philosoraptor42 | Entries tagged with directors: hitchcock

Shadow Of A Doubt (1943)

I was keen to see this particular film from Hitchcock because of all the connections made to the recent Chan-Wook Park movie "Stoker". I can see the connection, but "Stoker" is a much more subtle film. In any case though, it would be silly to consider them side-by-side. This movie needs to be considered as a piece of work in its own right.

We are shown fairly clearly towards the start that the figure of Uncle Charlie is a crook. Of course, that doesn't mean that Hitchcock isn't messing with us, but that's clearly what we are expected to believe. However, Uncle Charlie isn't the central character here. Instead it's his niece Charlie. There's apparently always been a special connection between the two of them.

Uncle Charlie has decided to come to live with his sister and her family (which naturally includes his niece Chalie, our protagonist). Straight away we can see Charlie piecing things together. She doesn't think anything bad of Charlie at all, but she knows he's got a secret.

( Click here for the rest of my review of "Shadow Of A Doubt"... )
Upon seeing "A Shadow Of A Doubt" I then rewatched "Stoker" again and I have to say that, upon a second watch, it's pretty clearly still the best film I've seen that has been released this year so far. Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode are just so fantastic in the film and clearly WentWorth Miller needs to write more scripts, because what he came up with here was just amazing. I can see how "Shadow Of A Doubt" might have been an inspiration, but it takes the idea of a connection between the niece and her uncle much more seriously. When we discover in "Shadow Of A Doubt" that the uncle is pretty much a psychopath, the idea that the two of them REALLY have a connection becomes a lot harder to take seriously. But in "Stoker" the idea that the innocent girl is actually just as sinister as her Uncle is developed very cleverly indeed.

Interestingly a recent Horroretc Podcast has suggested some ways in which Stoker is kind of like a vampire story. I think the connection is pretty subtle, but then again that's true of the film as a whole. But in a way, aren't all psychological thrillers about psychopaths and serial killers kind of about vampires too?

(video link)

So here I finally present you with two films about Alfred Hitchcock. Both make nods to his life and work and both seemed to be marketed as showing a darker side of his character.

One stars Anthony Hopkins (Silence Of The Lambs, Amistad, Thor), comes from the director of the wonderful documentary "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" and was shown at the cinema. Meanwhile the other stars Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Mist, Captain America), comes from the director of the sweet little movie "Kinky Boots" and ended up as a TV movie.

Another big difference is that "The Girl" is based on the account of Hitchcock's life from Tippi Hedren, an actress who starred in his two films "The Birds" and "Marnie". She has recently had some shocking stories to tell of Alfred Hitchcock's treatment of her.

"The Girl" (HBO TV movie 2012)

Toby Jones plays Hitchcock and unlike Anthony Hopkins in the big cinema movie, he doesn't use a ton of special make up to do so. Toby Jones doesn't have Hitchcock's size, but that doesn't matter because his performance sells it anyway. I say, not a TON of prosthetics, but that's not to say NO prosthetics. The lower half of Toby Jones' face has been reshaped, but the upper half of his face has been left the same. The most expressive part of his face has been left uncovered and it is through Toby Jones' expressions that the audience is truly sold on the identity of Alfred Hitchcock.

I am absolutely amazed by Toby Jones' range. No two performances of his are the same. I've seen him as a pompous spy in "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy", a malicious trickster in the Doctor Who episode "Amy's Choice", a timid sound engineer in "Berberian Sound Studio, and an arrogant film producer in "My Week With Marilyn". The consistent element is that Toby Jones is fantastic in all of them.

Right from the start Toby Jones establishes Hitchcock as a deeply ambiguous figure. On the one hand he's eccentric and oddly charming, but on the other hand he's intense, unpredictable and controlling. Hitchcock is always using his intellect to impress and often succeeding and his position as a renowned director means that in all his dealing with Tippi Hedren there's a definite sense that power games are involved.

Sienna Miller is fantastic in the role of Tippi Hedren, the model aspiring to become an actress that Hitchcock decides to make a star. She's very different here from how she was in "Layer Cake" or "Stardust" and I think she does a great job portraying the nervous yet determined star-to-be.

( Click here to read the rest of my review of "The Girl"... )

Hitchcock (2012)

After the wonderful trailer I was quite excited about this film. I haven't really heard that much in the way of online reviews of this. A Youtube reviewer I've become quite keen on called FilmMasterAdam included it in his top 15 films of 2012 (for reasons I find wholly baffling having now seen it) and Gabe Toro (fabfunk on LJ) included it in his list of ten worst movies of 2012. The Horror Etc. podcasters were very impressed though.

