Hitchcock: For The Birds

Over time, great individuals can attain such a level of public adoration that any sort of criticism leveled against them is treated as sacrilege, whether they be Abe Lincoln, Mother Teresa, or a Beatle not named Ringo. Naturally, that inspires a certain kind of person to take dead aim at such sacred cows, not necessarily because he wants to tear these people down—although that can be part of the appeal—but because he wants to offer a counterbalance to the endless canonization. It’s important to have heroes, but if we can’t see them as flesh-and-blood individuals—as human and flawed as the rest of us—how can we fully appreciate their greatness? More »