NR | 2h | Documentary, Biography, Film History | 2024
Since 2009, Northern Irish filmmaker Mark Cousins has directed more than 20 movies, and each and every one of them is well worth your time. Most of these films are documentaries and eight of them focus, to one degree or another, on movie history.
“My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock” (“My Name”) might just be the best of Cousins’s career, not so much because of its content, which is excellent, but more because of the wholly original manner in which he presents it.
This is high praise indeed as there have already been around two dozen other previous documentaries that concentrate fully or in part on Hitchcock—arguably the most influential filmmaker in history.
The Road Less Traveled
Right out the gate, it’s clear that Cousins is going to take the road less traveled. It opens in Hitchcock’s hometown of Leytonstone, an area of northeast London. The most striking image is that of a 13-foot bronze bust of Hitchcock’s head.There are mosaic depictions from Hitchcock’s most memorable later films at the local subway station and an entire building façade painted with birds from “The Birds.” Leytonstone is certainly proud of its most famous son.
From this point and for the duration of the movie, Cousins includes first-person narration by Hitchcock. In itself, this isn’t all that earth-shattering. Perhaps the most interviewed filmmaker of all time, as well as being the host of his “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” TV show, Hitchcock’s voice is immediately recognizable.
There are literally hundreds of hours of recordings with him speaking, and it certainly isn’t beyond the realm to surmise that snippets culled from these massive archives could be assembled into a seamless whole. Or maybe it’s AI. Non-spoiler spoiler: It’s not AI. More on this later.
Character Motivations
Instead of the typical three-act blueprint, Cousins takes the unusual step of presenting “My Name” in six segments. Not all of these are given equal playing time, nor should they. These segments analyze Hitchcock’s movies based on their primary themes and character motivations, and some show up more than once.Fittingly receiving the most screen time is the first chapter: “Escape.”
Cousins includes clips from two dozen titles, many of which even casual Hitchcock viewers will recognize. The common thread running through all of them is characters trying to get away from something, someone, or multiple people.
In “North by Northwest” (1959), Cary Grant is running from a mysterious entity that has mistaken him for another man. In “The 39 Steps” (1935), Robert Donat is faced with a similar situation after he unwisely attempts to expose a London spy ring.
In “To Catch a Thief” (1955), Grant, playing an international jewel thief, is constantly trying to escape capture. In “Psycho” (1960), Janet Leigh is escaping a humdrum life as a secretary to start over with money she stole from her employer. In the same movie, Anthony Perkins regularly escapes reality by assuming the persona of his long-deceased mother.
During this segment, Cousins also includes more obscure titles covering the entirety of Hitchcock’s 54-year career. From three of his silent films (“The Lodger,” “The Ring,” and “Downhill,” all from 1927) to his final efforts—“Marnie” (1964), “Torn Curtain” (1966), “Topaz” (1969), and “Frenzy” (1972)—the “escape” motif was constant.
Shorter in length but equally as vital is the second episode: “Desire.”
First up is “The Pleasure Garden” (1925), Hitchcock’s feature debut. It focuses on two London chorus girls who desire a stable companionship and the multiple would-be suitors pursuing them for less than noble reasons.
30 More Minutes
The final four chapters (“Loneliness,” “Time,” “Fulfillment,” and “Height”) take up the final third of the two-hour running time and, on occasion, feel rushed. Had Cousins fleshed these segments out with an additional 30 minutes, the movie would have been perfect.Far too often, film history retrospective documentaries, such as “My Name” (including other movies by Cousins), are too smart by half—meaning that they’re intellectually stuffy and targeted to industry historians, film school students, movie geeks, and critics. This isn’t to say that these movies aren’t good; some are excellent, but they keep mainstream audiences and casual viewers at arm’s length.
In “My Name,” Cousins deftly bridges the gap between high- and middle-brow audiences. He takes extensive analysis and makes it relatable to anyone who loves movies and wants to know more without feeling they’re being talked down to or lectured.
The crowning achievement in “My Name” was the bold decision Cousins made to enlist noted British impersonator Alistair McGowan to provide the voice of Hitchcock. The cadence, tone, pitch, timing, and delivery are all note perfect.
Is this the best of the many documentaries about Hitchcock? Without a doubt, yes.