Hitchcock features Anthony Hopkins covered in prosthetics to make him look more like Alfred Hitchcock and I have heard high praise for his impression. To be quite frank, Anthony Hopkins looks about as much like Alfred Hitchcock in those prosthetics as Toby Jones does with no prosthetics alone (i.e. neither of them look like Alfred Hitchcock). What should sell Hitchcock to me is the performance and sadly being covered in all those prosthetics significantly decreases Hopkins' ability to emote.

The script is full of references to Hitchcock's life and career, but they only seem to be there for the sake of it. For example there's a brief conversation about Grace Kelly going off to become a princess in Monaco. This has more relevance to the overall plot than some of the references, since it at least Hitchcock to express his attachment to his leading ladies and to express regret that he could not continue to make Kelly a star. However, with this dialogue delivered to his wife Alma while she does some gardening at their home and with the conversation quickly moving on to other things, it feels like this is more of a tick-boxing exercise than an attempt to build up Hitchcock's character.

( Click here to read the rest of my review of "Hitchcock"... )

Interested in deciding what series of films I review next? Please vote in the two polls:

Poll one: Film Series
(Blog Post explaining the first poll)

Poll two: Director Filmography
(Blog post explaining the second poll)

Finally here is my long-overdue set of Hitchcock reviews. I have now seen the last 20 films of Hitchcock's career. Since I am working through Hitchcock's films in reverse order, these four are the earliest I have seen.

As before, the reviews below are in reverse order of preference (finishing with my least favourite), but the films were viewed in the following order: Strangers on a Train (1951), Stage Fright (1950), Under Capricorn (1949), Rope (1948)

Strangers on a Train (1951)

This is definitely a clear favourite out of Hitchcock's movies. The stranger on the train turns up pretty early on and turns out actually to know quite a bit about the protagonist (who is actually a professional tennis player). He feels that a kind of 'murder exchange exercise' would solve problems for the both of them. He argues that both of them have a particular thorn in their side without whom their lives would be a great deal easier. The protagonist tries to humour the stranger, but he never actually agrees to the scheme.
( Read more... )

Rope (1948)

"Rope" is filmed as if it were one long continuous shot. Occasionally the camera is moved close into someone's back or into a dark corner so that a cut can be made subtley. While this conceit is fairly obvious, we still get the intended impression of a continuous scene. Everything happens in one flat.

The film begins, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Hitchcock film, with a murder. However, what is surprising is when the murderers follow it up by instantly getting ready for a party which is to take place within their own flat - and with the body still there.
( Read more... )

Stage Fright (1950)

There's some slight trickery involved at the beginning of this film which I won't reveal here. I'll just note that while this was a cause of great controversy at the time, I was a lot happier with the film as a result.

The movie opens with an actor and actress in a car. Jane Wyman, who essentially plays the protagonist of the film, is listening to Richard Todd explaining his predicament. We then see a flashback to show us what happened. Apparently he has been framed for murder by a woman he was in a relationship with and the protagonist, who is infatuated with him, is convinced that she should help him prove his innocence.
( Read more... )

Under Capricorn (1949)

It was great to see Michael Wilding, the detective from "Stage Fright" return here. This time he's the main protagonist. A somewhat irresponsible opportunist hoping to make his fortune in the easiest way possible. He befriends one of the ex-cons who seems to be doing particularly well for himself and who himself employs ex-cons to help run his household; the film being set in Australia in the early 19th century.
( Read more... )

My Ranking Of Hitchcock's Final 20 Films

1. North By Northwest (1959) A+
2. Psycho (1960) A+
3. Strangers On A Train (1951) A+
4. The Birds (1963) A+
5. Rope (1955) A+
6. To Catch a Thief (1955) A+
7. Rear Window (1954) A+
8. The Trouble with Harry (1955) A-
9. Dial M for Murder (1954) A-
10. Stage Fright (1950) A-
( Read more... )

Joyce Grenfell sketches
( Read more... )

Sorry for the long wait! Below are the next four films of the Hitchcock Retrospective, putting the total of Hitchcock films seen up to 16! If this is the first entry you've seen, I've been working my way back through Hitchcock's films starting with his final film "Family Plot". You can find the previous three entries here:
Hitchcock Reverse Retrospective Part One - Family Plot, Frenzy, Topaz and Torn Curtain
Hitchcock Reverse Retrospective Part Two - Marnie, The Birds, Psycho and North By Northwest
Hitchcock Reverse Retrospective Part Three - Vertigo, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Trouble with Harry

I was just double checking a actor's name from one of these four films when I realised that three of them had Grace Kelly as the lead. She possibly deserves a bit of credit for giving such varied performances that I couldn't tell that it was the same woman each time. She receives the opportunity to both play and to subvert the "hysterical blonde" character that Hitchcock seems to love to employ (often accompanied by a more character-filled brunette who is not the main love interest).

