Many of us are huge fans of Alfred Hitchcock and his movies. We all have our favorites.
We also know Hitch had a 'thing' for putting himself into each movie, sometimes for a split second, sometimes in a shadow, sometimes just right here in front of you.
Here is a great site that shows (or not) every appearance he made in his movies
https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/every-cameo-that-alfred-hitchcock-made-in-his-films/ss-BB1gzWXm?ocid=msedgntp
I'm a huge fan of Hitchcock's work. I think a strong case can be made that he is the greatest director ever. Sadly, he was far from the greatest person ever, however I don't think that should necessarily impugn the actual work he put out.
If I had to pick my favorite Hitchcock movie, I would probably go with "Rope." Stewart was awesome in that, as were both of the main actors. I loved how there was not a single cut in the whole movie. The tension and suspense in that movie was downright gripping, and the acting and dialogue are both superb. Just an all-around great movie.
Funny you mention "Rope", I just watched that last weekend. Good movie and an interesting premise!
TCM showed quite a few Hitchcock films recently. I've got "The Lodger" & "The 39 Steps" waiting for me on the DVR.
I haven't seen everything he's done, but of what I've seen I think my favorite is "Notorious".
It's really hard to pick one over the other. Sure some were superb, while others were just good, but compared to so many other movies, even the so-so ones were just a joy to watch.
My wife's favorite is Vertigo and we have watched that so many times, I also love it.
While in my heart Psycho will always have a very soft spot, I think either Dial M For Murder or Rear Window are my favorites.
Quote from: LennG on July 09, 2021, 01:47:48 PM
It's really hard to pick one over the other. Sure some were superb, while others were just good, but compared to so many other movies, even the so-so ones were just a joy to watch.
My wife's favorite is Vertigo and we have watched that so many times, I also love it.
While in my heart Psycho will always have a very soft spot, I think either Dial M For Murder or Rear Window are my favorites.
After Rope, I'd probably go with Rear Window. That was definitely up there.
For some reason, I never liked North by Northwest as much as everyone else. Not sure why, but it just was never my favorite, even though I know it was for a lot of people.
Vertigo, The Birds, and Psycho were all great.
I haven't seen Dial M for Murder in ages but I know that was also a good one.
Quote from: DaveBrown74 on July 09, 2021, 03:32:50 PM
After Rope, I'd probably go with Rear Window. That was definitely up there.
For some reason, I never liked North by Northwest as much as everyone else. Not sure why, but it just was never my favorite, even though I know it was for a lot of people.
Vertigo, The Birds, and Psycho were all great.
I haven't seen Dial M for Murder in ages but I know that was also a good one.
We had a thread here a while back about movies that if we see them while scrolling thru the channels, will always stop and watch. No need to only start at the beginning. I mention this because Dial M For Murder was just on TCM maybe a week ago and like I just said, I saw it while thumbing thru the channels and peeked in, and I was hooked all over again. (can't tell you how many times this has happened with Casablanca)
With many Hitchcock movies, unless you know the entire movie, it's hard to just 'pop in' but Dial M has been seen so many times and each time, a joy to watch. Grace Kelly at her loveliest.
Where I live, on Long Island, we have access to many, many libraries. Pre pandemic, most libraries had sort of lectures during the day, many about movies. Now, some of the libraries are starting in-person lectures once again. There was one person that always did a Hitchcock theme lecture. He told everyone beforehand, what movie they were going to discuss, we watched the movie at our convenience and then, as a group, discussed it. Next week, as a start-up, they are going to discuss 'Shadow of a Doubt' with Joseph Cotton. I already have it on my DVR and we will catch it over the weekend. Truly another great movie from the Master.
Neat discussion group idea.
Quote from: ozzie on July 09, 2021, 09:45:49 PM
Neat discussion group idea.
Hey Lou, if you are in the neighborhood, drop in and join the discussion. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors but Michelangelo Antonioni who directed my favorite movie "Blow Up". It was the film that got me interested in Photography back in 1967 and 1968.
The French absolutely loved Hitchcock. If you ever get a chance to see the interviews by French director Francois Truffaut you will see absolute admiration for Hitchcock.
Hitchcock was not to fond of mysteries but loved suspense. He defined the difference between the two as being with a mystery it is more about who did it. The audience doesn't know and they are focused on this aspect. While with suspense you know who did it but you are brought along with epiphanies only to be brought down and then back up again. It's almost as if he is toying with the audience.
