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The Dark Side of Genius
- The Life of Alfred Hitchcock
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 23 hrs and 26 mins
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The Dark Side of Genius
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Summary
The story of the man who changed people’s relationships with their showers forever, thanks to Psycho, this is the classic, Edgar Award-winning biography of the enigmatic and intensely private Alfred Hitchcock. One of America’s greatest film directors, his suspenseful subject matter ranged from the dark drama of a man possibly trying to kill his wife, to the humorous problem of disposing of a body, to the ecological underpinnings of an attack by fowl fiends in a sleepy harbor town.
Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the roots of Hitchcock’s obsessions - with food, murder, and idealized love, among others - and traces the origins of his incomparable, bizarre genius, from his childhood and education to the golden years of his career. Based on interviews with his writers, actors, and longtime associates, and on exhaustive research, The Dark Side of Genius is the definitive biography of Alfred Hitchcock.
Donald Spoto is the author of more than 20 books, including best-selling biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, Laurence Olivier, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, and Audrey Hepburn. He lives with his husband, Danish artist and school administrator Ole Flemming Larsen, near Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Critic reviews
"Absolutely compulsory reading." (New York Times Book Review)
"A vivid and perceptive portrait…. Knowledgeable and revealing." (Time)
What listeners say about The Dark Side of Genius
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mark H
- 12-05-14
A detailed biography of a flawed genius
I am a fan of Alfred Hitchcock. I have watched many (most) of his films and I have read some other insights into his life. This book is the most detailed account of his life that I have read. As a consequence of its length, breadth and detail, it exposes many human flaws which may or may not be true. In hindsight, I would rather not have heard the assertions of his darker side, some of which may have reflected attitudes more prevalent in his era than they are now , or petty eccentricities given an uncharitable spin. So, if you are a film buff that would like lots more details of Hitchcock’s life and career then this is a good book for you. If you are a Hitchcock fan, then this might make you see him in a less favourable light because of some of his character flaws, so just keep watching his films and admire his genius.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- C. Kemp
- 29-04-21
Interesting but Not much new information
Quite a poorly produced audio book, the track skips every now and then and there are odd elongated pauses where there shouldn’t be. A few words and were mispronounced but otherwise was clearly read, the audible original series ‘the adventures of Alfred Hitchcock’ tells many of the same stories but is better read and produced.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 08-06-16
great story, terrible production values.
This is an amazing story, a look into the mind and films of one of the greatest directors ever. It is well written and researched, however, the presentation is awful!
The narrator had a good voice but, occasionally, he pauses in the middle sentences for over 3 seconds (I timed him). This is really annoying, leading you to believe a new paragraph is about to begin when the sentence hasn't been finished.
On a number occasions there seems to be sentences missing, the narrative jumping from the middle of one sentence into another and towards the end the narrator tells us it is 'cassette 7'
Really shoddy, which, given the content , is especially disappointing.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Deborah H
- 16-09-20
Quite unsatisfying
I agree completely with the other reviewer on the painfully long pauses between paragraphs, the audio errors - really, not acceptable Audible - and the unevenness of the narrative. I have read around 15 books on Hitchcock but this is one I can’t recommend. How many times were the references to Hitchcock’s view on icy blondes, in Hitchcock’s opinion cool and detached until aroused, repeated? Once was enough - it’s a well-known comment. And so on.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Cyrus
- 29-01-16
Deadly Dull Narration
What disappointed you about The Dark Side of Genius?
Very disappointed in this audio book. The book itself, although it covers all of Hitchcock's life, and serves as a good introduction to his life and work, it is very pedestrian, mostly stating the matter of fact events in a straightforward time order.
What was most disappointing about Donald Spoto’s story?
It did not expand and explain Hitchcock's greatness - there was no excitement, no explanation of why he was a genius. Very pedestrian.
How could the performance have been better?
This is the main problem - the narration is dull, dull, dull. A dreadful, deep, mumbling, monotonous American drawl. Awful - no intonation, excitement, feeling.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment - was very excited to hear a good biography on Hitchcock.
Any additional comments?
Listen to the sample before you buy.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- barjil
- 26-08-12
Spoiled by narrator
I listened to the trial reading before buying this book, which I was really interested to have. The narrator sounded OK for that brief time but since then I have had to stop listening after enduring five chapters. I am obviously used to American pronunciations such as Birming-HAM and could cope with some of the mispronounced names but he is going to call AH's wife Awlmah for 23+ hours, whereas she is Alma. But there are hideous mispronunciations of ordinary words and ultimately one is just waiting for them to happen and this destroys any possible enjoyment. Very disappointing as it's obviously a most interesting book - shall have to read it in print!
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9 people found this helpful