Rear window is the greatest!

As a piece of pure cinema I'd have to say 'Vertigo', which is extraordinary on so many levels. For the sheer elan of the direction my favourite would be 'North by Northwest' which never puts a foot wrong through the running time. 'Psycho' is a masterclass in audience positioning and directional skill, so it's hard to choose out of those three. And then there's 'Rear Window'... etc. etc.

Of his B/W movies, (not counting Psycho) I love Notorious. The more I watch it the better it gets. Which is the case with most of his films. But Notorious is just brilliantly directed, both in the performances he gets from the cast, but the camerawork is just dazzling. Of the directors working in America today only Scorsese and Soderburgh can stun me with their camerawork in quite the same way. Oh and Fincher can sometimes too, but his can overwhelm the performances IMO in a way Hitchcock and these two don't. Balance. Always balance. So Notorious. Brilliant.

I like The Trouble With Harry

Ah, Hitchcock the master of suspense. I love loads of his movies, he was an amazing director.

I like the classics - "Psycho", "The Birds". But "Rear Window" is probably my favourite, I love James Stewart and Grace Kelly's performance in the movie. "Rear Window" is the epitome of Hollywood class.

A close second may be Hitchcock's, "North by Northwest." This isn't one of his deeper films but it's certainly one of his most entertaining. Cary Grant at his most debonair.

Interesting topic.

Rear Window is the top banana

Hitchcock was a genius,although the English do not admit it.Truffaut wrote a great book of interviews with him in homage.He has had more influence on other directors than anyone else. his best films are:-
1) Vertigo
2)Notorious
3)Rear Window
4)North by Northwest
5)The Birds
6)Psycho
If you want to understand what he was trying to do read the above book.

I think that Vertigo is probably his most rounded work, but I love pretty much his whole back catalogue with the exception of Torn Curtain which did little for me. I just couldn't look at Julie Andrews without expecting her to burst into song.

My personal favourite is Rebecca. Love Olivier's portrayal of Maxim, I can probably quote the whole thing from beginning to end.

Rebecca
Psycho
The Birds