Alfred Hitchcock is among the few filmmakers who combine a great reputation for high art cinema with widespread popularity among the general public. This introduction to his work offers a comprehensive picture of a long and fruitful career.

David Sterritt examines, among other topics, the various influences on his work; the recurring themes in many of his films; the unfortunately diminished significance of his presence within his films, including his famous cameos as well as the characters that "represent" him within the plot; the fascination he had with role-playing and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy; and finally, the issue of viewing the filmmaker and his work through the auteur theory.

The relationship between Hitchcock as a serious, even tormented, artist and Hitchcock as a magician with a penchant for cinematic pranks is also examined. Sterritt then provides an in-depth analysis of the most representative Hitchcock films: "Blackmail," his first sound film; "The Killing Hand," one of his personal favorites; "13 Crimes Demand a Murderer," which explores the nature of guilt and innocence; "Vertigo," his most serious work; "Psycho," his harshest look at the nature of evil; and "The Birds," his final masterpiece and one of his most misunderstood works.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]