Hitchcock movies

Medulla said:
So many good ones

Vertigo
Rear Window
Psycho
Rope
Spellbound
North by North West
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 version)
The Thirty Nine Steps
Strangers on a Train
Rebecca
The Lady Vanishes
Marnie
Suspicion
The Saboteur
To Catch a Thief

I'd recommend all of those (favourites in bold), and most ahead of the much overrated The Birds.
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I have to say, I don't like either Psycho or The Birds as much as his other classics, and they seem to have overtaken people's perceptions of Hitchcock (the way a band might have a couple of massive hit singles that aren't entirely representative of the rest of their material). But they are both hugely influential films and good examples of how goddamn talented Hitchcock was
 


Fletch73 said:
I've only seen it once about 20 years ago so maybe I have to revisit it.
I remember Torn Curtain being very watchable, not least because it has Paul Newman as the lead. There are great moments such as the silent murder scene.
But ultimately, for me, it didn't quite fit together. Newman and Julie Andrews didn't have the chemistry of Grant & Saint or Stewart & Novak.
They also heavily explain the McGuffin. Which, given the whole point of the McGuffin, is a bit odd.
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Bang on regarding the lack of chemistry and yes, the highlight is the Gromek murder. Hitchcock didn't like the movie and I don't think it's his best but that scene really sticks in the memory.
 
Cockney Mackem said:
I have to say, I don't like either Psycho or The Birds as much as his other classics, and they seem to have overtaken people's perceptions of Hitchcock (the way a band might have a couple of massive hit singles that aren't entirely representative of the rest of their material). But they are both hugely influential films and good examples of how goddamn talented Hitchcock was
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I was never a huge fan of Psycho, but I recently rewatched it and was struck by how fresh and modern it seemed. I can't get away with Spellbound or Rear Window.
 
Son of Stan said:
I was never a huge fan of Psycho, but I recently rewatched it and was struck by how fresh and modern it seemed. I can't get away with Spellbound or Rear Window.
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Psycho is a tricky one for modern audiences. Mainly because we're anesthetized to extreme violence on screen and we also know who Norman Bates is.
Can you imagine watching this in 1960?
Black & white in the age of technicolor.
Janet Leigh, one of the biggest stars in the world gets killed after half an hour. Probably the most violent/shocking murder ever seen on screen then.
Then the twist ending. Everyone's looking out for it these days. Literally nobody saw it coming back then.

The intrigue and word of mouth must have incredible. Up until Psycho, movies were shown on a loop - as soon as it ended it started again. Audiences could just pay and enter any time they wanted and stay as long as they liked.
Hitchcock refused entry after it had started - because of the early death. Thus changing the way we watch movies forever.
 
Son of Stan said:
I was never a huge fan of Psycho, but I recently rewatched it and was struck by how fresh and modern it seemed. I can't get away with Spellbound or Rear Window.
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Interesting - Spellbound is a bit dated now and is partly inspired by the rising popularity at the time of Freud and psychoanalysis. But it does have some visual designs by Salvador Dali that you just won't see in any other film every made.

(It's also a bit undermined by the fact that Mel Brooks absolutely skewered it in High Anxiety).

Rear Window - I'm a little shocked that a film buff such as yourself doesn't like it. It's my Mum's favourite Hitchcock film because she's a people watcher
 
The Wrong Man is often overlooked. Henry Fonda as a musician wrongly accused of a crime.
Marnie is another of the lesser-known films worth looking for. Sean Connery in an early starring role.
Strangers on a Train is great.
Spellbound has a surreal dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali.

The only Hitchcocks I don't much care for are The Trouble with Harry, Torn Curtain, Topaz and Family Plot.
 
---Nemo--- said:
Bang on regarding the lack of chemistry and yes, the highlight is the Gromek murder. Hitchcock didn't like the movie and I don't think it's his best but that scene really sticks in the memory.
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Gromek steals the movie. Much like Inspector Hubbard in Dial M For Murder or Stella in Rear Window.

Monty Pigeon said:
The only Hitchcocks I don't much care for are Torn Curtain, Topaz and Family Plot.
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Those are 3 of the last 4 films he made and they feel tired. Although, in the middle of those he made Frenzy, which is one of his best. Maybe coming back to London after all those decades gave him the energy for that film.
It makes a great double-bill with The Lodger from the start of his career - both London, serial-killer films.
 
