The Dark Side of Genius cover art

The Dark Side of Genius

The Life of Alfred Hitchcock

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Dark Side of Genius

By: Donald Spoto
Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £28.84

Buy Now for £28.84

About this listen

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.

©1983 Donald Spoto (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV History & Criticism Celebrity Entertainment Marriage Witty Biography Denmark

Critic reviews

"The finest book about a filmmaker yet. Sensational in its revelations; at the same time, a biography of unassailable integrity. I could not put it down." (Gregory Peck)

"Absolutely compulsory reading." (New York Times Book Review)

"A vivid and perceptive portrait…. Knowledgeable and revealing." (Time)
All stars
Most relevant
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.

Interesting but Not much new information

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

great story, terrible production values.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
How many words do I have to write to complete my review? Well, it’s a decent listen.

This was a good listen Detailed account of Hitch’s life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

A detailed biography of a flawed genius

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story, we'll narrated, some edits were clearly done with scissors just as Hitch often said.

just a shame that those edits meant parts of a wonderful work were lost.

Can only assume Amazon can't afford to get proof listeners

Followed his advice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews