A Century of Hitchcock: The Man, the Myths, the Legacy (Screen Classics)

Review Quotes:

A Century of Hitchcock is a fascinating read and one that offers something different from the usual narrative around the filmmaker. It's fair to say that Hitchcock was a difficult and complex man, often obsessive over his films and how they were made, but it's important to remember that you can't judge someone through societal standards that weren't in place at the time. Moral offers up plenty of food for thought and for many, this will be an opportunity to see Hitchcock in a completely different light.

The legacy of Alfred Hitchcock is certainly more complex now than it was at time of his death. The MeToo# movement played a part in the shift, while the movies and words of all collaborators must be considered. This book from Tony Lee Moral helps us do so.

Tony Lee Moral, has penned a number of respected works on Hitchcock . . . The book is written by an author who knows his subject.

Introduction
Part 1: The Rise of Hitchcock
1. The Young Man with a Master Hand
2. The British Sextet: Six Films, One Vision
3. Hitchcock vs Selznick: A Battle of Egos
4. The Master of Suspense: Crafting an Icon
Part 2: The Unravelling of a Genius
5. Can Hollywood still make a star?
6. The Birds takes flight
7. The Birds come home to roost
8. The Trouble with Marnie
9. The Director Behind the Curtain
10. The Race for Memoirs
11. The End of the Short Night
Part 3: Hitchcock's Legacy
12. The Dark Side of Biography
13. The Hitchcock Centennial
14. Spellbound by the Girl
15. Hitchcock in the time of #MeToo
16. Hitchcock's Disciples
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Filmography
Selected Bibliography
Index

Tony Lee Moral is a British filmmaker and author who specializes in film history, especially the work of Alfred Hitchcock. He is the author of Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie, The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds, The Young Alfred Hitchcock's Moviemaking Master Class, and Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards.

Moral uses every weapon in the arsenal--including a series of conversations with Hitchcock collaborators, close examination of production notes, and a detailed review of interview transcripts--to provide fresh insights into the controversies surrounding the Master of Suspense and establish his place at the pinnacle of cinematic history.

Tony Lee Moral has been researching, writing, and conducting original interviews over the course of many years to bring this expert profile to life. The wait was well worth it. A Century of Hitchcock is a succinct and entertaining overview of the director's entire career, both British and American, as well as a deep dive into his relationship with biographer Donald Spoto and actress Tippi Hedren.

Having observed the work of this world-class producer-director close up as one of his employees, I am pleased to find a read that captures the life of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, with such great detail and respect. Thank you, Tony Lee Moral.

Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complex dynamics between Hitchcock and his leading ladies, particularly Tippi Hedren. Drawing on previously unpublished material, Tony Lee Moral offers a fresh and nuanced perspective on how personal experience becomes public narrative, and how memory, biography, and history shape our understanding.

Alfred Hitchcock is not here to address one biographer's seamy and speculative intrusion into his life, but thankfully, Tony Lee Moral is. In A Century of Hitchcock, Moral deftly untangles the divergent narratives born out of vague and variable allegations with his scrupulous research. In his fair-handed study of shifting accounts and reconstructed history, Moral analyzes the public discussion of Hitchcock's private life while also smartly tracing his professional road from upstart of silent cinema to Hollywood legend.

At times, a historian's task is to challenge prevailing narratives surrounding mythic figures. Tony Lee Moral rises to that occasion with a masterful command of film history and archival research. Impeccably crafted and revelatory, this book is neither a repetition nor a revision of Hitchcock scholarship, but a vivid contemporary reassessment of cinema's most mythologized filmmaker. Drawing on untapped sources, Moral paints a fuller portrait of Hitchcock's personal and professional world. A vital contribution to Hitchcock studies for this century and beyond.

Tony Lee Moral's A Century of Hitchcock may change your mind about the Master's so-called dark side. This compelling, provocative book uncovers fascinating facts and includes some brilliant insights into Hitchcock's influence on modern-day directors such as Scorsese, DePalma, Guillermo del Toro, David Fincher and Christopher Nolan. Meticulously-researched and beautifully-written, A Century of Hitchcock is a must for any film lover.

Moral does double duty in A Century of Hitchcock, offering an insightful survey of Hitchcock's career--from his first pictures made in Germany to his last made in Hollywood--and at the same time providing a deep dive into the endlessly fascinating and occasionally fraught Hitchcock reception.

Every Hitchcock fan will want to read this even-handed, superbly argued, and long-overdue insight into Hitchcock's complex personality.

A splendid, even-handed book about a complicated and enormously influential filmmaker.

A new Alfred Hitchcock biography sheds light on the controversial The Birds scene in which Tippi Hedren was attacked by seagulls and crows. . . . A Century of Hitchcock: The Man, the Myths, the Legacy . . . examines the "Master of Suspense" through archival material and fresh interviews.

A studious look at the man widely considered the greatest filmmaker in the medium's history, stretching from his silent era films to his final '70s output. Moral uses archival research, unpublished interview transcripts, and firsthand accounts from collaborators to examine how Hitchcock's reputation has been shaped over the last hundred years.

Tony Lee Moral's A Century of Hitchcock proves there is still plenty to say about the legendary director of Vertigo and Psycho. And while Hitch's entire career is covered here, what's most exciting about A Century of Hitchcock is its focus on what happened to the master's legacy after his passing.

Tony Lee Moral demonstrates how misinterpreted intentions and anecdotes embellished over time have shaped many stories about Hitchcock.

Moral's most interesting point: all of this stands in the way of an uncontested historical reconstruction.

A Century of Hitchcock's most captivating part is its dismantling the claims made by Spoto as well as the allegations by Hedren. The portrait of a scorned-superfan-turned-biographer bitterly poisoning the reputation of a beloved icon holds interest. . . Moral makes the case that history demands accuracy, and a legacy untarnished means an essential element of cinematic history won't be ignored.

For over a century, Alfred Hitchcock has remained one of cinema's most influential directors. Known as the Master of Suspense, this visionary filmmaker directed more than fifty films over six decades. His thriller The Lodger (1927) marked the start of his signature style, which was later exemplified in classic films like Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).

Hitchcock's work received tremendous success and critical acclaim. While he never won the competitive Academy Award for Best Director, he received five Oscar nominations, two Golden Globes, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a BAFTA Fellowship, multiple lifetime achievement awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nine of his films are preserved in the United States National Film Registry. His mastery of tension, innovative camera techniques, and psychological depth continue to inspire and influence modern filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, and Bong Joon Ho.

Drawing on new archival research, previously unpublished interviews, and a rigorous examination of key biographies, A Century of Hitchcock challenges the long-standing narratives that have shaped Hitchcock's legacy. Author Tony Lee Moral revisits controversial claims regarding Hitchcock's alleged abuses, scrutinizing biographer Donald Spoto's interpretations--particularly Spoto's portrayal of the director's relationship with actress Tippi Hedren. With his analysis of Spoto's 1980 interview of Hedren, Moral reveals for the first time how one key document contradicts decades of exaggeration.

In this comprehensive reappraisal of Hitchcock's career, Moral encourages readers to explore the complexities of creative collaboration and the risks of relying on a single biographical narrative. Marking one hundred years since Hitchcock's first film, The Pleasure Garden, and fifty years since his last film, Family Plot, Moral reexamines the director's cinematic brilliance, storytelling mastery, creative partnerships, and controversies, offering a fresh perspective on Hitchcock's legacy in the post-#MeToo era.

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 05/01/2026 pg. 119 (EAN 9781985904446, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
• Publishers Weekly 04/27/2026 (EAN 9781985904446, Hardcover)
• Booklist 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781985904446, Hardcover)