My Name is Alfred Hitchcock

A lot of [the voice-over] is just made up and drawn from here and there... But it's two hours of clips from some of the greatest Hitchcock films ever made.

The impressionist Alistair McGowan reproduces Hitchcock’s plummy drawl. But the insights belong to Cousins, a world-class close reader known for his mellifluous journeys through film history and cinephilia.

Every great director deserves the vigorous engagement of a documentarian like Cousins, who comes to the work with passion and fresh eyes.

“My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock” is sharp enough to get you to find fresh things in films you’ve watched a dozen times.

It offers up a deep and often fascinating dive into his oeuvre, utilizing a central conceit so nervy that most viewers will either marvel or recoil at its sheer audacity.

Built ingeniously around six themes — escape, desire, loneliness to name three — the film can’t be faulted on comprehensiveness.

If you're not deeply steeped in Hitchcock, this is a wonderful introduction.

It’s just incredibly dumb, featuring baffling gags like McGowan-as-Hitch talking about modern technologies that came along decades after his death.

My Name is Alfred Hitchcock is an intriguing look at one of cinema’s most legendary legacies, offering viewers solid scholarship, provocative musings, and even a bit of cheeky humor here and there. [Full review in Spanish]

Cousins does provide some insights into Hitchcock’s motifs and obsessions, from doors to staircases to creepy, dank interiors crammed with gizmos, gewgaws, and cobwebs.