So, as in previous entries I've been watching through the films in reverse chronological order of release, but the four reviews below work in reverse order of preference. So the films were viewed in the following order: "To Catch A Thief" (1955), "Rear Window"(1954), "Dial M For Murder" (1954) and "I Confess" (1953).

To Catch a Thief (1955)

This is another Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant. The other of which being "North By Northwest", my favourite Hitchcock film so far. Now when I saw "North By Northwest" I must admit that two things somewhat puzzled me. First was why anyone would think that Cary Grant's character was some kind of spy and secondly why the woman on the train would want to throw herself at him. Now watching "To Catch a Thief" I wonder why I ever found either of those ideas so strange.
( Read more... )

Rear Window (1954)

I was seriously worried when I put this into the machine. I'd only recently watched two Hitchcock films starring James Stewart which I felt were highly overrated. Not least "Vertigo", which was recently placed near the top of a pretentious "great movie ever" list for the publication "Sight and Sound" (with no films in its top ten released within the past 40 years). Now here was a film regularly touted as one of Hitchcock's best and there, once again, was James Stewart's name on the box.
( Read more... )

Dial M for Murder (1954)

This was the first of Grace Kelly's roles in a Hitchcock film and she is firmly lodged into the hysterical blonde role. Well, I say hysterical. It's a more low-key hysterical blonde performance. She's a traumatised woman who always does precisely what her husband tells her to do, no matter how stupid.

"Don't call the police, darling." "Oh of course, my oh-so-sensible husband." Oh ffs! Protest! Tell him you MUST phone the police! Put up a bit of an argument and don't be so wet! Gah!

( Read more... )

I Confess (1953)

This was a pretty cool premise. A priest hears a confession of murder and is then bound to honour the sacrament of the confessional when the police ask questions. Things become further complicated when the priest himself becomes a suspect.
( Read more... )

Rankings of all Hitchcock's movies reviewed so far:

1. North By Northwest (1959) A+
2. Psycho (1960) A+
3. The Birds (1963) A+
4. To Catch a Thief (1955) A+
5. Rear Window (1954) A+
( Read more... )

Part one here
Part two here

Continuing to watch Hitchcock's movies in reverse order of release, I watched: "Vertigo" (1958), "The Wrong Man" (1956), "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956) and "The Trouble with Harry" (1955). That's the movies in reverse order of release for you, but below, as in previous entries, I will be reviewing these four in reverse order of preference.

The Trouble with Harry (1955)

This was sweeter than a lot of Hitchcock's films and I think that was possibly part of the appeal. This is essentially a 'farce'.

( Read more... )

The Wrong Man (1956)

In the first half of the film this is absolutely fascinating. Hitchcock appears at the beginning of the film to explain that this is a true story and, in spite of my instincts, it turns out that he's really not kidding.

( Read more... )

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

I'm generally trying to watch these films in directly reverse order, so the first of these films that I saw was "Vertigo". It was in the light of my experience of "Vertigo" that I came to watch this earlier Hitchcock film also starring James Stewart. James Stewart was (so I understand) originally known best for comedic performances, but in these films he seems to be playing characters with a darker edge.

( Read more... )

Vertigo (1958)

Not just my least favourite out of this set of four, but actually my least favourite out of all Hitchcock's films so far. I actively disliked this film.

( Read more... )

Ranking of all Hitchcock's movies reviewed so far:

1. North By Northwest (1959) A+
2. Psycho (1960) A+
3. The Birds (1963) A+
( Read more... )

The great Alfred Hitchcock Reverse Retrospective series continues! In the last installment I reviewed Hitchcock's final four films and was most impressed by "Topaz".

Now, continuing to work back in time through Hitchcock's career, I reach a set of some of Hitchcock's most remembered works (and admittedly a few I'd seen before). As in the last entry I will be reviewing in these in decreasing order of preference. This set of movies are as follows: Marnie (1964), The Birds (1963), Psycho (1960), North By Northwest (1959).

