Psycho genius of Hollywood

TO say he’s making a comeback would be misleading, because he never went away.

Alfred Hitchcock’s place in the pantheon of great directors has long been secure, thanks to a string of classics stretching from the 1930s, when he created gems like The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, to the films that conquered Hollywood in subsequent decades, including Notorious, Rear Window, and The Birds. Stylish, literate, beautifully constructed, visually opulent, they showcased the period’s most fetching stars (including Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, and James Stewart). No popular film-maker has been more admired by critics in his own lifetime.

Now something new is going on with Hitchcock. Thirty-two years after his death, he has become more relevant than ever, the subject of fresh and contentious speculation, his reputation as a director soaring to new heights, even as a campaign seems underway to expose him as a bully and beast.