10 Most Insanely Perfectionist Film Directors
6. Alfred Hitchcock Abused His Actors For Perfection And Suspense
The portly, demanding Hitchcock has become the basis of most people’s image of ‘film director’. His ingeniously crafted suspense films, from classics like Psycho to more obscure experiments like Rope, have inspired generations of filmmakers including the influential French New Wave. Hitchcock delicately crafted his suspense like a guitar player plucking his strings precisely, building tension until the air explodes with sensation and surprise.
Naturally this took a great deal of careful organisation and Hitchcock became renowned for his perfectionism and the lengths to which he would go to obtain perfect shots.
This is perhaps most glaring in 1948’s Rope which takes place in real time and is edited together to look as though it consists of one single continuous take. This method made use of very long takes, some over 10 minutes in length which Hitchcock made actor’s repeat in their entirety until he was satisfied with the results.
Hitchcock also became infamous for abusing his actors in order to produce authentic performances with his abuse of Tippi Hedren on the set of Birds being as a legendary as the film itself.