My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock: An intriguing watch for film fans

Writer/director Mark Cousins' My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock should be a must-watch for film students. I can see this screening for introductory film studies classes. It's an intriguing, nearly two-hour-long documentary/video essay about the maestro's work and his various techniques, such as lighting and camera angles, to underscore themes or reinforce a point. Though this documentary is fascinating, I'm unsure it has broad appeal beyond film students and Hitchcock fans.

Cousins uses a combination of archival footage and photos throughout, including several of the same images repeatedly. English impressionist and comic Alistair McGowan essentially narrates the documentary as Hitchcock. I had no qualms with this decision, though hearing someone voice Hitchcock and talk about 5G internet and smartphones is a little disorienting. Still, McGowan sounds remarkably like the famed director. The narration makes it feel like Hitchcock is personally explaining his tricks and techniques to viewers, creating a sense of intimacy between the audience and the narrator.

Broken into six sections, the film tackles various themes and elements of Hitchcock's filmography, including topics such as desire and escape. Hitchcock's career spanned nearly fifty years, so there's a lot of material covered during the runtime. Because the director created dozens and dozens of films, the movie doesn't really linger on just one or two. It gives a broad overview of his career, starting with his silent films of the late 1920s all the way to Family Plot.

Hitchcock's greatest hits are covered here, including Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, and Vertigo, but the film doesn't really dive deeply into them. There's been plenty written about them, anyway. Instead, the film is more concerned with zeroing in on the various techniques Hitchcock used, especially to convey a character's desire or emotions. This is why I stated this film should be a must-watch for film students or anyone interested in filmmaking generally. There's much to learn here about the craft.

In terms of the personal, My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock really isn't a biographical movie, even though McGowan voices Hitchcock. There are segments where Alma, Hitchcock's wife and creative partner, who was also a film editor and screenwriter, is given her rightful place in the spotlight. Other than that, this documentary veers away from the personal and sticks to the body of work.

My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock is a fascinating video essay/documentary about craft. Anyone interested in filmmaking should watch this. Though Cousins' film doesn't have broad appeal, there's lots to appreciate here for Hitchcock fans and film students.

My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock will open in select theaters, including in New York and LA, on October 25.