Alfred Hitchcock Quotes Page 3

“In a short story, suspense is the characteristic that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.”

“In feature films the director is God; in documentary films, God is the director.”

“In films murders are always very clean. I show how difficult it is and what a messy thing it is to kill a man.”

“In reference to the murder scene in 'Dial M for murder' As you have seen on the screen the best way to do it is with a scissor.”

“In the documentary the basic material has been created by God, whereas in the fiction film the director is a God; he must create life.”

“In the old days villains had moustaches and kicked the dog. Audiences are smarter today. They don't want their villain to be thrown at them with green limelight on his face. They want an ordinary human being with failings.”

“It is no accident that an anagram of “actors” is “scrota”.”

“It seems to me that television is exactly like a gun. Your enjoyment of it is determined by which end of it you're on.”

“It's only a movie, and, after all, we're all grossly overpaid.”

“Logic is boring.”

“Love those wrongdoers, they need it more than you.”

“Luck is everything. My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. I’m fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn’t make a good suspense film.”

“Making a film means, first of all, to tell a story. That story can be an improbable one, but it should never be banal. It must be dramatic and human. What is drama, after all, but life with the dull bits cut out?”

“Man does not live by murder alone. He needs affection, approval, encouragement and, occasionally, a hearty meal.”

“Mystery is an intellectual process. But suspense is essentially an emotional process.”

“Never judge a country by its politicians.”

“Never turn your back on a friend.”

“Once the script is written, the tedious work of filming begins.”

“One must never set up a murder. They must happen unexpectedly, as in life.”

“One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.”

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.”

“People don't always express their inner thoughts to one another; a conversation may be quite trivial, but often the eyes will reveal what a person really thinks or feels.”

“Puns are the highest form of literature.”

“Reality is something that none of us can stand, at any time.”

“Really, the novelist has the best casting since he doesn't have to cope with the actors and all the rest.”

“Revenge is sweet and not fattening.”

“Seeing a murder on television can help work off one's antagonisms. And if you haven't any antagonisms, the commercials will give you some.”

“Self-plagiarism is style.”

“Some of our most exquisite murders have been domestic, performed with tenderness in simple, homey places like the kitchen table.”

“Someone once told me that every minute a murder occurs, so I don't want to waste your time, I know you want to go back to work.”