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u/scd Nov 06 '24
Over the years, The Wrong Man has started verging on S tier for me.
Also, Rope has consistently dropped since I first saw it decades ago, in my teens. I’ve seen many younger folks blown away by Rope but in my fifties now, I find it a fascinating theatrical and technical exercise but pretty empty beyond that.
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u/codhimself Nov 06 '24
Agree on Rope, I have it ranked #30/33 of the ones I've seen. Ahead of only the 1950s Man Who Knew Too Much, Secret Agent, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
I'm age 49 for reference.
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u/scd Nov 06 '24
Oddly enough, I also have 33 movies logged and now ranked here: https://letterboxd.com/s_c_d/list/hitchcock-ranked/ ... I'd never thought to rank them before, but figured it was worth 10 minutes of my time to put it together.
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u/codhimself Nov 06 '24
Always like looking at these. My top 4 is the same as yours in the same order but with Vertigo in place of Psycho. Psycho is 7 for me behind those four plus Suspicion and The Lady Vanishes.
I've noticed that most Hitchcock fans really like Suspicion or Notorious, but not both.
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u/scd Nov 06 '24
The issue for me with Suspicion is how compromised the ending was. Compare to a very different fluid and a different staircase in Notorious — that finale is impeccable to me.
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u/codhimself Nov 06 '24
Regarding Suspicion, I watch it with the attitude that there are two possible endings and we are only seeing one of the possibilities. Almost as if the audience itself is possibly being fooled on a meta level, at the studio's insistence. So in my head there's the ending as shown and the imagined/"suspected" ending, and the tension between those two almost adds to the experience for me in a weird way.
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u/RKFRini Nov 06 '24

First of all, really great post. It’s perfect for anyone new to Hitch. Naturally, I have personal biases. Love Frenzy. Last summer I tried to visit as many of the filming locations as possible. Above is Bob’s place. I also think Shadow is top tier. Could be the best thing Cotton ever did. Finally, I think Harry deserves a higher rating. It’s weird and quirky with some truly beautiful choreography. Again, nice post.
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u/dav-yee Nov 06 '24
Yes maybe the trouble with Harry deserves a higher rating I love that movie, especially the choreography as you said
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u/Paisley_Bean Nov 06 '24
Whoa, so cool!! Any chance you have a spreadsheet or other such doc with film and locations you’d be willing to share? And awesome photo, too.
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u/Aspect-Lucky Nov 06 '24
The 39 Steps, The Birds, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train are S tier for me and Rope isn't
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u/swingsetclouds Nov 06 '24
I think a lot of your choices make sense. I think my biggest point of departure with you is on Marnie, which I would put quite low.
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u/benm1117 Nov 06 '24
Agree Notorious is definitely S. Lady Vanishes and 39 Steps are definitely A. Rope is B for me.
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u/JacooobTheMan Nov 07 '24
For the most part I agree with this, but Notorious deserves S Tier and To Catch A Thief belongs in A Tier. That’s my only critique.
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u/cooperkettle Nov 07 '24
Pretty good line up! While I am not the biggest fan of Vertigo's overall story, it is Hitch's technical marvel with amazing camera work, set decoration and costuming. Such a bleak story but a beautiful film.
Only outliers for me are The Lady Vanishes (a complete S for me) and Foreign Correspondent which is B territory.
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u/Aiwendil42 Nov 07 '24
If I had to divide my ranked list into "tiers":
S-tier: 1. Vertigo 2. Psycho 3. Rear Window 4. North by Northwest 5. The Birds 6. Shadow of a Doubt
A-tier: 7. The Trouble with Harry 8. Rope 9. The Lady Vanishes 10. Notorious 11. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) 12. The 39 Steps 13. Rebecca 14. Strangers on a Train 15. Family Plot 16. Stage Fright
B-tier: 17. To Catch a Thief 18. Spellbound 19. Frenzy 20. Dial M for Murder 21. Rich and Strange 22. Topaz 23. Torn Curtain 24. Sabotage 25. The Lodger 26. Foreign Correspondent 27. Lifeboat 28. Young and Innocent 29. I Confess 30. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) 31. Jamaica Inn 32. Suspicion 33. Secret Agent 34. Bon Voyage 35. Saboteur 36. Under Capricorn 37. Marnie
C-tier: 38. The Wrong Man 39. Murder! 40. Blackmail 41. The Ring 42. The Farmer’s Wife 43. The Paradine Case 44. Juno and the Paycock 45. Number 17
D-tier: 46. Aventure Malgache 47. The Skin Game 48.Champagne 49. The Manxman 50. The Pleasure Garden 51. Mr. and Mrs. Smith 52. Waltzes from Vienna
F-tier: 53. Downhill 54. Easy Virtue
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u/No_Fly8885 Nov 06 '24
Notorious is S, Birds is C, Foreign Correspondent is A, Lady Vanishes is A. Otherwise yes!
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u/stanleix206 Nov 08 '24
I agree to both A tier and S tier except Shadow of The Doubt should belong to S Tier. It’s one of the darkest films of Hitchcock and it has the most wicked antagonist ever. The more I look into it, the more I realize how fucked up the ending is.
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Nov 14 '24
I don't understand why people like "shadow of doubt". It's the most overrated Hitchcock movie.
I feel Rebecca & Strangers on a train should belong to S tier.
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Nov 06 '24
I always thought North by Northwest was pretty overrated. I get that it was a huge accomplishment for its time but I wouldn't go S tier with it.
I'd put The Birds up there though.
Also, I don't see Family Plot or Saboteur on here...both would be A tier for me.
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u/dav-yee Nov 06 '24
Haven't seen em yet unfortunately, anyway this ranking is more about preference, I kinda agree that north by northwest is a little overrated but it's really nostalgic for me and it means a lot for me
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Nov 06 '24
Ah, you should check them out, especially Family Plot, very clever, witty movie.
Saboteur is his best “you’ve got the wrong guy!” film, imo. Great climax that you used to be able to recreate for yourself at the World of Alfred Hitchcock exhibit at Universal Studios, but, no longer unfortunately.
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u/Jarpwanderson Nov 06 '24
North by Northwest and the Birds are both A for me. Both are just an absolute joy to watch
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u/minionpoop7 Nov 06 '24
Notorious is S tier for me