About this episode

The episode explores four films by Alfred Hitchcock, highlighting themes of domestic terror and psychological complexity.

Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast , Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026, examining the life and work of England's most famous cinema pervert. As we reach the midpoint of Alfred Hitchcock's career we see a variety of films, including a screwball comedy and another 39 Steps re-run, but we also see the full flowering of a Hitchcock driven by psychology, by terror of a much more domestic variety, a world at war while things aren't right at home, where the person you sleep next to could be your most sinister enemy. Homicidal Cary Grant, Thorton Wilder slumming it, the statue of liberty, fourth wall dismissal, surrealism and even honest-to-God psychic powers saturate this batch of films as Hitchcock settles into Hollywood and begins to turn it upside down. It's glowing like a poisoned glass of milk but you better drink it down anyway! 0:00 - 0:36 - Intro 0:37 - 30:55 - Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) 30:56 - 1:38:47 - Suspicion (1941) 1:38:48 - 2:24:53 - Saboteur (1942)…

People in this episode

Host: Patrick Ripoll

Topics covered

• Alfred Hitchcock
• film analysis
• psychological thriller
• screwball comedy
• domestic terror
• Hollywood cinema

Keywords

• Alfred Hitchcock
• Mr. and Mrs. Smith
• Suspicion
• Saboteur
• Shadow of a Doubt
• film review
• psychology
• screwball comedy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Suspicion, Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt

Places: Hollywood

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