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Abstract
The change in Alfred Hitchcock's reputation from popular entertainer to distinguished auteur over the last 25 years is usually attributed to the efforts of some admiring European film figures. This article traces the revaluation of Hitchcock's work beginning in the 1960s, but emphasizes in addition to the role of sponsors, Hitchcock's own part in orchestrating the transformation. Other factors that might speed up, slow down, or undermine altogether the reputational process are examined. The probable effects of Hitchcock's changing reputation on subsequent developments in the suspense thriller genre are also explored.