The A-Z of Hitchcock: The Ultimate Reference Guide

Rating:
Summary: For Pure Information Only
Review: (spoilers)

If you're looking for pure facts about Hitchcock, this book's got it. It's got everything from a bio on all of Hitch's actors to the name of the shower scene double. However, Howard Maxford lets his opinions get over his information way too often, and as you'd expect, they're not very well informed. For instance, in his review / information on Vertigo (in which he gives the film two out of four stars), he states that there is a plot hole about Scotty not going down to see Madeline's dead body. Yet just a scene after this happens, Scotty's former boss states that Scotty drove home, not stopping to look at the fallen woman. Pretty simple, huh? That's just one of a few uninformed opinions on some of Hitch's films. He also has the bland, film-school statements like, "The main character has no rooting value," or "too much empty space."

In conclusion, Hitchcock A-Z would have been perfect with just the facts. The facts are there, but they're often marred by silly things like the ones above.