The time out we’re discussing the films of Alfred Hitchcock!
For over half a century, Hitchcock reshaped how we experience fear, tension, and surprise in movies. He was able to turn ordinary setting (a shower, a staircase, a crop-dusted field) into unforgettable cinematic nightmares. At his best, he made us complicit in our own voyeurism, could make us laugh at danger, and had audiences at the edge of their seats wanting to know what would happen next. His title as THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE was totally earned.
So today, we’re going to talk about why Hitchcock still matters. Why the best of his films (Psycho and Rear Window and Vertigo and North by Northwest and Rebecca and Shadow of a Doubt and my personal favorite Notorious) continue to haunt, thrill, and inspire. And we’ll explore how a man once dismissed as a “mere entertainer” became one of cinema’s defining artists.
I’m delighted to be joined for this discussion by podcaster and book editor Michael Gordon and by Heather Stephenson, one of the volunteers at the Brit Track at Dragon Con, the big Atlanta pop culture convention. This was a really fun discussion and obviously with a career that was as long and filled with as many high points as Hitchcock’s it would be impossible to get to everything in the roughly 90 minutes we chatted but I had a blast and I hope you enjoy listening as well. I’ve got some fun stuff lined up for upcoming episodes, both interviews with people who make weird art and discussions like this about art that we love.
You can find Mike Gordon's books and podcasts at his Linktree: https://linktr.ee/newlegendmike
Heather Johnson runs the Dragon Con Collectibles Exchange
You can email me at gleamingpod@gmail.com
Theme music by Mister Michael Brousseau