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 I've already done threads for the great film directors Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick, so I thought I'd do one for their "opposite" director. Wheras they were Americans that settled mostly outside the US (Kubrick moved to England, Welles wandered Europe), Hitchcock found early success in England before settling in the US for even greater success.  What's interesting about Hitchcock is while the other directors put out a baker's dozen films over less than half a decade... Alfred Hitchcock managed to direct 53 feature films over a 51 year period, in addition to dozens of TV episodes of various shows (including 17 of his own) and the occasional short film. Naturally, when you produce 53 films, it's more likely they're not going to all be great films, but the great ones are so iconic and have permeated popular culture even as of 2016.  In England, he slowly worked up to being a star director. He had started as a graphic designer in the silent era, writing and creating title cards (the famous sketch of his profile was his own creation). While working on films, he met his wife Alma Reville, who was working as an assistant director. She collaborated on most of his films onward, as they would fine tune scripts themselves (Reville was credited for story and script on a few films throughout his career). Hitchcock's first big hit was The Lodger (1926), a story lightly based on Jack the Ripper. He had spent some time in Germany watching films made at the UFA studio. If you read any interviews with Hitchcock about the films he liked, he was hugely influenced by the works of Murnau, Dreyer, Sjostrom, and Lang of the 20s.  His British period is lesser known to Americans mainly because a lot simply didn't have wide distribution and most went into the public domain. That actually helped some of his bigger successes like Blackmail (the first major British talkie), The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes - all of which are among his best work of the period.  Hitchcock didn't become his own producer until moving to Hollywood. Many of his early American classics were produced for David O. Selznick (whom he modeled the murderer in Rear Window after). By the mid-1940s, his career was successful enough that he produced his first few movies. He still made some great films. His very first film produced in the US, Rebecca, was the only one of his films that won an Oscar for Best Picture. He followed it up the same year with Foreign Correspondent, which was nominated for the same award. His 1943 thriller Shadow of a Doubt is one of his best films. He also started some interesting experiments. Lifeboat, released in 1944, was set almost entirely on a boat. His 1946 film Notorious, his first collaboration with Cary Grant (and also starring Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains) was also a hit.  Unfortunately, both of his self-produced efforts were considered duds at the time. The first being Rope (1948), which was filmed to appear mostly as long unbroken takes. The second, Under Capricorn (1949) is barely remembered. You're probably more familiar with the parody in Mel Brooks' Hitchcock homage High Anxiety than the film itself. (The gag with the camera moving over a table and crashing into a door) The 1950s were Hitchcock's golden period. He produced ten films from 1950 to 1959, including Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. He even remade one of his British films, The Man Who Knew Too Much, made one in 3-D (Dial M for Murder). Not all were successes. I Confess, The Wrong Man, and Vertigo were all given a mediocre reception upon their release. Though, Vertigo proved to be hugely popular in Europe.  His 1960s work was somewhat uneven. After making his sole film for MGM (North by Northwest), he wanted to make a film like the low-budget studios were putting out. Utilizing his crew from his TV show, he made Psycho. Hitchcock wanted to prove he could make a great low-budget thriller. It ended up being one of, if not the most popular film he made. He followed that up with his only "special effects" film The Birds.  Unfortunately, Hitchcock had a string of flops, starting with Marnie, despite starring Sean Connery and Tippi Hedren (also the star of The Birds). Torn Curtain starred Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, yet was also given a lukewarm reception. Topaz featured no big name cast (though it does have John Vernon as not-Castro) and is probably his worst film.  Thankfully, Hitchcock took a few years off and went back to England to make his next film Frenzy. While not featuring a big name cast, it was written by Anthony Shaffer (also wrote Sleuth and The Wicker Man) and is one of his best films. Even more so, it looks more like an early film of Martin Scorsese rather than the penultimate film of a director who started in the silent era. It's also the only one of his films to be rated R upon its original release (Psycho was re-rated). His last film, Family Plot, isn't a terrible or significant film, but it's a thriller comedy that's quite enjoyable (plus, it stars Bruce Dern). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okLiLsncyi0 Of course, the biggest trademark of Hitchcock is his cameo in almost every one of his films. Later in his career, they became more humorous. In North by Northwest, he misses a bus underneath his own on-screen credit. He introduces The Wrong Man on-screen. He's shown walking his dogs in the opening scene of The Birds. More amusing is that Hitchcock also liked to appear in the trailers for his own films. Starting with North by Northwest, the trailer resembled an ad for a travel agency. Psycho has a lengthy trailer where Hitchcock gives the audience a tour of the Bates Motel. He was one of the first directors to be considered a "star" with the public that didn't also act in his own films (like Welles or Von Stroheim). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps8H3rg5GfM One of Hitchcock's most notable collaborations was with composer Bernard Herrmann, who composed the scores for The Trouble with Harry, the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and Marnie. Hitchcock had a falling out with Herrmann while making his next film, Torn Curtain. Hitchcock ended up working with other composers for his last few films including Maurice Jarre and John Williams. There's also his trademarks: blondes, bathrooms, and food.  Naturally, Hitchcock has had his share of controversies such as being a creep with Tippi Hedren during the making of The Birds and Marnie, not to mention having the recurring plot device of the evil homosexual (Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Strangers on a Train, North by Northwest, Psycho, Frenzy, among others). He also infamously pranked a crew member by convincing him to chain himself to the floor, then giving him a laxative (you can guess what happened). Or giving Janet Leigh's daughter a miniature corpse doll in a coffin box. On the other hand, Hitchcock's films are incredibly well-crafted entertainment. So there's nothing as philosophical as a Kubrick or Welles, but few directors made anything as fun as films like Rear Window, Psycho, or The Birds. His films are amazingly well-shot, edited, and scored, to the point where they're textbook examples of how to make a film suspenseful well.
