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! 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.

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.

[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.

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.

[Guest 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.

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. 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.

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!!!!"

[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

[Guest 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.