Hitchcock - the man and the movies

Hopkins as Hitchcock.

Interesting. Is this for the film about the making of PSYCHO?

ScarJo looks nothing JanLeigh.

Though I hope they include the part where Leigh's nudiesuit split open.

Who's going to play Benny? I nominate Michael Tezla.

I nominate Mel Gibson.

Sharky wrote:

Who's going to play Benny? I nominate Michael Tezla.

He'd fit perfectly.

Harmsway wrote:

Hopkins as Hitchcock.

:|

I dunno.

If he doesn't sound like Hitchcock, then it isn't going to work.

I'm seeing MARNIE on the big screen next week for my birthday.

It's not Hitchcock's finest, but I think nearly all of his films deserve a viewing in a theater.

Seriously, I'd love to see that on the big screen.

Mr. Brown wrote:

I'm seeing MARNIE on the big screen next week for my birthday.

It's not Hitchcock's finest, but I think nearly all of his films deserve a viewing in a theater.

Nice. It's always been a fascinating film to me anyway.

x

It's strange to see a young Hitchcock speaking.

There's a screening of THE BIRDS at my local theater next Wednesday, but I'm working. I'll try to switch shifts, this is something I would love to see on the big screen.

Python wrote:

There's a screening of THE BIRDS at my local theater next Wednesday, but I'm working. I'll try to switch shifts, this is something I would love to see on the big screen.

Heard about those on TCM! :)

Yup, I looked into it and there will be more films like a double bill of FRANKENSTEIN/BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN in late October and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in November which my mom is dying to see. Having just learned about all this. I rarely paid attention to these Fathom Events but from now on I'll be watching out.

The 4K Lawrence of Arabia will also be in October.

The unquestionable masterpieces:
The 39 Steps
The Lady Vanishes
Foreign Correspondent
Notorious
Rope
Rear Window
Vertigo
North by Northwest
Psycho
Frenzy

Quick mini-reviews of those that I always revisit: I still need to see the whole gamut of the silents and British period but grew so tired of having so many terrible public domain copies that I gave up. Hopefully the BFI restorations will come out soon!
The Man Who Knew Too Much-enjoyable but rather stilted. Points towards what is to come but hugely overshadowed by the superior remake.
The 39 Steps-HUGE LEAP! One of the greatest films ever made. The template for the action adventure film.
Young and Innocent-breezier Hitchcock fare, but still tightly plotted and of course featuring that tracking shot...
The Lady Vanishes-feels like a cherished older relative-full of charm and romanticism. Brilliant.
Jamaica Inn-forgettable trifle.
Rebecca-a Selznick movie not Hitchcock's truly. Good on the whole ,but it really never engages with the viewer because of the producer's attempts to assert his opinion. Joan Fontaine is ravishing however.
Foreign Correspondent-a true Hitchcock, the film that should have won best picture, and should have won him Best Director. Another masterpiece, and the prototype Bond film with Maibaum on the writing team. Stunning film.
Mr and Mrs Smith-a screwball comedy that is middle of the road and happened to be made by Hitch.
Suspicion-forgettable disjointed film, that is most harmed by the inability to fully adapt the material. Plus who would believe that Cary was a killer? Monkeyface? Fontaine's character is so damned annoying here to be honest. Dumb bimbo!
Saboteur-Brilliant little B movie with incredible inventiveness, despite being a Americanized wrong man film. Great symbolism and just incredibly tight narrative. This is cinema at it's peak.
Shadow of a Doubt-overrated folksy tale that underlines the menace in small town Americana. It just never fully worked for me, though Cotten gets one of his best roles.
Lifeboat-a simple little film that is harmed by it's confining premise only by the inability to come up with more plotting. Hitch works wonders with the short script/runtime and effectively creates a gem not to mention a brilliant cameo appearance.
Spellbound-silly film on the surface form Selznick's desires to make it. However he let hitch and Ben Hecht craft a script, and it is this that makes the film work. Sadly the Salvador Dali dream sequence was drastically cut down. Best seen on the MGM Blu-ray. Interesting charm goes one here, not to mention the looks-too-perfect-for-reality Ingrid.
Notorious- one of the greatest films ever made. Hitch's best alongside VERTIGO. Grant's performance here is Bond 1.0. Claude Rains again displays his talent as the world's greatest supporting actor. Ingrid is even more ravishing. Absolutely flawless and one of the great works of art. Best seen on the Criterion DVD.
The Paradine Case-the missing footage that has been inserted helps this strange beast considerably, but there is still a good deal missing. Probably for Hitch fans only, but it is certainly not as bad as people claim. Just full of odd choices in story.
Rope-a absolute work of genius. Haunting pale Technicolor, innovative long takes, a brilliantly dark and witty Jimmy Stewart, the wonderful John Dall, the delicate dark humor throughout, and the fantastic dramatic conclusion. Needs the big screen.
Under Capricorn-a misfire, beautifully photographed by Jack Cardiff.
Stage Fright-an interesting piece that attempts to go back to simple thrillers. The end reveals a conceit that goes completely against narrative structure and for this the film is extremely notable.
Strangers on a Train-Hitch going for ground spectacularly. Robert Walker makes the film in a brilliant performance, the Hitch touches are brilliant, but to me the film falls just a little bit short.
I Confess-a small film that works on its single conceit, wonderfully played by Monty Clift. Interesting but not essential.
Dial M for Murder-Hitch works wonderfully with 3D, Ray Milland is superb, the story is very simple, Tony Dawson is great, but it all falls short of greatness. It is what it is-the successful stage play. It did introduce Hitch to a goddess however.
Rear Window-mindblowingly inventive, saved by Harris/Katz, a fantastically cranky Jimmy, and truly something we hadn't seen before. Oh, and the goddess returns!
To Catch a Thief-the ultimate cinematic souffle. The richest of desserts set amidst the Rivera lusciously photographed in Vistavision. Cary Grant is Superman, and there is little sexier or more endearing than that little smirking smile that appears on Grace Kelly's face when she stumps Cary.
The Trouble with Harry-One of the best photographed outdoor films ever. A perfect little black comedy that will last forever. Absolutely charming so that it warms the heart. VistaVision brilliance. Not to mention the debut of a little gorgeous fiery redhead who doesn't care and is glad that her husband is dead.
The Man Who Knew Too Much-Stunning film that has inspired many with it's visual strength. The struggle of the couple is far more believable here as we are let into their tension to a far greater degree than the 1934 version. In need of restoration if universal will ever allow it. The Royal Albert Hall sequence is one of the finest ever filmed.
The Wrong Man-great forgotten film that is a wonderful dark and jazzy 50's NY period piece. The true story guise allows Hitch to employ some verite style technique and Henry Fonda is great in doom and gloom.
Vertigo-is a film that has haunted me for over 15 years since first seeing it. A masterpiece in every sense of the word. A work of art. Stewart and Novak give performances so full of nuance that they complete the story. Herrmann's score is unforgettable like the film. The mono track is essential here.
North by Northwest-the grab bag Hitchcock that is so eager to please that you can't deny it your pleasure. Perfection in all forms of cinema storytelling. I also prefer the mono here.
Psycho-Hitch toying with us for an entire film. It can be studied for the rest of time. Exploits the exploitation film.
The Birds-the first misstep. An agonizingly slow opening third, a frigid lead actress, a script that is very un-involving, some terrible matte shots of actors, but brilliant eerieness and technical construction. This is technique over style and Hitch didn't have the story to back it up.
Marnie-Hedren's frigidity works in her favor here, but there is always the feeling of having to hold back in censorship not to mention the same feeling of Hitch being out of his element. Sean does what he can with the material but is hemmed in like Hitchcock.
Torn Curtain-the first Hitch film that is forgettable, fully derivative, imposed, and extensively boring. Save for the art museum and killing of Gromek there is no engagement of Hitch's interest and it shows. Badly.
Topaz-disjointed story that attempts to follow the book too closely so that the resulting film never quite gets up off the ground. It's not a bad film just terribly unengaging. None of the three endings really work well. The shot of Karin Dor falling in her purple dress is astonishingly exquisite however.
Frenzy-Finally a return to form. A masterpiece of construction, design, black humor, subtlety and a absolute joy at the freedom of the R rating. It toys with you in such ways that were unseen since PSYCHO.
Family Plot-a swan song that isn't very memorable but still manages to hold everything together in a sort of whimsy.

