Review: Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light

Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light
by Patrick McGilligan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have seen many of Hitchcock's films (most of the American ones), but I didn't know anything about his life. This book was a very story-like telling of Hitchcock's life and brought in a lot of other biographer's work in a way that I thought balanced the picture of the various rumors and controversies. I found the fights that Hitchcock had throughout his career with censors, and the compromises that were made in the films to deal with those censors, especially interesting. I would have liked to know more about Alma Hitchcock. It is clear that she was incredibly important to Hitchcock, both personally and professionally, but it isn't really clear who she was as an individual. There is a very detailed filmography (and a separate listing of TV credits) included which tells you where Hitchcock's cameo is in each film.