Actually, I was thinking about "Strange Case" specifically. I had 
forgotten that Durgnat did a Psycho book.
You might also take a look at Pauline Kael whose backhanded compliments 
to Hitch are nastier than any pan.

g


On 10/31/2010 11:56 AM, Ken Mogg wrote:
> Hi Peter -
>
> A seminal, but nonetheless slanted, 'anti-Hitchcock' article was 
> Australian poet and critic Charles Higham's "Hitchcock's World" in 
> 'Film Quarterly' many years ago.
>
> For a recent critique of Hitchcock's attitude to women in his films, 
> see a piece in 'The Guardian' by 'Bidisha': 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/21/alfred-hitchcock-women-psycho-the-birds-bidisha
>
> (I have to say that it is seriously mis-guided, and that far more 
> perspective comes from Bidisha's readers in the Comments section, so 
> be sure to read that too!)
>
> The same article prints, alongside, a link to another, 2008 'Guardian' 
> piece on Hitchcock's sadism that is marginally better.
>
> But you are treading dangerous ground, mate!  Robin Wood's observation 
> long ago, 'Hitchcock was too sophisticated for the sophisticated', 
> still applies!
>
> When the other day I sent the URL for the Bidisha article to an 
> English friend who writes for 'Sight and Sound', he responded that 
> Hitchcock sometimes set himself up for criticism by some of his - 
> joking - comments in interviews, such as his 'torture the heroine' 
> remark (from the French playwright Sardou).  Actually, it's still not 
> bad advice for a working screenwriter, etc.!  But, quite seriously,  
> you must not miss what I call the (at least) 'dual vision' of Hitchcock.
>
> To my English friend, I noted the gist of my recent chapter on 
> "Hitchcock's literary sources" forthcoming in 'Companion to Hitchcock' 
> (Wiley/Blackwell):
>
>> My chapter (on Dickens, o.c., and Flaubert, and the literary 
>> Symbolists, and Chesterton, and a score of others) made much of the 
>> notion of 'Romantic irony' and 'dualistic vision' and dealing in 
>> paradox as Chesterton did - Chesterton, who inherited from countless 
>> 19C writers a pessimistic outlook but which he soon stood firmly 
>> against, with what he called his '/anti/-pessimism'.  Being both 
>> pessimistic and anti-pessimistic (and dualistic in other ways) - 
>> /that's/ Hitchcock for you, I think!
>
> I agree with George Robinson's post to you that Raymond Durgnat 'has 
> some interesting and quirky things to say about the director' -  
> though not just in his PSYCHO book but also his earlier 'The Strange 
> Case of Alfred Hitchcock'.  But even Durgnat could, at times, be not 
> sophisticated enough!
>
> I am reading Norman Holland's piece on VERTIGO that he posted here for 
> you, Peter.  It looks very interesting although - as Norm said - it 
> isn't negative!
>
> Metta - KM
> http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~muffin/news-home_c.html
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Man is the only [creature] that kills for fun;
he is the only one that kills in malice, the only
one that kills for revenge [. . .] He is the only
creature that has a nasty mind.

				-- Mark Twain

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