The Dark Side of Genius

The Life of Alfred Hitchcock

By: Donald Spoto

Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach

Length: 23 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

The story of the man who changed people’s relationships with their showers forever, thanks to Psycho, this is the classic, Edgar Award-winning biography of the enigmatic and intensely private Alfred Hitchcock. One of America’s greatest film directors, his suspenseful subject matter ranged from the dark drama of a man possibly trying to kill his wife, to the humorous problem of disposing of a body, to the ecological underpinnings of an attack by fowl fiends in a sleepy harbor town.

Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the roots of Hitchcock’s obsessions - with food, murder, and idealized love, among others - and traces the origins of his incomparable, bizarre genius, from his childhood and education to the golden years of his career. Based on interviews with his writers, actors, and longtime associates, and on exhaustive research, The Dark Side of Genius is the definitive biography of Alfred Hitchcock.

Donald Spoto is the author of more than 20 books, including best-selling biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, Laurence Olivier, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, and Audrey Hepburn. He lives with his husband, Danish artist and school administrator Ole Flemming Larsen, near Copenhagen, Denmark.

©1983 Donald Spoto (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The finest book about a filmmaker yet. Sensational in its revelations; at the same time, a biography of unassailable integrity. I could not put it down." (Gregory Peck)

"Absolutely compulsory reading." (New York Times Book Review)

"A vivid and perceptive portrait…. Knowledgeable and revealing." (Time)

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

The Dark Side of Genius is a biography of Alfred Hitchcock. A fan of Hitchcock movies will relish Donald Spoto’s insight to Hitchcock’s fascinating and enigmatic genius. A listener with little interest in movies may be put-off by Spoto’s psychological dissection of Hitchcock, but Spoto’s intimate understanding of Hitchcock’s films; his personal acquaintance with Hitchcock, Hitchcock’s family, Hitchcock movie’s stars, writers, and producers, make The Dark Side of Genius highly entertaining and intuitively believable.

Hitchcock taps into a subconscious reservoir of human repression, present in the nature of human beings. Spoto illustrates Hitchcock’s genius for translating male’ repression into film; it is there for the entire world to see but, sadly, for few to fully appreciate or care to understand.

Hitch's life and phobias keep you "Spellbound"

Having read this book decades ago, I was thrilled to purchase this audiobook. It's just as fascinating as I remembered. If you are looking for technical details of Hitchcock's movies, forget this one. However, if you want a psychological analysis of Hitch's life and his many phobias, you will be spellbound. Born the son of a Cockney grocer, Alfred Hitchcock began writing titles for silent movies. All Hitchcock's movies contain his fears, fascinations (especially with his leading ladies), and phobias. The author, Donald Spoto, was the first to dehumanize Hitch's genius by revealing his dark side, but somehow this makes future viewings of Hitchcock's films more fascinating.

Must Have!

A must have for the Hitchcock fan. Well presented. A life like no other. The Man and the Myth.

EYE OPENING!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dark Side of Genius to be better than the print version?

Personally, I prefer the audio edition to print because there were a lot of french words that I would have struggled with had they not been read for me. Also, I could listen to the book during my workouts.

What did you like best about this story?

It was fascinating to hear the background that went into Hitchcock's movies including the manipulative ways he climbed the ladder to success. I loved hearing about the way he went to great lengthens to lay out his movies (i.e., story boarding / moving sets). He was not appreciated in his day, (but, who is?) and today other up-and-coming directors have benefited from his struggles.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt the book title was apropos for Hitchcock's personal and lifelong demons he battled. Many things shocked me in this book, but two things stood out. The first was his constant underlying sexual deviance and under-handed dealings with just about everyone, except his wife. Second, when Hitch dangled a severance under the nose of his secretary of 25 years that would not be realized!

Any additional comments?

This book was very fascinating, disturbing and yet, I would recommend reading 'til the end. I was sadden to hear how a few events from his early childhood influenced, controlled and fueled much of his life-long struggles. I didn't give this book 5 stars overall because, I could not relate to the stars mentioned during Hitchcock's time as discussed in the book. It was a little hard to gloss over the names of certain writers, directors and actors of that time and not be able to quickly draw on a memory so that I could connect with the situation. However, I did Google them later for a point of reference to see their body of work.

Both the “Dark” and “Genius:” Unflinching but Respectful

This is an exhaustive and scholarly study of Hitchcock’s career that includes a psychological portrait of a film genius informed by many sources, but always returning to the recurring themes that became increasingly revelatory and dark in its later years. It lives up to its title, especially with Hitchcock’s famous obsession with a succession of cool blonds that culminated in the disastrous relationship with Tippi Hedren in The Birds and Marnie. However, while unflinching, it never descends to gossip and Soto remains respectful of his subject. Indeed, the “dark side” is balanced by the “genius” and one learns much of Hitchcock’s approach to filmmaking. Actors were usually ignored and occasionally mistreated, and writers were driven to distraction, while the master technician delighted primarily in elaborate scenes and camera work plotted in detail long before shooting began. The reader is top notch: pleasant to listen to with a note of authority who never distracts from the material.

Great, thorough biography

I don't get some readers' need to nit pick in reviews. This was a perfect biography of an extremely talented, self-centered creep. Great narration and book.

I'll still enjoy Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Shado of a Doubt, and Vertigo.

GOOD EVENING!

Boy, you think you know a lot about Hitch then I listen to this great book! It really enlightened me about the dark side of some of the personality’s we admired!

a boring story

Mr Riggenbach's reading, though smooth, was somewhat off in spots, with some words mispronounced and/or with emphasis in the wrong part of the sentence, There was something robotic about it.

The story itself was not very interesting, seeming to get bogged down in meaningless detail while skipping over the most interesting part (his relationship with Tippi Hedren and its effect on her career). Its tone toward its subject was a little tentative.

I don't think I would purchase another book written by Mr. Spoto in any form.

The definitive biography

Positives: This has been the classic Hitchcock biography for most of 30 years. It's frank and very specific about his salacious personal problems, as well as his personal traumas and behind the scenes conflicts, but it's credible. It contains a scholarly examination of his production practices and the thematic content of his films.

Negatives: The narrator is very low key, almost robotic. The author belabors some of his over-arching points.

If you're interested in Hitchcock's weight...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

... then this is the book for you. The author seems obsessed with Hitchcock's obesity and is all about "fat shaming" the late director. Unfortunately, much of the book seems to rely on pop psychology rather than facts.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The production of the book was interesting. There were often long pauses between sentences when I wouldn't think they should be. Finally, at the end of the book there was a mistake -- a "end of cassette 17" announcement that made me realize that I was hearing the gaps between cassette sides that had never been cleaned up.