Quote from: LennG on July 09, 2021, 07:06:43 PM
With many Hitchcock movies, unless you know the entire movie, it's hard to just 'pop in' but Dial M has been seen so many times and each time, a joy to watch. Grace Kelly at her loveliest.
=D> Where's the "heart" emoji when I need it??
Dial M For Murder is my favorite Hitchcock film. Rear Window is right up there with it though.
Quote from: Sem on July 10, 2021, 10:22:11 PM
=D> Where's the "heart" emoji when I need it??
Dial M For Murder is my favorite Hitchcock film. Rear Window is right up there with it though.
Steve
Still have that fixation of Ms. Kelley--even after all these years. :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok:
Quote from: LennG on July 11, 2021, 12:29:23 PM
Steve
Still have that fixation of Ms. Kelley--even after all these years. :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok:
Yes, even after all these years. Beauty like that does not easily fade away.
KellEy??????
Quote from: jimv on July 11, 2021, 04:55:40 PM
KellEy??????
Give me a break Jim. That's all you can add to this thread. :boooo: :boooo: :boooo: :boooo:
Quote from: LennG on July 11, 2021, 06:48:44 PM
Give me a break Jim. That's all you can add to this thread. :boooo: :boooo: :boooo: :boooo:
I just can't make up my mind to see if there's anything I care to add. :greetings: :greetings: :greetings:
Quote from: jimv on July 11, 2021, 09:37:56 PM
I just can't make up my mind to see if there's anything I care to add. :greetings: :greetings: :greetings:
Jim
you LOVE Hitchcock and his movies. We have talked about them so much in the past and now you have nothing to add??
Quote from: LennG on July 12, 2021, 10:43:07 AM
Jim
you LOVE Hitchcock and his movies. We have talked about them so much in the past and now you have nothing to add??
Of course I do. My two favorites are "Shadow of a Doubt" and "I confess."
In "Shadow of a Doubt," it wasn't a cool blonde but a young brunette Teresa Wright who was in trouble. Joseph Cotten was outstanding.
In "I Confess," the main charagcter is a priest who is under suspicion of murder but whose lips are sealed because of the Seal of Confession. IMO, Montgomery Clift does really well as the priest.
Quote from: jimv on July 12, 2021, 04:10:23 PM
Of course I do. My two favorites are "Shadow of a Doubt" and "I confess."
In "Shadow of a Doubt," it wasn't a cool blonde but a young brunette Teresa Wright who was in trouble. Joseph Cotten was outstanding.
In "I Confess," the main charagcter is a priest who is under suspicion of murder but whose lips are sealed because of the Seal of Confession. IMO, Montgomery Clift does really well as the priest.
Haq--we just watched Shadow of a Doubt last night. We have a library discussion show about this movie on Wednesday and we needed to rewatch it, so as to be up to date for the discussion..
Funny, I had another Hitchcock movie on my DVR which I watched this AM.'The Lodger' which was a silent movie. I never knew Hitch made silents. It was a decent enough watch--not great, but you can see where he was starting to go as far as suspense and movie making are concerned.
I just watched "The 39 Steps" last night.
Good movie, neat twist at the end, but I found it loaded with some things that seemed unnecessary.
For instance, after watching it I read that Hitchcock put the whole Richard Donat / Madeleine Carrol relationship in it just to try and make the movie more appealing to female viewers.
Quote from: ozzie on July 20, 2021, 01:37:05 PM
I just watched "The 39 Steps" last night.
Good movie, neat twist at the end, but I found it loaded with some things that seemed unnecessary.
For instance, after watching it I read that Hitchcock put the whole Richard Donat / Madeleine Carrol relationship in it just to try and make the movie more appealing to female viewers.
Really doesn't sound like something Hitch would do, but since I don't know and will take your word for it, that's Hollywood. Just for the record, I LOVED the 39 Steps. Hitch seemed to have a thing for movies about innocent guys on the run, with Saboteur and North By Northwest also in the category.
There are several versions of "39 Steps" out there. There is one of them starring, among others, John Mills that I like better than Hitch's version.
Quote from: LennG on July 20, 2021, 08:08:48 PM
Really doesn't sound like something Hitch would do, but since I don't know and will take your word for it, that's Hollywood. Just for the record, I LOVED the 39 Steps. Hitch seemed to have a thing for movies about innocent guys on the run, with Saboteur and North By Northwest also in the category.