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Aug 7, 2016 17:27
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Hitchcock/Truffaut is a cool and good book
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Aug 7, 2016 17:33
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Amazingly readable post if youre high voted 5
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Aug 7, 2016 17:38
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i bet they called him alfie bitchcock in school and thats why he became a creative pervert
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Aug 7, 2016 17:50
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Hey egbert please make ITT we are Sam Peckinpah that could be a fun thread
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Aug 7, 2016 17:52
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im gaye posted:i bet they called him alfie bitchcock in school and thats why he became a creative pervert He went to a school run by Jesuits and was raised Roman Catholic. Which explains a lot about his films. Hector Beerlioz posted:Hey egbert please make ITT we are Sam Peckinpah that could be a fun thread I've not seen enough Peckinpah yet.  Only saw Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia a month or so ago. Still need to see The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs at least.
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Aug 7, 2016 17:56
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North by Northwest is really good
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Aug 7, 2016 18:00
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Egbert Souse posted:He went to a school run by Jesuits and was raised Roman Catholic. He was a lunatic violent drug addict who made excellent movies. If you're gonna watch straw dogs get the out of print criterion because it has the best commentary I've ever heard by steven prince. Completely changed my view of the film for the better. Wrt to hitchcock, I Confess is a personal favorite of mine thought not many people have seen it. Apparently he hated working with Cliff Montgomery on it because he was a method actor.
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Aug 7, 2016 18:03
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Hector Beerlioz posted:He was a lunatic violent drug addict who made excellent movies. I Confess is interesting. It's the sort of film that only a Catholic could make. Frenzy is probably my favorite of his films. It doesn't come off at all like the work of a 73 year old director! He ends up twisting the conventions of his own work, even as far as making the wrong man a shitheel and the murderer mostly likable.
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Aug 7, 2016 18:15
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Yeah, Frenzy owns. Especially that long silent pull back after Anna Massey gets murdered.
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Aug 7, 2016 18:19
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I am partial to Alfred Hitchcock Presents. That, The Outer Limits, and The Twilight Zone are my go-to for whenever I have a guest over that says they don't much care for anything filmed in black and white. Dial M for Murder is one of my favorite movies. I'm surprised this thread didn't take off like the Stanley Kubrick one.
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Aug 8, 2016 12:55
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My thoughts on all the Hitchcock films I've seen... The Lodger - He made two or three before this, but it's neat how "Hitchcockian" this is. It looks more like a German film of the time than British. Blackmail (talkie version) - First sound feature from England is pretty impressive. Lots of great tricks with sound and not that static. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) - One of his better British films. Can't go wrong with Peter Lorre as a villain. The 39 Steps - Not as big of a fan as The Lady Vanishes, but a good thriller. Hannay is kind of a dick, though. Sabotage - Sometimes brutal between the infamous nitrate fire scene (excerpted in Inglourious Basterds) and the ending. Young and Innocent - Sort of comes off as a rehash of The 39 Steps, but some cool sequences like this loooong take near the end. (Still need to see a ton of his British films) The Lady Vanishes - Absolute perfection. Great story, great characters, and a breathless pace. One of my favorites of his. Foreign Correspondent - Really good. Some great setpieces like the murder in the rain and the clock tower (one of his best fake-outs ever). Rebecca - I don't remember much, but it was good. Didn't seem much like a Hitchcock film. Suspicion - Great up until a stupid ending. Really uncomfortable at times. Mr. & Mrs. Smith - It's been a while, but I remember it being a charming, even if unimpressive comedy. Saboteur - Overall silly, but the last act kicks in with a great chase sequence leading up to a pursuit on the Statue of Liberty. Norman Lloyd does crazy well. Shadow of a Doubt - Another near-perfect movie. Joseph Cotten is absolutely chilling. This would make a good double-feature with Orson Welles' The Stranger. Lifeboat - I think it's underrated. It makes use of the contrivance of taking place in a lifeboat well. Some odd wartime stuff, though (not exactly German-friendly). Spellbound - Overall kind of a dumb story. This is the movie with that unintentionally funny slide down a stairwell causing a child to get impaled. This was heavily referenced for Mel Brooks' High Anxiety and to better use. Notorious - Another classic. Tension is thick, lots of