- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Faber and Faber; 1st edition (4 Mar 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0571199909
- ISBN-13: 978-0571199907
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.9 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 467,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Writing with Hitchcock
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Product Description
Review
'With diamond clarity, Steven DeRosa defines the art, the joy, the rewards - and the hazards - of screenwriting for a cinematic genius like Alfred Hitchcock.' Joseph Stefano, screenwriter of Psycho
John Michael Hayes, two-time Academy Award nominated screenwriter
“It’s wonderful. Accurate, analytical, but still an easy read. All in all, Steven did a fine job.”
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
On the morning of September 9, 1965, Alfred Hitchcock sat in his office at Universal Studios confounded that after a detailed treatment, three complete drafts, and one set of revisions, the screenplay he had been preparing for Torn Curtain was not up to par. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
On the morning of September 9, 1965, Alfred Hitchcock sat in his office at Universal Studios confounded that after a detailed treatment, three complete drafts, and one set of revisions, the screenplay he had been preparing for Torn Curtain was not up to par. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy of the Master,
By A Customer
This review is from: Writing with Hitchcock: The Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and John Michael Hayes (Paperback)
There are many books, good and bad, about Alfred Hitchcock. Yet few have been as insightful, entertaining, or daring as Steven DeRosa's Writing with Hitchcock, which boldly sings the praises of one of Hitch's collaborators. One of the many talented individuals upon whom the master relied for their own skills. In this fine book, the unsung hero is scriptwriter John Michael Hayes, responsible for the scripts of Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry and the 1955 remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much. DeRosa contends that these four films and Hayes' contributions to them left an indelible mark on Hitchcock, and the evidence is persuasive. The author's style is neither heavily academic, nor is it ever merely gossipy. Rather DeRosa lifts the material so that readers looking for an analytical text of the films will be satisfied, as will those interested in knowing what motivated the filmmakers. Anyone looking for both will be doubly pleased. Although Writing with Hitchcock is aimed at giving Hayes his due credit, DeRosa does not use this as an opportunity to denigrate Hitchcock, but to draw attention to his skills as a director. Efforts to credit Hitchcock with everything have made it easy to overlook the one area in which he truly rose above his peers - his ability to direct his actors, his production team, and his audience. Although this is clearly DeRosa's Valentine to the Hitchcock-Hayes collaboration, he does not avoid discussing some sensitive issues, and questions some of the career decisions of the pair. A book worthy of the partnership that inspired it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews) 17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dark and the Light Side,
By Eric Johnson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Writing with Hitchcock: The Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and John Michael Hayes (Paperback)
With big thumbs up from the likes of Donald Spoto (Hitch's biographer) and Joseph Stefano (screenwriter of Hitch's "Psycho") there's no question Steven DeRosa's "Writing with Hitchcock" is compulsory reading for the serious Hitchcock fan. But written with a style both enjoyable and accessible, this book will entertain and enlighten anyone with even a casual interest in the movies, mostly because there's a darn good story hereThe jumping off point for this story is when Hitchcock was getting ready to film "Torn Curtain", one of his less successful spy adventures. Hitchcock ignored pleas from those close to him to call on John Michael Hayes for a rewrite. The resulting film was a disaster. The author then brings us back ten years to when Hitchcock himself called on Hayes to pen "Rear Window" The results were so successful, the director kept Hayes on board for the next three films, which include: "To Catch a Thief," "The Trouble with Harry," and "The Man Who Knew Too Much." The author describes the making of each film, with particular attention to the writing, as suggested by the title, while always providing a sense of the ever-changing dynamic between a powerful producer-director and a young Hollywood writer, courtesy of interviews with Hayes himself, as well as other surviving crew members. The story of their breakup is sad, but typical of Hollywood, where many make the mistake of beginning to believe their own press. 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fair balanced presentation of Hitchcock-Hayes collaboration,
By WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Writing with Hitchcock: The Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and John Michael Hayes (Paperback)
When the auteur myth took root it managed to both change the stature of directors and displace a lot of talented writers. While there's no doubt that Hitchcock is still a giant in cinema, many of the books written about him tend to focus only on Hitch's contribution. DeRosa's book provides fair balance and recognizes writer Joh Michael Hayes' contribution to a fruitful collaboration. The four pictures that Hayes worked on (Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, To Catch A Thief and the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much)are all among Hitch's best work as a director. This isn't to suggest that Hitch didn't contribute to story ideas; he would frequently sketch out a general plot but writers like Hayes (or Ernest Lehman to name another strong Hitch collaborator) would be left along to write the script once the basic plot was discussed.DeRosa knows his stuff and his research is exhaustive. I would have to liked to have seen more storyboard to script comparisons and comments from other writers and directors but that probably would have changed the scope of the book (and the focus). Without tarnishing Hitch's reputation, Writing With Hitchcock makes a strong case for the importance of Hayes contribution to Hitch's film. After they had a falling out Hitch would frequently dismiss Hayes contributions to his films in print( such as in Truffaut's interview with Hitchcock. Hitch was generally pretty good about recognizing the importance of his collaborators) Luckily that bitterness can't color the fine work of these well matched collaborators. This book along (with the inteviews Hayes granted for the DVD editions of their four films) finally puts it all into perspective. It also allows one to celebrate the great art and entertainment of Hitch and Hayes. 15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chalk one up for the writers!,
By Liz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Writing with Hitchcock: The Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and John Michael Hayes (Paperback)
At last someone has challenged the myth that Hitchcock did everything himself. Not so. He had some very skilled writers whose talents helped make his films so memorable. One of those writers - perhaps the most important - was John Michael Hayes, whose screenplays for Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Trouble with Harry and the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much, had a tremendous impact on Hitchcock's films of the fifties, and on the way we view Hitchcock today. In "Writing With Hitchcock", Steven DeRosa gives Hayes his long overdue credit. Hayes' contributions to each of the films are described in detail, as are the steps taken by the censors to reign things in - to protect audiences from the idea that Cary Grant and Grace Kelly would have premarital relations, or that Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day's boy was kidnapped, are just a couple of examples! Each film is gone over in detail from the writing phase to release, and the reader is given a chance to see the relationship between the writer and director blossom, and then die. There are lots of anecdotes and a summarizing of both Hitchcock and Hayes' careers after they parted which is very illuminating, especially the potential sequel to Rear Window that Hayes worked on that would have been far more interesting than the Chris Reeve tv version. The final chapter is an analysis of each of the screenplays, and this was especially interesting to me as an aspiring screenwriter. Well worth the price of admission! I only wish it was in hardcover. |
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