Lenn, I add this not as an "I told you so", but just as something that might be interesting. It is from the IMDB website. How accurate it is, I don't know....
Spoilers
The trivia items below may give away important plot points.
Though it followed the general outline of John Buchan's book, and captured much of its spirit, this movie version often diverges from the printed one. In the book, the Robert Donat character has a South African background. Here, he's Canadian. The book has no heroine. The Madeleine Carroll character was added to the movie to provide a romantic interest, apparently in hopes of making the story more appealing to female patrons. There are no scenes in a music hall in the book, and thus no "Mr. Memory" character. The explanation this character gives for the term "39 Steps" is different from that provided in the book. (http://spoilers%20
Quote from: ozzie on July 21, 2021, 08:50:01 AM
Lenn, I add this not as an "I told you so", but just as something that might be interesting. It is from the IMDB website. How accurate it is, I don't know....
Spoilers
The trivia items below may give away important plot points.
Though it followed the general outline of John Buchan's book, and captured much of its spirit, this movie version often diverges from the printed one. In the book, the Robert Donat character has a South African background. Here, he's Canadian. The book has no heroine. The Madeleine Carroll character was added to the movie to provide a romantic interest, apparently in hopes of making the story more appealing to female patrons. There are no scenes in a music hall in the book, and thus no "Mr. Memory" character. The explanation this character gives for the term "39 Steps" is different from that provided in the book. (http://spoilers%20
Thanks Lou.
What, NO Mr. Memory character? My favorite parts of the movie, and from the movie, he is critical.
Yeah, it makes me want to read the book to see how things resolved differently than the film!
As I mentioned a few posts back, one of our local libraries has started 'in library' lectures once again and one of them is about Hitchcock movies. They tell you what movie will be discussed, either watch it on your own, or just know if you have seen it, and then we hold a discussion on that movie, among many other Hitchcock things.
So last week's movie was Rebecca, Hitchcocks first American-made movie, and his first in collaboration with David Selznick. To be honest, I know I had seen Rebecca somewhere along the way, but on rewatching it, I basically didn't remember anything of the movie, so it was really like watching a brand new Hitchcock movie for the first time, as we loved it.
For any that also don't remember, Rebecca stars Sir Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.
Sir Lawrence lost his first wife and meets Ms. Fontaine. She is working for a snobby lady and she is very 'mousy' in a way, but the pair hit it off, marry, and off they go to Sir Lawrences humongous estate in England where Ms. Fontaine is basically overwhelmed, and there she meets Mrs. Danvers, the head of the household and spooky from day one. Where does Rebecca come into this, she was Sir Lawrence's dead first wife and basically dominated the house and everything about it.
The movie dwells on so many deep, dark secrets, especially how the first wife died and subsequent effects.
Just a grand old time with Hitch never letting up on the drama and suspense until the very end.
One thing I didn't realize as we watched the movie and was told at our lecture, Ms. Fontaine never had a name of her own. Before they were married, she was never called by any name, and after, she was always referred to as the second Mrs. so and so.
We really struggled to find Hitch in this movie. Hitch always tried to make it a point to appear at the beginning of his movies as he knew people were always looking for him, and thus were concentrating more on this, than on the movie, so he tried to appear very early, to, sort of, get it out of the way. But in this movie, he appears almost at the end, and we really had to do a search online to find him. If you didn't know exactly where he would be, it was almost impossible to spot him.
Just a great movie (the only movie Hitch made that won a best pix Oscar). If any haven't seen it, or, like me, don't remember a lot of it, it is so highly recommended. even if you aren't a Hitchcock fan. if nothing more than to see these two great actors perform.
Just a bit of trivia. Sir Lawrence was fooling around (living with) Vivien Leigh, star of Gone With The Wind at the time Rebecca was being made. They were both married to others, but why should that stop them. Sir Lawrence lobbied hard for his sweetie to play the lead in Rebecca instead of Ms. Fontaine, but Ms. Leigh was still involved in GWTW and couldn't make it. How much fun would it have been to have 2 real lovers play real lovers on the screen?
I thought his BEST years were after the Yankees traded him to San Diego. Oh wait, that was Sterling Hitchcock. Never mind. My apologies.
Quote from: Giant Obsession on August 03, 2021, 05:23:34 PM
I thought his BEST years were after the Yankees traded him to San Diego. Oh wait, that was Sterling Hitchcock. Never mind. My apologies.
And I thought someone, anyone, was going to contribute to the discussion.
Silly me. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: