"Actors come and go," Alfred Hitchcock once told reporters, "But the name of the director should stay clearly in the mind of the audience. We make a film succeed." Coming from one of cinema's pre-eminent auteurs, there is nothing remarkable about this statement, except perhaps its date. 1925, when Hitchcock had not a single film to his credit.

The first part of this astounding, epic biography (Alfred the Great), marking the centenary ot Hitchcock's birth, explores the childhood influences that turned an overweight loner into the 'Master of Suspense' with classics like The Lodger (1926) and The 39 Steps (1935). The film reveals the story behind the most important woman in his life, Alma Reville—the tough film professional who for 50 years acted as her husband's most severe critic and fiercest champion. The film provides an understanding of what happened when Britain's hottest director came to America to make Rebecca and collided with David O. Selznick, one of Hollywood's most powerful producers.

Following the success of Psycho (1960), Hitchcock thought he could do no wrong. Psycho made him rich; Alfred Hitchcock Presents made him famous. But as the second part of this documentary reveals, the golden age that seemed to beckon failed to materialise. The director's obsession with complete control and his pursuit of the perfect 'Hitchcock blonde' took on a new intensity. The man who valued order above all else began to court chaos in his personal life. Hitch includes critical interviews with many of those close to Hitchcock, including his daughter Pat, Janet Leigh, Tippi Hedren, Farley Granger, Hume Cronyn, and the screenwriters of Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and Marnie.