great setpieces, and one of his best cats (Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains). The Paradine Case - Not seen yet. Rope - Technically amazing, but the "lol gays" schtick doesn't hold up well. Under Capricorn - Not seen yet. Stage Fright - Interesting use of an unreliable narrator, but kind of forgettable. Has one of the worst process shots I've seen in a movie. Strangers on a Train - Another great one. I like how smugly evil Bruno is played by Robert Walker. Not a bad last movie for anyone. I Confess - Fascinating for the use of Catholic guilt. Not a great film, but very interesting. Rear Window - Masterpiece. It's so well acted, shot, edited... it's like a perfectly set watch. Thelma Ritter is hilarious in this. Dial "M" for Murder - Underrated. A little stagey, but really well done. I'd love to see this in 3-D. The Trouble with Harry - I don't think it's funny at all and kind of dumb. Still, has some gorgeous Vermont location shooting (the Blu-Ray looks amazing) To Catch a Thief - High on style, low on substance, but what's not to like about a Grant/Kelly film? I really like the way the opening scene is edited with the cat. Also has Hitchcock's best cameo ever. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - I don't know if it's better than the original, but still quite good. Takes a while to get going. The Albert Hall scene is excellent (check out Bernard Herrmann's cameo!) The Wrong Man - Underrated. It's interesting to see Hitchcock try a gritty realistic film. Based on an actual case. Vertigo - While I think it's an excellent film, it's not one of my favorites. North by Northwest - Some great setpieces, but kind of bloated. This could have used another round of editing (I think it's his longest film). Psycho - Masterpiece. I think I like it more with every viewing. It's scary, has some incredible camera work and editing, and it wouldn't have worked without Anthony Perkins' performance. He's brilliant in this. The Birds - Another near-masterpiece. I like how it builds up as a romantic comedy until the blood starts flying (heh). Marnie - Didn't care much for this, but it's due for a re-watch. Torn Curtain - Better than I remembered it. Has a brutal murder scene. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews have good chemistry. Topaz - Boring, mediocre. Only worth it for a handful of interesting shots, but otherwise trash. Also has John Vernon (Dean Wormer) as not-Castro. Frenzy - Hitchcock's last masterpiece. Totally inverts his own cliches and it's really clever. Doesn't come off at all like the work of a then-73 year old director. Family Plot - Not the most intelligent film, but a pretty good suspense comedy. The church scene where they abduct the bishop is hilarious. Also, Bruce Dern stars in it.
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Aug 9, 2016 01:05
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I have a 50 Horror Classics DVD set with a bunch of Hitchcock films like The Lodger, The Lady Vanishes, Blackmail, Sabotage and Young and Innocent. I still have to get around to watching them all. My favourite is probably Rear Window, but Psycho is amazing as well.
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Aug 9, 2016 05:37
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Egbert Souse posted:My thoughts on all the Hitchcock films I've seen... good post, you are doing well here and we all appreciate the amount of effort you are putting in at PostCo.
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Aug 9, 2016 05:51
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Rear Window is very nearly a perfect film
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Aug 9, 2016 05:57
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yo you dudes notice his last name has a swear in it haha
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Aug 9, 2016 05:59
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holy poo poo are you allowed to put cock in a thread title like that e: DAMMIT SID
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Aug 9, 2016 06:02
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lol pwnt
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Aug 9, 2016 06:03
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CJacobs posted:Rear Window is very nearly a perfect film where the tits
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Aug 9, 2016 06:06
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hth posted:where the tits
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Aug 9, 2016 06:10
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a hole-y ghost posted:How are you supposed to see tits through a rear window genius?? a rear view mirror, jackass.
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Aug 9, 2016 06:14
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I watched The Wrong Man the other night and it was really dark and depressing. The least "fun" Hitchcock I've seen by far. Still very good but I doubt I'll ever watch it again
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Aug 9, 2016 06:29
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I used to read some kid novels back when I was a kid and they were about kid detectives and they knew alphred Hitchcock he was an old man in their neighborhood who would help them with cases I think? I think they were published by Hitchcock company or maybe written by him. Who knowsm..lost to the sands of time
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Aug 9, 2016 12:45
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Investigators They were all goony as gently caress especially the fat one.
