After he spent a decade figuring out his voice in Hollywood and working under contract withDavid O. Selznick,Alfred Hitchcockwas a prominent Hollywood director who had proven himself as someone that studios could and should trust. As a result,Hitchcock was able to make his most creative and defining films in the 1950s.
The Master of Suspense hit his stride in the 1950s with several of his most beloved films being released in that decade. He made eleven films that can be hard to wade through, but this list definitively ranks all of Hitchcock’s films in the 1950s. Here are Hitchcock’s 1950s films, ranked.
11’I Confess' (1953)
Starring Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter
Hitchcock tackles religion inI Confess, his 1953 film noir in whichMontgomery Cliftplays a priest who is conflicted after hearing a parishioner’s confession of murder. Soon after that, he is accused of the crime! Does the priest maintain his vow or work with the authorities to solve the murder and absolve himself? The priest wrestles with his inner turmoil in a rare Hitchcock film that deals with murder and religion.
There was a lot of frustration behind the scenes ofI Confessbetweena lengthy screenwriting process that allegedly brought on 12 different writers and Montgomery Clift’s method acting clashing with Hitchcock’s directing style.Those frustrations were felt by critics who gave the film negative reviews, with many non-Catholics finding the entire premise ridiculous and some Catholics finding the entire film offensive (Ireland banned the film). TheChicago Tribunesummed it up best: “it doesn’t rank with Director Hitchcock’s previous bests.”
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10’The Trouble with Harry' (1955)
Starring Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine
Hitchcock’s comedies are few and far between, butThe Trouble with Harryis one of them. He takes on comedy by infusing the macabre. The tagline says it all: “a comedy about a corpse”. Nine people in a small Vermont town respond to the discovery of a dead body in town.Their reactions are all played for laughs with a standout performance by Shirley MacLaine in her debut film role.
The film had mixed reviews at the time and did poorly in the US box office. It continues to have middling reviews by modern critics, suggesting that a comedy devoid of noir mystery was never Hitchcock’s strong suit. Hitchcock has a dark sense of humor which is evident in a lot of his films, but it is preferred when he sprinkles it throughout his darker material.
The Trouble with Harry
9’Stage Fright' (1950)
Starring Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd and Jane Wyman
Hitchcock moved over to Warner Brothers and his first film with them wasStage Fright.Marlene Dietrichstarred as Charlotte Inwood, an actress with a murderous secret. Her husband has been murdered and she is the prime suspect, but her lover (Richard Todd) is accused of the crime.Jane Wymanplays a drama student who helps Inwood clear her lover’s name.
Marlene Dietrich shines inStage Frightwhich takes a comedic approach to mystery set in the world of drama.The feature film received mixed reviews, with many critics pointing out that Hitchcock’s melodramatic roots were shown in this lighthearted mystery.It is worth a watch for the fantastic performances of Wyman and Dietrich.
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8’The Wrong Man' (1957)
Starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles
Henry FondaandVera Milesstar in this docudrama based on the true story of a man named Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero who was charged of a crime that he never committed. The story was published inLife Magazinein 1953 andinspired Hitchcock to base his plot closely around the real events in the true story - a rarity for the director, who often found inspiration in true crime.
As a result,The Wrong Man’s twists and turns are grounded in reality. Fonda plays an unlucky man who goes to the insurance company for money for his wife’s dental procedure only to be mistaken by them for a man who has robbed them twice. He is wrapped up in a crime, fighting for his freedom and his identity against charges he hardly understands. This film had a huge influence on directors Jean-Luc Godard and Martin Scorsese.
The Wrong Man
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7’To Catch a Thief' (1955)
Starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly
Cary Grantbriefly retired from acting, but Alfred Hitchcock had written a new part specifically for Grant to play. Since Grant greatly respected Hitchcock, he couldn’t turn down a meeting with his favorite director to work with. Hitchcock convinced Grant to come out of retirement to play the role that wound upreviving Grant’s careerand giving him a second life in Hollywood as a charming man in thrillers.
InTo Catch a Thief, Grant plays a retired thief whom authorities accuse of committing a string of burglaries in the area. Upset that he is accused of theft that he had nothing to do with, Grant decides to use his theft prowess to catch the thief. It is a creative, exciting thriller in which its stars Grant andGrace Kellyare perfect in their roles.
