Family Plot

(Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1976)

Although far removed from the intense thrills and grand themes of Vertigo (1958) or Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock's final film is a delightfully constructed gem.

A whimsical comedy-adventure with an ambiguous touch of the supernatural, Family Plot traces an elaborate crime and kidnapping caper involving a web of characters (played by Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris and William Devane).

The elegant plotting by writer Ernest Lehman (North by Northwest, 1959) allows Hitchcock some exhilarating set-pieces and revelatory moments.

MORE Hitchcock: The Birds, Lifeboat, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Rear Window, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious

© Adrian Martin January 1993