North By Northwest (1959)
This has stood up remarkably well. I mean, it still seems pretty dated in some ways, but the central premise is just so well handled that it doesn't matter. Our central character, played by Cary Grant, is abducted by some mysterious figures who insist on calling him by a different name. According to these mysterious figures our protagonist is some kind of a threat to them and is leading a double life. In the opening scenes he's seemed like a pretty definite character, but now we are told that he is someone else. Who is he really?

( Read more... )

Psycho (1960)
This was one I already knew I enjoyed. I'm a bit ahead of these Hitchcock retrospective installments and the very next movie in the running is Vertigo (1958). After finishing Vertigo I pretty much decided to watch Psycho straight afterwards to cleanse my palate. I'll go into more detail about Vertigo in my next installment, but to my mind the contrast in quality was incredible.

My gf, who has seen most of these films with me, is now getting a little annoyed by the (most often blonde) damsel-in-distress distraught love interest. (With that in mind it'll be interesting to consider Tippi Hedren's two performances below.) However Janet Leigh, the lead in Psycho, is a complete exception that rule. She is absolutely set up as a blonde love interest, but she that isn't allowed to define her. She is someone who is willing to commit to a plan once she's put it into action. Even as she is initially set up as a love interest as a man, she is someone who is determined to stay in control within that relationship.

( Read more... )

The Birds (1963)
So yes, here's another blonde love interest, but for the most part Tippi Hedren feels very much the equal in the relationship. Her character is a kind of female equivalent of a rich playboy, keeping herself busy and being quite self-confident, but not really having a huge level of responsibility to deal with. She is shown to have an interest in harmless pranks and we see her pursue her love interest in a playful yet almost spiteful way, since her main motivation seems to be to give herself the upper hand in the relationship.

( Read more... )

Marnie (1964)
This was filmed straight after "The Birds" and once again features Tippi Hedren in the main female role, this time acting alongside Sean Connery.

After "Psycho" it seems that there's a psychological mother connection in this film too. This time, however, it's a mother-daughter connection. This time Tippi plays a theif, going from business to business ripping off the safe in the offices where she's hired and then changing her identity and moving somewhere else.

( Read more... )

Hitchcock is known for some of the greatest movies in cinematic history with films like "Psycho", "The Birds" and "North By Northwest" getting a regular mention. Recently a friend lent me his boxset of some of Hitchcock's latest works and I had the idea of working my way back from his last film to his earlier (and ever more elusive) films. Hitchcock's career spans around 50 years, his last film being Family Plot released (according to IMDB) in 1976 and his earliest being a film called Downhill released in 1927. I don't expect to get that far back, but I think seeing all the films back to The 39 Steps (released in 1935) might be a more reasonable challenge to set.

So for the first installment of these reviews, here's the last four films Hitchcock released: Family Plot (1976), Frenzy (1972), Topaz (1969), and Torn Curtain (1966). These are all films which I had never seen before. Below I provide my reviews in order of preference, starting with the best.

Topaz (1969)

A film actually often dismissed, however this may be partially because there are a variety of possible endings to this film. (From the sounds of it, I got the best one and certainly the one Hitchcock preferred.) Another reason is because the film was rather rushed initially and has been nicely tidied up for the DVD release.

( Read more... )

Family Plot (1976)

There's a very odd start with an extended sequence of Barbara Harris contacting a male spirit and putting on an odd voice (to represent being contacted by this man in the beyond) as she takes on the role of a psychic/medium. At the end of the session she is given a task by the rich lady who has employed her. She is tasked with finding the long lost heir of the rich lady's estate in exchange for a sizeable reward. The initial scene of contacting the spirits is a rather poor way to set up the plot as it's quite hard to follow. What's more, those who found what was said during the seance clear and comprehensive will be getting quite bored during the later part of the scene where it is explained precisely what was revealed during the session.

( Read more... )

Frenzy (1972)

I'd been recommended this one quite highly, but when another friend said it contains "the funniest rape scene you will ever see" I was a little worried. If a rape scene will trigger you, you should steer well clear of this film, and probably this review too.

( Read more... )

Torn Curtain (1966)

Okay so I wasn't exactly gushing with praise for the last one, so what didn't I like about this one then? Well actually I enjoyed it a lot to start with. Julie Andrews finds that her fiance, Dr. Armstrong, is acting a little strangely. With a bit of snooping she discovers that he is taking a flight to East Berlin. She follows him there to find him announce quite publically that he wishes to defect, with reasons in relation to his nuclear research no less... Naturally things get very difficult for their relationship, but Julie Andrews cannot seem to bring herself to simply leave. But how can they express their feelings clearly when they are under constant observation by the Stasi?

( Read more... )