F

ew individuals have had more of an influence on modern-day cinema and popular culture than filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock.

The English-born director’s career spanning 53 feature films, as well as the eponymous TV series of the 1960s, laid new ground in the suspense and thriller genres. Many of the basic techniques commonly used in film to manipulate viewer emotions, such as the disorienting dolly zoom, were pioneered by Hitchcock.

His works have also firmly imprinted concepts such as the “icy blond” and the “slasher killer” into the world’s cultural psyche. The life of the man behind the camera – he died in 1980 at age 79 –is also subject to popular inquiry, explored in such movies as the recently released The Girl and Hitchcock.

From Dec. 14-15, Bentara Budaya Jakarta cultural center in Palmerah, Central Jakarta, will showcase seven of Hitchcock’s movies. Although they do not include probably his most famous film, Psycho from 1960, they represent his diverse output and range of cinematic skills.

Here is the rundown of the two-day screenings, with plot summaries gleaned from Wikipedia and imdb.com.

Dec. 14:
The Lady Vanishes (1938) at 1 p.m.
Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave

Iris is a rich young girl traveling by train across Europe who comes to realize that a fellow passenger, Miss Froy, has gone missing. Nobody else seems to remember Miss Froy’s existence. Iris teams up with a musician to find her. Could there be something sinister behind her disappearance?

Rebecca (1940) at 3:30 p.m.
Starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine

A shy young orphan falls in love with the wealthy Edyth Van Hopper, marries him and moves to his country estate in Cornwall, England, only to realize that the memory and influence of Van Hopper’s deceased first wife, the titular Rebecca, still lingers over the entire household in often obsessive ways. Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance.

Suspicion (1941) at 6:00 p.m.
Starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine

A newly married woman realizes that her handsome new groom may not be all that she thought he would be. She learns that he is a gambler and a playboy. More sinisterly, he may actually be a murderer who has picked her as his next target.

Dec. 15:

Saboteur (1942) at 11:00 a.m.
Starring Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings

An American plant worker falsely accused of sabotage at an aircraft factory scours the country looking for the people believed to be responsible for the incident. He discovers the culprits to be a group of subversive fascists who plan to attack the country’s military and civilian infrastructure.

Lifeboat (1944) at 1:30 p.m.
Starring Tallulah Bankhead, Walter Slezak

This John Steinbeck adaptation follows the struggles of a group of people who survived a torpedoed ship as they try to coexist and survive on a lifeboat. The mishmash of survivors include a nurse, a journalist, a sailor, a businessman and, most notably, the U-boat captain who had sunken their ship.

Strangers on a Train (1951) at 4 p.m.

Starring Farley Granger, Ruth Roman and Robert Walker

Guy Haines, who wants to divorce his wife, meets with Bruno Anthony, who wants to get rid of his father. Anthony proposes to Haines that each kill someone the other wants gone. Although Haines dismisses Anthony’s plan, a chain of events are set off when the latter actually kill Haines’ wife.

Rear Window (1954) at 6:30 p.m.
Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly

A wheelchair-bound photographer confined to his apartment passes the time watching his neighbors. He is drawn to the drama of these people, such as the composer who has writer’s block. One of them, a salesman, catches his attention, because he may have killed his own wife.