hegottheboot wrote:

The 4K Lawrence of Arabia will also be in October.

Saw that too. In fact, I have never seen the film, so I am definitely planning on seeing it in the cinema as my first experience.

Quote :

Frenzy-Finally a return to form. A masterpiece of construction, design, black humor, subtlety and a absolute joy at the freedom of the R rating. It toys with you in such ways that were unseen since PSYCHO.

:scratch:

Thought it was anachronistic, dated. stiff, poorly paced, with an weak and unconvincing lead (with a hammy performance by John Finch), sadistic, and downright unpleasant. The only highlights are Barry Foster, Anna Massey's final scene (from Bob's introduced to the pull-back tracking shot of the set and Covent Garden market), and the dinner comedy routine with Alec McCowen and Vivien Merchant. Everything else fell flat.

I like it, but I'm not crazy about it. I do wish Caine had done it, though.

I dunno, I loved it from the get go; its gritty look and feel, the relatively unglamorous leads, Hitch being back in London, Hitch making an R rated film, the nastiness but most especially the humor. The potato truck was such pure Hitchcock and so purely funny that it was one of the three times I have peed myself laughing. (Dr. Strangelove and Life of Brian being the other two.)

Largo's Shark wrote:

Quote :

Frenzy-Finally a return to form. A masterpiece of construction, design, black humor, subtlety and a absolute joy at the freedom of the R rating. It toys with you in such ways that were unseen since PSYCHO.

:scratch:

Thought it was anachronistic, dated. stiff, poorly paced, with an weak and unconvincing lead (with a hammy performance by John Finch), sadistic, and downright unpleasant.

Me too. FRENZY is my least-favorite Hitchcock flick.

For me it's UNDER CAPRICORN, but there's about a dozen early Hitch films I've not seen.

Dial M for Murder Blu-ray captures: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare7/dialmformurder.htm

I was always curious about the aspect ratio and which would have been the preferred format for Hitch, but since he intended it to be seen either way I guess it's not much to worry about. The 1:85 doesn't look compromising.

I don't think I'll get it though. I'm fine with the DVD I have, nothing to do with it being full frame. Still, I would love to see this in 3D, but I don't know anyone that has a 3DTV and a 3D blu-ray player, and I'm not interested in upgrading.

Strangers on a Train blu-ray: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare5/strangersonatrain.htm

DAYUM! Not interested in getting this either, but damn it looks good. :affraid: