Any Hitchcock fans?

[teako170]

I recently watched Hitch's "first" film, The Pleasure Garden. While many of his early silents are no match for some of the classics he created later in his career, this first effort didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, it was a print from the Rohauer collection which is missing about 15 minutes of footage.

After viewing, I decided to hunt down the last two films of his to complete my collection. On occasion I check out the Alfred Hitchcock Wiki! (http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page) site (once known as the Alfred Hitchcock DVD Information Site). An informative website that led me to amazon.fr where I purchased the Waltzes from Vienna / Downhill disc.

So my collection of his 52 "major works" is now complete. All I need to do is land that elusive double-bill, The Mountain Eagle & Tiger Boy and I'll be a happy camper (haha).

[Alex]

wow, i got about 15 of his and i thought i was sitting pretty

oh well, new boxset coming soon, maybe i'll close that gap a little

[teako170]

oh well, new boxset coming soon, maybe i'll close that gap a little

Which films are in the boxset?

[Alex]

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection (Lifeboat / Spellbound / Notorious / The Paradine Case / Sabotage / Young and Innocent / Rebecca / The Lodger)

I have a few of these, but i don't mind double dipping to get the ones I don't

here's the amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Hitchcock-Premiere-Collection-Spellbound-Notorious/dp/B001D8W7EA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1222712513&sr=1-5

[peringaten]

Funny; very much so of late. Watched/rewatched about a dozen or so over the last week or two ('50s onwards mostly). Rear Window (played 3 times - doesn't get old) boggles my mind with its levels of complexity, metaphor, & invention. Probably my favourite of the Hitch films I've seen.

Watched Family Plot last night... had decent hopes for it as a late work as the preceding Frenzy is a touch of genius (love the potato sack sequence, amongst much else), but FP somewhat a bum finale/least fav of those I've seen. Of course, understandable.

Is it just me or is Tippi Hedren the ultimate Hitchcock blonde? Most seem not that taken, but as a whole (Hitch's moulding/invention thing/themes) she just fits. Marnie is brilliant, never got why it's not so highly regarded generally.

Nothing else like Hitchcock/Herrmann - North By Northwest crop duster scene with both their touches is incredible.

An incredibly inspiring man. Watched a few interviews with him, etc. with the movies of late, man has a wicked sense of the macabre.

[teako170]

Yes, Marnie - a truly underrated gem.
I try to get people to watch it by telling them it has a young 007 in it. :p
Love the use of red - actually incorporated this concept in my Daredevil spec some years back.

Family Plot, while far from great, had its entertainment value.
Think he was 76 when he shot it?

Ultimate blonde? While Kelly was easy on the eyes, my vote is for Bergman.
In "Under Capricorn" (so-so film), she does this one continuous speech without any edits. I once timed it - something like 5 minutes??

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

I have to say I prefer his tv episodes way over his films. Some of the best television ever filmed in my opinion. The fourth season box set of his television series is being released quite soon. I've got the first three and they're excellent. I used to wait until Halloween (week before) and try to stay up seven nights in a row 6pm-6am to record all of the episodes. Did this once. Got most of 'em, but one of my favorites, a Robert Bloch short story - The Big Kick, I missed! I'm hopin it's on this fourth season release.

[Alex]

i've been sitting on family plot for a while now, but i'm looking forward to it

i've heard all the criticism and I'm not expecting much, but the combination of one of my favorite directors with two great underrated character actors of the period (Devane and Dern) is too much to resist

[peringaten]

Doc on the disc I watched says Pacino & Nicholson were first choices for the Dern character in Family Plot, but wage & contractual issues respectively kept them from the role. Dern was alright, think the first two choices would have made for a more memorable bow out.

Did Strangers On A Train yesterday - sheer class. Got The Wrong Man cued up next - excited about this one, I'm a sucker for the Herrmann era stuff mainly.

Peaked my interest on the tv series VOHL, hadn't really thought about it much before; will grab me some eps.

I can dig this: CLASSIC. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=09Zsd858KQs)

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Doc on the disc I watched says Pacino & Nicholson were first choices for the Dern character in Family Plot, but wage & contractual issues respectively kept them from the role. Dern was alright, think the first two choices would have made for a more memorable bow out.

Did Strangers On A Train yesterday - sheer class. Got The Wrong Man cued up next - excited about this one, I'm a sucker for the Herrmann era stuff mainly.

Peaked my interest on the tv series VOHL, hadn't really thought about it much before; will grab me some eps.

I can dig this: CLASSIC. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=09Zsd858KQs)

Have you got to I Confess yet (in the WB set)? This one surprised me on how good it was, especially Clift's brooding performance.

[teako170]

Did Strangers On A Train yesterday - sheer class. Got The Wrong Man cued up next - excited about this one, I'm a sucker for the Herrmann era stuff mainly.

SOAT - my 2nd fave (after Shadow of a Doubt).
Wrong Man ... I rewatched this about a year ago. Was better than I recall.

Have you got to I Confess yet (in the WB set)? This one surprised me on how good it was, especially Clift's brooding performance.

Watched over the summer; only the second viewing. Solid, underated drama.

Caught "Champagne" the other night. Only for the diehard completeist - othewise, skip it.
You guys should check out some earlier stuff, if you haven't. "The 39 Steps" and "Jamaica Inn" are two I enjoyed.

[Markgway]

Has anyone got the Legacy Editions of PSYCHO, VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW yet?

Coincidentally my three fave Hitchcock films. :)

Advance reviews reckon they rock.

[ministry88]

PSYCHO. A film for the ages. So wise, and so prophetic about the "disconnected" and delusional, self-denying times we live in. Perhaps I need to explain. I love the use of mirrors in the film as a metaphor for introspection and self-awareness. Ever notice how, despite ALL the mirrors in the film, no one (especially Janet Leigh) even ACKNOWLEDGES them, let alone LOOKS at them? It's this denial of the self and lack of introspection that, in my opinion, leads the main characters (Perkins and Leigh) to ruin. Especially Perkins. Truly, Bates lives up to H.L. Mencken's quote "Every man is his own hell." To be forever locked in that same dusty labyrinth of personal demons (as personified by his "mother" and that creaky house) with no hope of rescue (again with the mirrors, if Bates just LOOKED in the mirror - figuratively and literally - he would at least take the first step of rehabilitation by realizing his demons). But instead, he just continues on that horrible mobius strip, walking that same groove of his private hell. He keeps "resetting" the same trauma/primal scene ad nauseum, beautifully (and chillingly) portrayed by Hitchcock when he cleans up after Leigh's murder. It's the same deadening pattern of murder and wiping the slate (or bathroom tile) clean again, thus "resetting" for the next murder and the same goddamn pattern he's lived his whole miserable life. It's like the Bates motel is some kind of dreadful constellation, forever fixed in the vacuum of space.

I really see how very modern PSYCHO is the more I watch it. The joylessness, the hopelessness, the utter boredom and tedium of these characters' lives. It really seems for both Crane and Bates that the thrill is gone (even Crane doesn't seem that thrilled about making off with the cash). They're just going through the motions, haunted by their personal demons that they're too scared, lazy, or whatever to deal with. Hitch seems to say that there is no escaping the human condition and its inevitable challenges and miseries, even in a society like the US that has so many modern distractions and elaborate toys and comforts which really add up to nothing more but stressful noise and do nothing more than distract us from our needs and dilute the purity of life (such as: cell phones/wifi/24/7 EZ pass DSL streaming drive-thru/luxury you can afford/sub-prime lending/Viagra cialis rock-hard hard-on 24/7 365/ lipitor triglyceride beta blocker multivitamin minimally exceptional multi-cultural global village synergized subsidized volume discount/flavor-blasted trans-fat free fixed-rate guilt-free indulgence/feel good film of the year that'll make you believe again/hi-def plasma pixelated interlaced progressive flagged gold-plated broadband satellite HDMI X-ray carbon block filtered reverse osmosis water. Phew!).

I feel this film. I feel it like I feel Pasolini's SALO. Both films, in very different ways, seem to say the same thing by prophesizing the cheapening and deadening of life in the modern Western World so often packaged as "progress". The thrill is gone; we're just shuffling through the motions.

I could go on and on about this film's many threads of content and metaphor and extraordinarily complex cinematic grammar, but I'm sure that's been said before. Just wanted to add what I take away from the film and how this is indeed an ETERNAL work of art that we need now more than ever.

**I highly recommend Robin Wood's critiques of Hitch's films. He was instrumental in opening my eyes to PSYCHO and other Hitch films' many meanings and significance.

[5 Element Boxer]

Lifeboat is probably my favorite Hitchcock flick. So, so good and original for it's time.

[peringaten]

Did Wrong Man... great film, dug this one a lot. Definitely aware Hitchcock was feeling out & dealing with those confinement/imprisonment demons I've heard him claim haunted him in several interviews. Made for an intense ride. Love that spinning/dizzying camera shot of Fonda in jail. Too good. Near the top of the best I've seen from him.Have you got to I Confess yet (in the WB set)? This one surprised me on how good it was, especially Clift's brooding performance.Not got to it yet, got it in the boxset, will do I Confess next then, I reckon.You guys should check out some earlier stuff, if you haven't. "The 39 Steps"Got 39 free with the Sunday paper a week or two ago, will have to do that after.

Love discovering all this Hitch stuff recently, I mean I thoughtlessly knew a few for a great while, as in some of the better knowns seen whiles back, but to sit and check the slew properly, through a couple of boxsets, etc... love it, like when I discovered Shaws properly, first time, but different, if you get my gist. Timely thread, Teako.

[teako170]

PSYCHO. A film for the ages. So wise, and so prophetic about the "disconnected" and delusional, self-denying times we live in. Perhaps I need to explain.

Very nice review M88. I've always felt this film has been overhyped because it seems everyone mentions it when the topic of Hitch comes up. However, strip away all that hype, and its still an incredible film and your explanation certainly did the film justice. 2 thumbs up!

Lifeboat is probably my favorite Hitchcock flick. So, so good and original for it's time.

Did you see this on TV last night? I just watched a few minutes of it but what a taut drama. Loved how Hitch sneaks in his "cameo" appearance. Just goes to show you don't need multiple sets, exotic locations and a bazillion dollar budget to make a quality production.

Timely thread, Teako.

I'm just glad I found some fellow Hitch heads to talk with. :p

39 is a nice little flick. His earlier Brit films lack the production value of his US releases but there's a few gems tucked away from his early career. Others are "Sabotage," "The Lodger" and of course, "Blackmail." One to avoid is "Juno & the Paycock" - just awful.

You guys should check out the The A-Z of Hitchcock: The Ultimate Reference Guide (http://www.amazon.com/Z-Hitchcock-Ultimate-Reference-Guide/dp/0713487380/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223244836&sr=8-1). Its like having your own Hitch IMDb at your fingertips. 300 pages. I use it every time I watch one of the Master's flicks.

[Alex]

39 is a nice little flick.

i think this one is pretty crucial to understanding his career as a whole, considering how many elements and themes from it he repeated over and over again. it feels almost like a test run for certain things that he would redo later with greater budget and resources. and it's a sweet movie in its own right of course, entertaining as hell

[SamuraiDana]

When I was younger I considered REAR WINDOW, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and PSYCHO my favorite Hitchcocks. But as I've gotten older, I find REBECCA, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, NOTORIOUS and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN to be much richer works. The other ones were more thrilling, but REBECCA et al are much keener on the complexity of human relationships, an element that makes for great works of art, rather than just clever entertainments.

VERTIGO is in many ways a great movie, and I've seen it on the big screen a couple of times, but I always have a problem with it. There's something very disturbing about it and while I get swept up in the music, the camerawork and the beautiful flow of it, the characters make me incredibly uneasy. I've never been able to get around that. Maybe it's because it's Jimmy Stewart, Mr. Smith himself, playing such a sick, obsessed guy. (And he's great in the role.) Maybe if they'd cast a star whom I've seen more often in off-center psychological roles, e.g. Kirk Douglas, I could accept it more. I don't know. (But just picture Kirk in that final scene with Kim Novak in the mission tower and you'll see what I mean. It would still be disturbing, but at least I'd know why.)

[teako170]

But as I've gotten older, I find REBECCA, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, NOTORIOUS and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN to be much richer works. The other ones were more thrilling, but REBECCA et al are much keener on the complexity of human relationships, an element that makes for great works of art, rather than just clever entertainments.

Glad someone mentioned Rebecca. One of the films I was first introduced to when I took that Hitchcock film course back in college. This film just goes to show what Hitch could do once he had a few greenbacks backing him.

The strained relationship (off-set) between Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine made for compelling on-screen chemistry but it was Judith Anderson as the "evil" Mrs. Danvers who really set things off. Oh, how she tortured that poor girl. I really hated that witch.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI4MTkyMDYxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDU3ODQ2._V1._ SX450_SY308_.jpg http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/img/review/011123/rebecca_l.jpg

VERTIGO is in many ways a great movie, and I've seen it on the big screen a couple of times, but I always have a problem with it.

I know what you mean. While one of my Top 10 Hitch flix, this one always had something 'off' about it. Don't know if it was Jimmy (my favorite actor of all time), Kim Novak (who I thought was not right for this piece) or just that Hitch went overboard on his own personal obsession with creating the perfect blonde.

Plus, that jumpcut at the end always kills me.

On another note, rec'd my package from amazon.fr. I feel like Indy Jones seizing the "Holy Grail." I'm sure neither film will be all that great but its just a nice feeling to finally have them all. I feel like Daffy Duck in the genie's cave .. "MINEMINEMINE!!!!" :p

[Shaolin Patriot]

Has anyone got the Legacy Editions of PSYCHO, VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW yet?

Coincidentally my three fave Hitchcock films. :)

Advance reviews reckon they rock.

Just ordered them today. Lots of new bonus material, including audio commentaries for all three films. Looking forward to receiving them! :)

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Just ordered them today. Lots of new bonus material, including audio commentaries for all three films. Looking forward to receiving them! :)

Has anyone bought the new Hitchcock box set? I've been hearing that there has been tons of technical issues with it.

On a side note, watched Stage Fright for the first time this weekend. A bit dissapointing unfortunately. Not a strong plot but looks nice though.

[Alex]

i have the boxset, haven't seen anything wrong with it so far

[masterofoneinchpunch]

i have the boxset, haven't seen anything wrong with it so far

Cool. I'm going to wait a little longer before getting it. The reviews of the tech problems on Amazon have been quite interesting. Luckily I have the Criterion box set of Hitch, but there are still a few films on there that I want to get.

[ministry88]

Ah LIFEBOAT. I feel funny about that film, but not for reasons you'd think. In fact, I haven't seen it (not a HUGE Hitchcock fan, but I love PSYCHO and REAR WINDOW and VERTIGO).

BUT I read a great anecdote about the filming in an old issue of Video Watchdog (specifically, in the interview with Norman Lloyd in issue #73). Anyway, it goes something like this:

In a scene involving actress Tallulah Bankhead, it became immediately apparent to the cast and crew (especially the MALE cast and crew) that she wasn't wearing any panties! Now of course Hitch, being the unparalleled observer of human nature that he was, immediately seized on this as an opportunity for some fun. Obviously he couldn't use that take because of the nudity. BUT instead of immediately instructing her to put on some undies, he decided to have some fun and shoot TAKE AFTER TAKE of that scene, showing her goods to all the fellas on the set! She must not have realized she didn't have underwear on or something as she was utterly professional. Soon word spread very quickly around the set (AND the Fox lot!) and ALL the male stage hands and lot workers seemed to be on set watching and trying their best to contain themselves.

Finally news of this made it to production executive Darryl Zanuck because so many man hours were WASTED on this hormonal spectacle. Zanuck finally told his assistant Lew Schreiber to tell Hitch to tell Tallulah to put on some panties for chrissake. But NOT without one last bon mot morsel from Hitch. When Schreiber finally summoned the courage to tell Hitch about the problem, Hitch responded: "I don't know whether this problem properly belongs in the makeup, wardrobe, or HAIR-DRESSING department."

Absolutely classic XD

[Markgway]

Beware the Legacy edition of VERTIGO.

According to The Digital Bits the mono track that was on the Masterpiece edition has been replaced by a 2.0 downmix of the 5.1 remix.

Ugh!

I hope Universal fix this before any Blu-Ray comes out.

[venoms5]

I have these three all unopened...

LIFEBOAT
ROPE
FRENZY (first R rated Hitch)

Never been a huge fan of his movies, but I respect his longevity and classy directing style. Only seen PSYCHO from beginning to end, but seen bits & pieces of others. I imagine once I get around to watching these three, I will most likely be intrigued enough to see others.

[teako170]

Never been a huge fan of his movies, but I respect his longevity and classy directing style. Only seen PSYCHO from beginning to end, but seen bits & pieces of others. I imagine once I get around to watching these three, I will most likely be intrigued enough to see others.

Just revisited this thread as I watched DOWNHILL the other night.
(For the completist, otherwise skip it.)
You should definitely try to explore some of his films V5.
I feel you might enjoy them considering your wide appreciation for the cinema.

Now, all that's left is WALTZES FROM VIENNA.
Believe I saw this some years back on tape but not 100%.
Then, there will no more new Hitch to watch. Sigh...

I plan to visit LA at the end of the summer and visit some grave sites (Buster Keaton, Jimmy Stewart)
Just read that Hitch's ashes were scattered over the Pacific.
Would liked to have been able to go to his grave but alas, not to be.

[KyFi]

Big Hitchcock fan. I just saw The Birds recently on the big screen, and I'm always blown away by that shot, just after the gas station explosion, where we see the fire in the town from way up in the sky, and then the birds come into the frame---The completely masterful way he showed that the birds weren't just attacking a couple of random people, but were actually a threat to human civilization. Awesome.

I own Rear Window, North by Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much (56), and ones that I love and plan to get are Psycho, Saboteur(love that Statue of Liberty climax), The Birds, Vertigo and Rope. I've seen maybe 4 or 5 others, and still have to explore the rest.

[teako170]

Saboteur(love that Statue of Liberty climax)

Niiiiice choice.. ("The sleeve...!")
That scene inspired my opening sequence for one of my scripts:
http://www.teako170.com/page1.html

Loved Priscilla Lane in this film. Heard Barbara Stanwyck was to be cast in this spot and, while BS is one of my fave actresses, I'm glad PL got the gig. Too bad she didn't do many more films afterwards. Read she got hitched a few months after shooting this film to a USAF Colonel and lived happily ever after....

[KyFi]

Niiiiice choice.. ("The sleeve...!")
That scene inspired my opening sequence for one of my scripts:
http://www.teako170.com/page1.html

Loved Priscilla Lane in this film. Heard Barbara Stanwyck was to be cast in this spot and, while BS is one of my fave actresses, I'm glad PL got the gig. Too bad she didn't do many more films afterwards. Read she got hitched a few months after shooting this film to a USAF Colonel and lived happily ever after....

Your script has a great opening! That's right---I had forgotten that specific bit. I think it's probably been 7 or 8 years since I've seen it. I just remembered that I really liked it.

[peringaten]

Saboteur is a good film. Feels like a dry run towards North By Northwest; partner's up nicely.

[shaolin drunkard]

Vertigo,torn curtain and rear window are really good movies.But he has made also some far too overrated crap like psycho&birds.

[peringaten]

Vertigo,torn curtain and rear window are really good movies.But he has made also some far too overrated crap like psycho&birds.
How are Psycho & The Birds overrated crap?

[shaolin drunkard]

How are Psycho & The Birds overrated crap?
ok that was too harsh...both are movies worth seeing but in my opinion not quite classic status they have gotten.In psycho only surprising moment (for me) was mother of Norman turned out to be dead long time ago and in Birds nothing really happens...

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

I'm kinda surprised no-one appears to appreciate the TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Personally, I feel these short stories are far more convinccing than his feature length films. I really feel his movies are a bit over-rated.

[peringaten]

Hitchcock's nuances are often so masterfully weaved you might not realise without a second take or more. Each subtle stroke of the whole often a masterfully purposeful contrivance, designed in such a way to almost register subconciously to the viewer than shout at them, sometimes a deeper look may be needed to understand this; a positive when taking into account Hitch's keen vision, somewhat a sixth sense from a natural born filmmaker. Story is but one aspect of his films' make ups.

[teako170]

Hitchcock's nuances are often so masterfully weaved you might not realise without a second take or more. Each subtle stroke of the whole often a masterfully purposeful contrivance, designed in such a way to almost register subconciously to the viewer than shout at them, sometimes a deeper look may be needed to understand this; a positive when taking into account Hitch's keen vision, somewhat a sixth sense from a natural born filmmaker. Story is but one aspect of his films' make ups.

I concur. Hitch said he made his films on two levels; one for the average viewer and one for the more astute. Multiple viewings allow to you peel away the onion and see the unique subtleties.

Example Suspicion. Something as simple as putting a lightbulb in a glass of milk (to illuminate the possibility of pending doom) might be missed at first glance.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

I must be the average viewer. I thought I was pretty keen with observing subtlies in film, guess not.

[teako170]

I must be the average viewer. I thought I was pretty keen with observing subtlies in film, guess not.

Haha. Hey, we're all average viewers. I think his point was that if you watch his films over and over, you will continue to find something new each time out, that will further enhance your viewing pleasure. Once I started dissecting his films (for that class I mentioned earlier in this thread), I was really amazed at how deep some of his stuff can go.

[peringaten]

For sure, things you wouldn't even register without really checking or being pointed out... the way he'd set up shots. One minor example of such ingenuity that springs to mind; look at how he might have a camera follow someone through a door, the doorway might be a movable set, lifted once the camera gets to it, the actor then dropping a hand below the camera line with a pushing motion to give you the impression you are in with them, a sound effect of a door shutting to give the illusion that has happened & not just an air motion with an actor's hand, the crane-rigged camera then able to pan sideways & upwards, a rising walk up a staircase... things thought out like that, you just take it for granted it's so smooth, you just believe it. Shot after shot of genius suggestion. Who else thought pioneeringly like that to represent the mundane to the fantastic. Might not be the best example, but there's loads & loads of different ones to consider, the mind boggles. Parts of his brilliance over & over the screen & behind it.

The classic is the plane crash into the sea in one film, can't remember title off-hand, all in one uncutting shot from air to the sea viewing through the cockpit from inside as it crashes & the water floods in hitting the pilots. Done in the studio, the ingenuity/effect is brilliant.

[peringaten]

Look at Rear Window, the complexity of it all, the way the entire film is shot only from within the flat through the window, giving the sense of confinement... you don't register this so conciously, the angles/camera-usages so fresh, the voyeuristic nature more luring to the viewer's interests, heightened by such crafted set-up, yet takes some analysis to fully appreciate just how this comes about, psychological filmmaking... the way that only one part of the film is shot outside the flat, to highlight a particulary dramatic event, the tonal shift is subconcious it adds oompph so subtly yet effective it's penetratingly brilliant; you're too caught up in the drama to realise just how it's so dramatic. The way each flat Jimmy Stewart looks at represents a different side of emotional relationship, facets, concerning the theme of his & Grace Kelly's character's possibilities. The way the soundtrack is entirely made up of the music being written by his neighbour at a piano playing into the courtyard, how the song he's writing is discordant at plot points of confusion and suspense, how the piece is resolvant at conclusions, mellow when the mood need be; but this is never made strictly obvious, all part of the subtle illusory sweep... beautiful stuff, so many depths and suggestions. And we're barely scratching the surface. We just take it all in for granted; when its really broken down it's masterfully contrived manipulation of the highest artistic degree.

[teako170]

The classic is the plane crash into the sea in one film, can't remember title off-hand,

Foreign Correspondent?

[peringaten]

Foreign Correspondent?Yes.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

"The classic is the plane crash into the sea in one film, can't remember title off-hand, all in one uncutting shot from air to the sea viewing through the cockpit from inside as it crashes & the water floods in hitting the pilots. Done in the studio, the ingenuity/effect is brilliant."

I'd like to check that film out, actually. I appreciate well thought out camera work like what your explaining. There's an example of this in many of the old horror films of the 30s and 40s. White Zombie has this shot where the scene begins with the camera situated to frame the actor across the room sitting at his desk beneath the armpit of the actor standing on the cameras side of the room, then the camera and actors move throughout the film for about 7 or 8 minutes conversing and the camera angles are just very imaginitive throughout this whole scene, then the actor returns to his desk as the camera goes back to its starting position and the actor who was closer to the camera stands exactly the way he started off the scene, and the actor at the desk is framed by his arm just as the scene had begun. Dosen't sound like much, but being all one shot in a 10 min span, it's very well done.

I just have a problem with films like North By Northwest (I thought Cary Grant was so stiff and contrived with his character in this film as well) at the end they're on Mt Rushmore, it's just ridiculous how they all converge there and how contrived the ending scenes there are, not to mention how fake the set looks. That film really turned me off to his films. I do appreciate the imaginitive camera work and I love his TV Hitchcock Presents, but I wasn't particularly impressed with Vertigo either. His films seem too contrived with there motives and results.

I'm just really surprised no-one even mentions his television work, because the stories are great and the twists in the plots are very well done. There's a Steve McQueen episode, Human Interest Story, great sci-fi story there. A Vincent Price episode, The Perfect Crime a wonderful horror type story. The Manacled is very funny with a totally unforseeable ending. A futuristic sci-fi tale, Design For Loving, starring an actor who helped pick the stories that would be presented to Hitchcock for approval of what one to shoot. Great, great actor right there, with a great conclusion to this episodes story.

[teako170]

I'm just really surprised no-one even mentions his television work, because the stories are great and the twists in the plots are very well done. There's a Steve McQueen episode, Human Interest Story, great sci-fi story there. A Vincent Price episode, The Perfect Crime a wonderful horror type story. The Manacled is very funny with a totally unforseeable ending. A futuristic sci-fi tale, Design For Loving, starring an actor who helped pick the stories that would be presented to Hitchcock for approval of what one to shoot. Great, great actor right there, with a great conclusion to this episodes story.

Funny.. but as big as a Hitch fan that I am, I have never watched the TV episodes.
I'm thinking I should definitely check some of these out in the near future.

If you guys want to expand your Hitch library, drop me a PM with your wants and maybe we can work out a trade....

[DiP]

Rebecca, Spellbound and Notorious will be released on the 24th next month on Bluray.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Rebecca-Blu-ray/34412/

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Spellbound-Blu-ray/34679/

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Notorious-Blu-ray/34411/

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Pretty big fan here. I do have all three of those mentioned on Criterion :).

There was a thread on board here from someone who watched all the films awhile back :D. But I'm no slouch, I've seen 35 of his films (many of them several times) so I can discuss his British period as well as his American period.

[DiP]

Yeah, I'd imagine since you seem an all-rounder of film-watching.

I'm on a Hitchcock-watching streak since two years back and been nothing but amazed. So far, I've seen Rear Window (10/10), Psycho (10/10, an absolute favorite of mine), The Birds (7.5/10), Rebecca (7/10, might change my mind when I watch it again), Suspicion (7/10, the same), Shadow of a Doubt (8/10), Spellbound (9/10), Rope (10/10), Stage Fright (7.5/10), I Confess (8/10), Dial M for Murder (10/10), Strangers on a Train (8/10), The Man Who Knew Too Much (6/10, felt too generic for a Hitchcock film), North By Northwest (10/10, great change in tone), Frenzy (9/10), and just recently The Lady Vanishes (9/10).

[DarthKato]

I would say that I am a pretty big fan. I have seen many of his movies and I watch his TV show every night.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Yeah, I'd imagine since you seem an all-rounder of film-watching.

I'm on a Hitchcock-watching streak since two years back and been nothing but amazed. So far, I've seen Rear Window (10/10), Psycho (10/10, an absolute favorite of mine), The Birds (7.5/10), Rebecca (7/10, might change my mind when I watch it again), Suspicion (7/10, the same), Shadow of a Doubt (8/10), Spellbound (9/10), Rope (10/10), Stage Fright (7.5/10), I Confess (8/10), Dial M for Murder (10/10), Strangers on a Train (8/10), The Man Who Knew Too Much (6/10, felt too generic for a Hitchcock film), North By Northwest (10/10, great change in tone), Frenzy (9/10), and just recently The Lady Vanishes (9/10).

There's so much good with his films that it's hard to find bad ones (like with Kurosawa if you dig deep enough :)). Glad you liked I Confess (8/10) which I did as well, but I know several who consider it a lesser Hitchcock.

So far my least favorites are:
Paradine Case
Under Capricorn
Family Plot (though I have liked this more over the years)
It will be interesting to hear what you have to say about Torn Curtain or Topaz when you get to them.

Ones I think you should watch (that you haven't in your list unless I didn't see them):
The Lodger (1927: R1 MGM release yes OOP but very good)
The 39 Steps (1935: The Criterion Collection)
Notorious (The Criterion Collection)
Vertigo (seriously watch this one next)

[DiP]

Oh, I forgot Vertigo. A 9/10 rating for that one, amazingly intricate film.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

Hitchcock Presents Season 5 comes out this Jan. 2012 Very big deal. Can't wait to pick it up.