To Catch a Thief
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6’The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1956)
Starring James Stewart and Doris Day
In 1934, Alfred Hitchcock was a rising British director who releasedThe Man Who Knew Too Much. Twenty years later, he was a respected Hollywood professional whenhe remade his own film. James Stewart plays an American doctor vacationing with his wife (Doris Day) in Morocco. They witness a murder and their son is kidnapped, which draws the pair into a dangerous international plot.
Hitchcock had wanted to remake this film a few times, originally in 1941.It is good that he waited 20 years because his remake is very polished and shows his growth as a filmmaker. He told Truffaut in their famous interviews together: “Let’s say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional.“The Man Who Knew Too Muchwon an Academy Award for Best Song due to Doris Day’s performance of “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” which is a very memorable moment in the movie.
The Man Who Knew Too Much
5’Dial M for Murder' (1954)
Starring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, and Robert Cummings
BecauseDial M for Murderwas based on a successful stage play, it is one of Hitchcock’s few films that take place almost entirely in one room. Those limited-space films of his tend to have some of the most exhilarating tension! This film is no exception, with a retired British tennis player plotting the murder of his socialite wife (Grace Kelly) after learning of her long-term affair with an American writer. His plot for murder is focused mostly on inheriting his wealthy wife’s fortune because a divorce would leave him in a bad financial state. Money and murder are a classic mix for a Hitchcock flick!
The film was meant to be played in 3D in theaters, but that proved to be very unpopular.They ditched the 3-D and released the film in 2-D, but some box office damage had already been done. Still, the film is expertly acted with a sophisticated performance by Kelly that may be her best.
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4Strangers on a Train (1951)
Starring Farley Granger, Robert Walker and Ruth Roman
Farley Grangerreturned to Hitchcock for an exciting thriller based on a novel byPatricia Highsmithwho also wrote the stories that were the basis forThe Talented Mr. RipleyandCarol.In this thriller, a tennis player named Guy Haines (Granger) chats with a charming stranger named Bruno (Robert Walker) on a train. Granger complains about his wife and Bruno complains about his father. Bruno suggests that they “exchange murders” so that neither would be convicted of the crime. Haines laughs it off, but Bruno strangles Haines' wife and demands that Haines make good on his half of the exchange.
Strangers on a Trainhas always been ahighly praised Hitchcock noir, widely considered his best work yet at the time of its release.Hitchcock used the idea of doubles, from tennis plays to contrasting colors in costuming to overlapping cuts between the two men to highlight the idea of lightness and darkness existing simultaneously In one person. The two men are halves of one another in a brilliant look at man’s ability to contain good and evil.
Strangers on a Train
3’North By Northwest' (1959)
Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason
Cary Grant worked with Hitchcock again on one of the most exciting action thrillers in Hitchcock’s filmography.North By Northwestis another tale of mistaken identity as a New York City adman gets mistaken for a government spy by a shady government organization. Once they realize their mistake, they continue to pursue him across the country so that they don’t give up secrets with their blunder.
North By Northwestdirectly influenced decades of action films to follow.It is sometimes referred to as the “first James Bond” film.It includes a very famous chase scene in which Grant is chased through a field by a crop-dusting plane in an iconic image that has been referenced and remade ever since it was released.
North By Northwest
2’Rear Window' (1954)
Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter
James Stewart and Grace Kelly are dynamite in Hitchcock’sRear Window, one of Hitchcock’s finest films and a film highly regarded as one of the best of all time. Stewart is quarantined in his apartment as his leg heals from an injury. His healing hobby is peeping at his neighbors through a telescope, which is when he insists that he sawone of his neighborsmurder his wife. Kelly and Stewart investigate from across the courtyard, wondering if they are being paranoid nosy neighbors or witnesses to an actual crime.
Rear Windowis relatable tomodern audiencesbecause it scratches the itch of spying on one’s neighbors. In the social media age, it’s more prescient than ever with its themes of looking into the lives of others.This simple concept is heightened throughout the film and helped by the claustrophobia felt by Stewart in his apartment, making it one of the best thrillers in Hitchcock’s oeuvre.