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Aug 9, 2016 13:06
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Wow look at that list of films I'll never watch (because they're boring and gay)
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Aug 9, 2016 13:07
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Bismuth posted:Wow look at that list of films I'll never watch (because they're boring and gay) Your face is boring and gay.
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Aug 9, 2016 13:07
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oncearoundaltair posted:Your face is boring and gay. Yeah, but at least I'm honest about it and don't have a bunch of dumb assholes saying its the best face they've ever seen.
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Aug 9, 2016 13:10
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My friends dressed up as the woman from the birds and jimmy stewart from rear window to a horror themed trivia night. We appropriatly called ourselves the hitchcucks. I thought GBS would appreciate this.
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Aug 9, 2016 13:51
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He's one ot my favorite directors too, I read somewhere that he started putting his cameo at the beginning of his films because audiences were so distracted looking for him that they lost all sense of the plot and didn't end up enjoying the film.
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Aug 14, 2016 17:35
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jet sanchEz posted:He's one ot my favorite directors too, I read somewhere that he started putting his cameo at the beginning of his films because audiences were so distracted looking for him that they lost all sense of the plot and didn't end up enjoying the film. His cameos in Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, and Frenzy are all in the first or second scene. For that matter, I think his best cameo has to be from To Catch a Thief. 
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Aug 14, 2016 18:47
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my favourite hitchcock was the one where there were terrible mites crawling over everyone's lunch
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Aug 14, 2016 18:49
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hitch+cock LOL
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Aug 14, 2016 20:21
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What's everyone's opinion on Hitchcock? Anthony Hopkins stars in it and Helen Mirren plays Alma Reville. It's loose with facts, but I really feel like it's the sort of biopic Hitchcock would have liked to have seen about him. It has these surreal scenes with the director speaking with Ed Gein and another where he's imagining stabbing the production code board.
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Aug 14, 2016 20:31
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Egbert Souse posted:What's everyone's opinion on Hitchcock? I don't think Hitchcock would have watched a biopic about himself.
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Aug 14, 2016 21:49
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The Saboteur was mostly boring but holy poo poo that scene on the bus had me like "uh uh, no way is he going to do it" and I laughed my rear end off. Also kinda funny because that movie featured a Disney short in it (for reasons unknown to me) and years later Disney would refuse to have anything to do with Hitchcock because Psycho disgusted him.
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Aug 14, 2016 21:53
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8 track betamax posted:I used to read some kid novels back when I was a kid and they were about kid detectives and they knew alphred Hitchcock he was an old man in their neighborhood who would help them with cases I think? I think they were published by Hitchcock company or maybe written by him. Who knowsm..lost to the sands of time The stories are still continued as audiobooks called "3 Fragezeichen" in Germany. After 182 episodes (plus several spin offs and several episodes under a different title when they lost the right to use the name), ,they still have a cult following after being around for nearly fourty years (including my wife). I don't get the appeal, but there you go. From the wikipedia page about the Three Investigators in Germany: quote:Germany According to my wife, in the newer episodes, Hitchcock doesn't show up anymore.
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Aug 14, 2016 22:05
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General Dog posted:I don't think Hitchcock would have watched a biopic about himself. He was constantly poking fun at himself throughout his career, so I think he'd find it funny if a movie portrayed him as sociopath. phasmid posted:The Saboteur was mostly boring but holy poo poo that scene on the bus had me like "uh uh, no way is he going to do it" and I laughed my rear end off. Also kinda funny because that movie featured a Disney short in it (for reasons unknown to me) and years later Disney would refuse to have anything to do with Hitchcock because Psycho disgusted him. That's Sabotage. Saboteur is one of his early American films that's kind of meh. It has this bizarre second act on a circus train, but a great ending chase in NYC and the Statue of Liberty. Sabotage still packs a punch. It doesn't have any levity, so it's a real shock when it happens. The Disney thing sounds apocryphal. I can't find any direct quotes from Disney. The Disneyland murder was going to be part of an unproduced film where James Stewart receives the eyes of a dead man. It wasn't even in production or had a finished script. (The ironic thing is that Disney owns the four films Hitchcock directed for David O. Selznick) edit: 
Egbert Souse fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Aug 14, 2016 |
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Aug 14, 2016 22:16
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Egbert Souse posted:That's Sabotage. Saboteur is one of his early American films that's kind of meh. It has this bizarre second act on a circus train, but a great ending chase in NYC and the Statue of Liberty.
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Aug 14, 2016 22:45
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| # ? May 2, 2024 02:07 |
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Alfred Hitchcock Presents is a pretty drat awesome anthology series up there with the Twilight Zone. The episode "The Glass Eye" is probably one of the creepiest episodes in the series. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508296/
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Aug 15, 2016 00:03
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