Fletch73 said:
Gromek steals the movie. Much like Inspector Hubbard in Dial M For Murder or Stella in Rear Window.


Those are 3 of the last 4 films he made and they feel tired. Although, in the middle of those he made Frenzy, which is one of his best. Maybe coming back to London after all those decades gave him the energy for that film.
It makes a great double-bill with The Lodger from the start of his career - both London, serial-killer films.
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My Dad enjoyed Frenzy because it's filmed on location in London round about the time he went to live there and he feels it really captures what the city was like back then. And London has changed so much that Frenzy might now be one of the best recordings/documents of places that basically don't exist any more.
 
Great story about Lifeboat when they were setting up for a scene and one of Hitch’s assistants came running up in a panic cos it appeared that Tallulah Bankhead wasn’t wearing any knickers. Cool as cucumber Hitch replied “well I’m not sure if this is a problem for wardrobe, make-up or hair dressing”
 
Cockney Mackem said:
Interesting - Spellbound is a bit dated now and is partly inspired by the rising popularity at the time of Freud and psychoanalysis. But it does have some visual designs by Salvador Dali that you just won't see in any other film every made.

(It's also a bit undermined by the fact that Mel Brooks absolutely skewered it in High Anxiety).

Rear Window - I'm a little shocked that a film buff such as yourself doesn't like it. It's my Mum's favourite Hitchcock film because she's a people watcher
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I just have a very strong aversion to Grace Kelly. Ruins every film she's in for me. A shame Hitch liked her so much. I can bear her in Dial M For Murder as Ray Milland doesn't like her either. Shame about the ending, though. 😀
 
Cockney Mackem said:
My Dad enjoyed Frenzy because it's filmed on location in London round about the time he went to live there and he feels it really captures what the city was like back then. And London has changed so much that Frenzy might now be one of the best recordings/documents of places that basically don't exist any more.
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Frenzy is the movie - which I didn't realise until recently - that made me fall in love with Hitchcock.
One of my favourite childhood movie memories is of watching tv on the sofa with mam and dad, falling asleep, then waking up way past my bedtime.
The reason dad hadn't carried me up to bed was because they were engrossed in a film and they obviously thought "We'll take him up when it's finished".
I would be lying between them pretending to be still asleep while watching a film I was far too young to watch.
It happened a fair few times, Frenzy was the first.
 
Son of Stan said:
I just have a very strong aversion to Grace Kelly. Ruins every film she's in for me. A shame Hitch liked her so much. I can bear her in Dial M For Murder as Ray Milland doesn't like her either. Shame about the ending, though. 😀
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I get what you mean. She was a Bonny lass but an absolutely shite actress, especially in DMFM. I was hoping she’d get the rope like. Exactly the same with Gwyneth Paltrow in the remake A Perfect Murder, would have been much better if Michael Douglas got away with it!

Monty Pigeon mentioned Topaz - I know it’s flawed but I still like that, maybe it’s just that period and the locations. Book is a good read too by Leon Uris IIRC who also did Bous From Brazil.
 
fyl2u said:
Currently watching Vertigo, which I've never seen before. :eek:

Obviously The Birds is a classic.

What other Hitchcock is worth watching?

In the mood for a retro binge.
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He done loads of good films and he also played a cameo role in them, for a few seconds
 
Gabbiagreeni said:
He done loads of good films and he also played a cameo role in them, for a few seconds
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He had to get creative with some of his cameos - Rope is set in a single location inside someone's home so you couldn't just have him walk past. His cameo is his silhouette on a neon sign seen out of the window. Lifeboat is even more restricted because they're literally all in a lifeboat so no other extras or anything. His cameo is a photo of him in a newspaper someone in the boat is reading.

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Tex said:
I get what you mean. She was a Bonny lass but an absolutely shite actress, especially in DMFM. I was hoping she’d get the rope like. Exactly the same with Gwyneth Paltrow in the remake A Perfect Murder, would have been much better if Michael Douglas got away with it!

Monty Pigeon mentioned Topaz - I know it’s flawed but I still like that, maybe it’s just that period and the locations. Book is a good read too by Leon Uris IIRC who also did Bous From Brazil.
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Leon Uris was the fella behind Exodus and other big epic historical novels.

Boys From Brazil was Ira Levin, known for Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, Deathtrap, Bunny Lake Is Missing and Sliver. He would have been a good source for a Hitchcock film, mind. He did however write the script for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
 

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