Alfred Hitchcock: Revolutionary of Modern Day Film

At the turn of the century when film was being born, so was one of the greatest directors of all time. Known by many as the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock revolutionized filmmaking during his expansive fifty-year career. Sadly enough, although extremely influential, Hitchcock would never win a single Academy Award for his outstanding directing ability; however, Alfred Hitchcock's ideas and techniques changed filmmaking during its most pivotal years and for generations to come.

After making his first successful film in 1926, The Lodger, Alfred Hitchcock established himself as a premier director. It wasn't until he came to Hollywood that he would make the films that changed motion picture history. Before he made Shadow of a Doubt in 1943, the usual villains were portrayed as men dressed in black, with an ugly face, horrifying features, and a gothic demeanor. Hitchcock changed this persona as he brought menace into a small town. He also revealed that someone you love may have done terrible things or may have a dark past. His villain no longer matched the profile of the pre-established antagonist. Hitchcock used a good looking, charming man, with intrigue who came from an All-American family. Audiences would never think that this man would be a vicious killer. To this day, more and more films are being made with this notion that anyone can be the bad guy no matter what they look like or how they act.