Thanks to pictures taken on set and special features from the Universal Pictures archives, the visitors are brought behind the scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s most important movies, where they can discover curious details about the production of many famous scenes, the use of the first special effects, the actors and the private life of the English director.

Celebrated as one of the leading and most influential innovators in the history of filmmaking, Hitchcock is famous for his ingenuity, compelling plots, handling of the camera, unique editing style and ability to keep the tension alive in every single frame.

According to the critics of the Nouvelle Vague, Hitchcock was one of the greatest creators of forms of the 20^th century – says the curator of the exhibition, Gianni Canova. No matter how many times you watch them, his movies are always surprising. Every time they manage to open new outlooks through which we can observe the world and life itself.

Curated by Gianni Canova and produced by Visit Different (ViDi), the exhibition features 70 photographs and special content from Universal Pictures that bring the visitors behind the scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s most important movies, where they can discover curious details about the production of many famous scenes, the use of the first special effects, about the actors and about the private life of the English director.

Celebrated as one of the leading and most influential innovators in the history of filmmaking, Hitchcock is famous for his ingenuity, compelling plots, handling of the camera, unique editing style and ability to keep the tension alive in every single frame. 

The exhibition opens with a section dedicated to the relationship between Hitchcock and Genoa, with pictures and videos from the movie The Pleasure Garden, along with memories of some of the incredible mishaps that accompanied that official first take, and it goes on analyzing Hitchcock’s most famous masterpieces, all produced by Universal Pictures.

The first of these masterpieces is Psycho (1960), one of Hitchcock’s most controversial works that managed to break all box office records and made audiences flee the movie theatres in terror. It’s an opportunity to explore the backstage of the metaphysical Bates Motel, meet the disturbing Norman, Marion’s split personality and explore the famous shower scene.

One room is dedicated to The Birds (1953), in which Hitchcock introduced several innovations in the field of sound and special effects. With its 370 shooting tricks, the movie actually spent almost three years in the making because of its technical complexity.

This itinerary through the Hitchcock universe continues with Rear Window (1954), starring James Stewart as photojournalist ‘Jeff’ Jeffries who, in order to overcome the boredom from being confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, spies on his neighbours from his apartment until he’s convinced he witnessed a murder. The movie was a huge success; released in August 1954, it had made 10 million dollars by May 1956.

Next, we have Vertigo (1958), a masterpiece turned into an object of veneration, that tells one of the most anguished love stories in movie history through an infinite number of angles and extraordinary footage, realized in the most famous San Francisco landmarks.

Furthermore, the exhibition presents photographic material that gives an insight into other acclaimed Hitchcock movies, such as Saboteur (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rope (1948), The Trouble with Harry (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Marnie (1964), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), Frenzy (1972) and Family Plot (1976).

The exhibition is curated by Gianni Canova and conceived and produced by Visit Different (ViDi), with the special collaboration of Universal Pictures Italy Home Entertainment Division and IULM University, Milan.