What movie do you believe to be Alfred Hitchcock's finest?

Strangers on a Train
Rope

The Birds!!

The Birds!!

GMTA @Dutchess_III

We answered at the exact same time. lol

Psycho & Rear Window are great, but those two are definitely my faves.

The Birds and Psycho I’ve seen, and they are great movies. The reason I’ve meant to catch the rest of Hitchcock. Plus I loved the TV show.

In my opinion:

Best:
Rear Window
The Birds
Rope

But I also have a strange love for:
Saboteur
Suspicion (mainly for “Holbein”!)
Marnie

And you should see The Trouble with Harry, because it’s his only comedy. It’s fun.

Rear Window

There are so many.

The Birds scared the crap out of me, So that was good.

North by Northwest was a good story as well, but different from Pyscho and less scary than the birds.

I never liked Psycho for some reason.

I’ve only ever seen The Birds, so my answer stands.

I can only tell you my favorites, the ones I never tire of re-watching… “finest” is in the eye (and perhaps age) of the beholder.

Rope (an experiment in long filmed takes to make it seem more like a stage play. Some critics say it was unsuccessful—I say brilliant!)
Rear Window (I’ve seen it more times than any of the others and still find it fascinating… and was there ever a lovelier actress than Grace Kelly, 25 years old at the time?)
North by Northwest (beautifully acted and still
Notorious (Talk about suspense! Beautifully crafted)
Lifeboat (a cross-section of American citizenry in wartime—in one small boat. And the best Hitchcock cameo ever)
Suspicion (true to its title—is Cary a good guy or a bad guy? You really don’t know till the end, which, as I recall reading, was made “nice” at the last minute)
The Wrong Man (Gripping. Very real. And sad)
Strangers on a Train (was ever a villain creepier than Bruno Antony?)

Sorry, Psycho is NOT one of my faves, though arguably it set the bar for every slasher movie since. Nor is Vertigo, which many critics do consider Hitchcock’s best. I re-watch it every few years to see if I’ve changed my mind about it but always come away feeling I’ve watched an animated storyboard.

Another vote for Rear Window.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room I agree with many of your comments. Particularly about Psycho and Vertigo. I have never seen Lifeboat – I must put that on the “To see” list.

@glacial, please try to see Lifeboat. It’s pretty dated but still an amazing movie.

I see I didn’t finish my comment about North by Northwest. Beautifully acted and still great fun to watch after all these years. A case of unlucky and unwanted “Identity Theft.”

Who did “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”

North By Northwest cary grant at his most cary grantiest

The Man Who Knew To Much three words – que sera sera

Rear Window just a great fucking flick

I know you like The Birds :D
My favorite is Psycho.

I’m a big fan of “Notorious” with the Grant/Bergman chemistry. It has what has been labeled the most erotic kissing scene on film, with Hitchcock holding to the 3-second rule, then in force, by placing wonderful dialog between the multiple 3-second kisses. It’s a romance, it’s a spy thriller. Did I mention Cary Grant? What’s not to love?

Rear Window
Psycho
Strangers on a Train
Topaz
the Birds
Shadow of a Doubt

All of these are so good, you cannot judge any of them lacking.

Great answers, EVERYONE. Looks like I need to see “Rear Window”. After reading through the thread, I’m pretty sure I’ve see most of “Rope” and parts (lots of running) of “North by Northwest”.

Oddly enough, “Vertigo” inspired my question. “High Anxiety” from Mel Brooks, if you follow me. ;-)

Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest and Psycho (Who can ever forget the SHOWER SCENE in PSYCHO).

The Birds, Smitha. You forgot The Birds! :-)

I’ve never even seen the shower scene in Psycho, but I can’t forget it because they play that snip all the time!