Last Updated: October 30th, 2017
No, I am not accusing the late Alfred Hitchcock of claiming the many quotations to be by him.
Of course, he is not guilty of the misquotations, attributed to Hitchcock.
There is a big list of so-called Alfred Hitchcock quotations out there that are unverified and suspicious found in quotation sites, books and magazines.
In other words, those quotes are probably NOT by Hitchcock, the British filmmaker.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director and producer. He is better known as “The Master of Suspense”.
This British film-maker pioneered many elements of the suspense and psychological thriller genres.
His first American film, titled “Rebecca” won an an Academy Awards, for Best Picture in 1940.
This award-winning black and white movie is ad adaptation of Daphne du Maurier‘s 1938 novel of the same name.
It starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson. (Watch the movie below).
In his life time, Hitchcock created more than 50 films, including the classics “Rear Window”, “The 39 Steps” and “Psycho”.
Hitchcock received the AFI’s Life Achievement Award in 1979. He died in 1980.
Anyway, below are my selected authentic Alfred Hitchcock quotes on various issues like women, fear, villains, mysteries, pun and others.
“Some films are slices of life, mine are slices of cake.” – Albert Hitchcock
(Alfred Hitchcock Dies; A Master of Suspense By Peter B. Flint, New York Times, April 30, 1980)
“To me, murder by a babbling brook drenched in sunshine is more interesting than murder in the dark and noisome alley littered Willi dead cats and offal.” – Albert Hitchcock
(I Call On Alfred Hitchcock By Pete Martin, The Saturday Evening Post, July 27, 1957, p.72)
“I have never cared for women with sex hanging all over them like baubles. I prefer the icy-looking, schoolteacher type. After all, when she makes her move, then it’s really exciting.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
(This quote is also found in: )
“Dialogue should simply be a sound among other sounds, just something that comes out of the mouths of people whose eyes tell the story in visual terms.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“I don’t make mysteries…I tell the audience everything, and then I make them sweat over how it will all come out.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“Melodrama is the most highly colored form of storytelling.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“But if I make Cinderella, people will start looking for the corpse.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“Man does not live by murder alone. He needs affection, approval, encouragement and, occasionally, a hearty meal.” – Albert Hitchcock
(Speech at Life Achievement Award honored by the American Film Institute, March 7th, 1979)
(This quote is also found in: )
“… drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Albert Hitchcock
(Leonard Lyons in his column Lyons Den, Reading Eagle, March 2, 1956)
“To me, suspense is immeasurably more potent than mystery, and having to read a fiction murder story through in order to find out what happened bores me.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“Puns are the highest form of literature.” – Albert Hitchcock
(The Dick Cavett Show By American Broadcasting Company, 8 June 1972, 1:41-44)
“Nothing is more revolting to my sense of decency than the underworld thug is able to murder anyone, even people to whom he has not been properly introduced.” – Albert Hitchcock
(Speech at the Gala Tribute event by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, April 29, 1974)
“Really, the novelist has the best casting since he doesn’t have to cope with the actors and all the rest.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
“They tell me that murder is committed every minute, so I don’t want to waste any more of your time. I know you want to get to work.” – Albert Hitchcock
(Speech at the Gala Tribute event by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, April 29, 1974)
(This quote is also found in: )
“Suspense can be introduced in a simple love story as well as the mystery or ‘whodunit’ picture. Make the audience suffer as much as possible.” – Albert Hitchcock
(He was on his way to Hollywood to make his first U.S. picture for Producer David Selznick, pudgy British Director Alfred Hitchcock (The Lady Vanishes) stopped off to lecture Yale drama students in cinemanufacture. – Time )
(This quote is also found in: Time, Volume 33 Published by Time Incorporated, 1939, Contributed by Briton Hadden, Henry Robinson Luce, p.44)
“I always make my villains charming and polite. It’s a mistake to think that if you put a villain on the screen, he must sneer nastily, stroke his black moustache or kick a dog in the stomach.” – Albert Hitchcock
()
Watch this 1946 American spy film noir “Notorious” directed by Alfred Hitchcock, which stars Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains.
If you a fan of The Master of Suspense, check out for movies and books of Alfred Hitchcock over at Amazon.
Note:
All the above quotations by Alfred Hitchcock are absolutely AUTHENTIC.
They are sourced directly from past issues of newspapers, magazines, and reliable books available online.
Just click on the link stated below each quote, and you can see the actual quote from the authoritative source.
All the quotes here are NOT copied from those dubious websites or books with compilation of quotations without citing sources.
They are notorious for rampant misquotations.
It’s a crime of sheer carelessness and indifference on your part for using quotations from books and websites which have no citations!