I’ve been a fan of Hitchcock for less than a decade. I had already seen Psycho and The Birds when I was younger, but I didn’t truly begin to experience his extensive filmography until my late-20s after seeing James Rolfe’s list of his top 10 Hitchcock movies. That was my jumping off point. I’ve now seen around 30 of his movies and have enjoyed all of them.
So, here is my own personal top 10 list of my favourite characters in Hitchcock movies. I am working on my top 10 Hitchcock movies, so keep an eye out for that.
I will include the links for each movie on justwatch, on which you can change the country to suit your location, so you can find out where to watch it.
10. Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave) – The Lady Vanishes (1938)
In this classic late-30s mystery thriller, Michael Redgrave plays the charming and loveable Gilbert, a clarinet-playing ethnomusicologist who assists our heroine in solving the disappearance of an elderly woman on their train. His witty and endearing personality brings a lightheartedness to the confusing scenario playing out around him with his infectious air of charisma.
9. Sir Humphrey Pengallan (Charles Laughton) – Jamaica Inn (1939)
Despite the issues he caused on set with both Hitchcock and writer Daphne du Maurier, Laughton’s performance as the pompous manchild, Sir Humphrey, is one of the most memorable aspects of the movie. He has a mischievousness to him that you can’t help but laugh at. Even the later reveal (which I won’t spoil) doesn’t affect the charm of his buffoonery. You’ll be hearing him bellowing “Chadwick” long after the credits roll.
8. Blanche Tyler (Barbara Harris) – Family Plot (1976)
Disney’s 1976 body-swap movie Freaky Friday proved that Barbara Harris is an underrated and talented actor with great comedic timing. Her ability to play a teenage Jodie Foster who is pretending to be her own mother is one of the best in the weird little subgenre of body-swapping cinema. The trap most actors fall into when portraying the younger version is that they go over-the-top and act much younger and more immature than the character actually is. Harris’s performance feels more accurate, and her inner voice monologues are perfectly delivered. Now, before I stray too far from the topic…
Harris brings another comedic element to Hitchcock’s final movie. She portrays Blanche, a fake psychic who gets wrapped up in, well, a family plot. A lot of Hitchcock’s protagonists are known for being dragged into unfortunate scenarios that put their lives in jeopardy, but only a few of them are able to make their way through it with such a humorous approach (see my number 1 pick for another). It’s great when a character hates their predicament and isn’t afraid to say so. Blanche is no exception.
7. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) – Psycho (1960)
Perkins is the seminal Norman Bates and the first to popularise the character. His portrayal of the seemingly innocent and naive mama’s boy delivers one of the most incredible rug pulls in cinema history. You would never suspect him of being a serial killer, a trait shared by Ed Gein, whose circumstances surrounding his case served as inspiration for Robert Bloch when writing the character of Norman. The full details of his crimes hadn’t yet been revealed but Bloch went on to remark about how similar they were to Norman’s, which was completely coincidental.
Perkins would reprise the role in the movie’s three subsequent sequels, the second of which is a masterpiece in its own right. He plays the character as a more damaged and empathetic man who is defeated by the world that has changed around him. Struggling to get back on his feet after being released from his 22 year stint at a psychiatric facility, he has to adapt to a new way of life while trying to cope with his inner demons and the obstacles that surround him.
6. Margaret “Marnie” Edgar (Tippi Hedren) – Marnie (1964)
What I love about Tippi’s Hitchcock performances is that she’s so melodramatic. Her Marnie is a multilayered character that is both strong and emotionally fragile. Her childhood trauma is on full display in her adulthood and the way she interacts with other people. Her delivery is dramatic and each line of dialogue she speaks is done with over-the-top conviction. She becomes a sympathetic character once her backstory is revealed, explaining her cold personality and why she is so distant with her leading man.
5. Josephine “Jo” Conway McKenna (Doris Day) – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
I’ve always had a strong love for Doris, beginning with Calamity Jane. She always played strong women that were viewed as stubborn when they were really just independent and level-headed. Every performance was heartbreaking and emotional, even comedic at times. She was a formidable performer with one of the most beautiful voices ever to grace the silver screen. Even Hitch couldn’t resist giving her a song, one that she would become synonymous with: Que Sera Sera. Her final rendition in the third act is both a beautiful and sad moment of a mother who is worried for her kidnapped son. You can feel the emotion in every note and ever word. It’s simply stunning.
4. Jennifer Rogers (Shirley MacLaine) – The Trouble with Harry (1955)
What I love most about Shirley MacLaine’s performance in this underrated comedy-of-errors, is that it displays what has made her career so successful. All of the facial expressions and humour that we see in her more well-known works is present here. Jennifer is the wife of the movie’s MacGuffin, the titular Harry. Her nonchalance about Harry’s passing, her sweet relationship with her young son and her storytelling ability are some of the reasons that make her such a good character. It’s not over-the-top like Terms of Endearment, and it’s not as cynical as Steel Magnolias. It’s more akin to her character in Downton Abbey. She’s not naive and she won’t take crap from anyone. As feature film debuts go, this was a strong start.
3. Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly) – Rear Window (1954)
This is my favourite Princess Grace performance, though I have yet to watch the rest of her filmography; I can’t imagine that will change when I do. Lisa is strong-willed and determined. She has her own career, makes her own money and doesn’t love Jeff for any other reason than for just being him. She is willing to drop everything to go travelling around the world with him, even when he doesn’t shy away from telling her the real discomforts she would face, she still persists. Her tenacity is what drives her to help Jeff prove that his neighbour has murdered his wife, even going so far as to enter his apartment to look for her wedding ring while he’s out. When he comes back early and catches her, she doesn’t show any fear and she stands her ground. Truly an amazing character from an amazing actor.
2. Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) – North By Northwest (1959)
Full disclosure: I love James Mason. The man had one of the best voices in Hollywood, which is probably why Eddie Izzard uses him as the voice of God. It’s so distinctive and great to listen to. I just wish the man had recorded audiobooks. It’s also a voice that’s fitting for villainy. Vandamm is a Cold War enemy spy with high intelligence and cunning who keeps his true identity secret for most of the film. He’s a great opposition for Cary Grant’s protagonist and my favourite Mason character by far.
1. Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) – North By Northwest (1959)
The only character that can top that of James Mason can only be played by the great Cary Grant. Roger is a sarcastic and witty every-man that gets wrapped up in a sinister plot in a case of mistaken identity; a mainstay in the Hitchcockian formula. The dry British sense of humour really shines here with both director and leading man being English themselves. So many of Grant’s lines are delivered with sardonic flippancy and his banter with Mason’s aforementioned protagonist is perfect. Cary Grant truly was one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men.
Hitchcock created so many interesting characters and cast them impeccably. There’s a reason he had a great working relationship with so many actors, some of which he cast in multiple films (such as Cary Grant, James Stewart and Grace Kelly respectively). He clearly had an eye for talent. He worked with some of the greatest actors in the business during the golden age of Hollywood which included the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Frank Sinatra, Sir Laurence Olivier and Paul Newman, among many others. He truly was a great filmmaker.
Linsey Loves Horror 