THE TOP FIVE LESSER-KNOWN FILMS OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK:

I am a self-proclaimed Hitchcock fanatic. My early to mid teenage life was spent reading, watching and learning of Alfred Hitchcock and his works, and I think it is important, for film students such as myself especially, that people are comfortable with his works and can spot his outstanding films from his good films from his not-so-great films.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock made 52 films in his lifetime, an astonishing amount that can leave people lost when wondering which of his films to start with. A lot of people will start with Hitch's later works, taking the appeal of colour and a more advanced finished piece, however, this is not the correct way to go about looking at Hitchcock's work in terms of standard, with it often being the older films that feature the most interesting plots and experimental cinematography.

Here is a list of five Hitchcock films I think you should see in order to witness the man's brilliance in full (This is besides the obvious, most famous of his films such as Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo, which are all awesome and I highly recommend checking them out, too).

5. ROPE (1948).

Rope is a film regarding the overindulgence of the privileged. When a high member of society whom the two main characters of this film look up to suggests that murder should perhaps be legal, the two boys take the comment as an instruction, killing their classmate and deciding to host a party for the occasion. With the dead body in a trunk in the middle of the room.
The plot sets the audience up with tension from the beginning. With constant scenes of interest taking place with the trunk in shot, Hitchcock uses the mise-en-scene of this party atmosphere and gives the audience more information than the majority of characters in the film have. A Hitchcock classic that shows his title of 'Master of Suspense' to be true.

4. FAMILY PLOT (1976).

Family Plot is a comedy thriller filmed in the '70s that proves Hitchcock can break his well-known suspense thriller genre and make a suspense comedy. A con artist couple end up unsuspectingly tracking down a pair of serial kidnappers and in typical '70s style the film is hilarious throughout.
It seems that Hitchcock wanted to prove a point before he passed away. This was his last ever film and it comes across that he saw himself as more than just that guy who directed a few good suspense films throughout the 20th century. This film shows the true brilliance of Hitchcock, through storyline, casting and camera work, we get a true feeling of how much Hitchcock developed as a director throughout his career.

3. THE PLEASURE GARDEN (1927).

We are going from Hitchcock's last ever film, Family Plot, to Hitchcock's first ever film, The Pleasure Garden, which proves the point that time and technology is meaningless when looking for hidden gems in directors filmographies.
The Pleasure Garden tells the story of two young girls. Both are virtuous and sweet at the beginning, however a transformation occurs in both of the girls lives once one finds fame and fortune. A story with a similar theme to Rope, how excess can lead to peoples downfall.
The film shows numerous breathtaking works of cinematography and editing, with a superimposed ghost appearing towards the end. The film shows groundbreaking work in cinema and is truly a must watch when trying to appreciate Hitchcock's works. Try and compare this film to Family Plot in every way possible, the development of the director is as apparent as ever and these two films combined show the true brilliance of both the man and his films.

2. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951).

Telling the story of two strangers who meet on a train (really? who would have thought?). These two people from entirely different worlds make a deal to each commit a murder for the other person, that way there is no tie to the murderer and the crime they commit. Nothing could go wrong. Right?
This film is an extremely enjoyable watch, with performances by all actors being outstanding. Some of the scenes in this film genuinely still creep me out and the climax in the fun fair is one of my favourites of all Hitchcock films.
The amount of love I have for this film is hard to explain, and perhaps that is one of the reasons why it is so special, that it exceeds my words and has left me speechless at its brilliance.

1. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959).

I was not sure whether to put this film on here, as it is supposed to be a list of films that aren't well heard of by Hitchcock and I suppose you could say that a lot of people are aware of this piece of work, however in my opinion it is majorly underrated and deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
This is my all time favourite Hitchcock film, the story of a man who gets accused of being a spy and then gets chased cross-country after a group of people trying to kill him. The film is iconic in many different ways, think of the crop-duster near-death scene, the mesmerising ending taking place on Mt. Rushmore and the endless plot twists that keep the audience on the edge of their seat throughout the whole film.
Cary Grant is superb in this film, playing the role of Roger Thornhill amazingly, and Hitchcock shows his wide range of ability with numerous camera techniques (drunk driving, anyone?) and amazing choice of script. The comedy is just enough and all around this film tops not only my list of lesser-known Hitchcock films, it takes the title as my all-time favourite Hitchcock film.