All Hitchcocked up

[SEAWOLF97]

I've always enjoyed AH films , tho not up to fan boy status..

in the last year have enjoyed : NxNW (have it on DVD) , The Birds, Rear Window , Vertigo , The Wrong Man , just finished Saboteur (a practice run for NxNW) , Torn Curtain ..

have lib holds on : Marnie (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1633847%7ES1) . The 39 steps (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1408961%7ES1) , Frenzy (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1782784%7ES1) , The man who knew too much (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1409318%7ES1) & Sabotage (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1782776%7ES1)

really enjoyed Torn Curtain..had no idea that Paul Newman or Julie Andrews worked for him.
(downside to TC ..AH fired Bernard Herrmann partway into production , score was by some schmuck)

Q: are there any "dead on classic/must see" AH films that I've missed ?? He did over 50 films ...do you'ze guys have any good recommendations ?

[hjames]

The Trouble With Harry is funny in places ... probably a good one to watch!

I'm a big fan of Strangers on a Train - (Devito's Throw Momma from the Train was a comedic homage to it ...)

Amazon.com

From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director's finest examples of timeless cinematic suspense. It's not just a ripping-good thriller but a film student's delight and a perversely enjoyable battle of wits between tennis pro Guy (Farley Granger) and his mysterious, sycophantic admirer, Bruno (Robert Walker), who proposes a "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. With an emphasis on narrative and visual strategy, Hitchcock controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic design, and the plot (coscripted by Raymond Chandler) is so tightly constructed that you'll be white-knuckled even after multiple viewings. Strangers on a Train remains one of Hitchcock's crowning achievements and a suspenseful classic that never loses its capacity to thrill and delight.



I've always enjoyed AH films , tho not up to fan boy status..

in the last year have enjoyed : NxNW (have it on DVD) , The Birds, Rear Window , Vertigo , The Wrong Man , just finished Saboteur (a practice run for NxNW) , Torn Curtain ..

have lib holds on : Marnie (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1633847%7ES1) . The 39 steps (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1408961%7ES1) , Frenzy (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1782784%7ES1) , The man who knew too much (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1409318%7ES1) & Sabotage (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1782776%7ES1)

really enjoyed Torn Curtain..had no idea that Paul Newman or Julie Andrews worked for him.

Q: are there any "dead on classic/must see" AH films that I've missed ?? He did over 50 films ...do you'ze guys have good recommendations ?

[SpeakerLabFan]

Have always wanted to check out his final film from 1976, Family Plot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Plot), starring Bruce Dern and Karen Black. Music by John Williams.

[SEAWOLF97]

went back to my que and added:

The trouble with Harry (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1782771%7ES1)
Dial M for murder (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1448567%7ES1)
Family plot (https://catalog.multcolib.org/record=b1784231%7ES1)

[SpeakerLabFan]

I placed a hold on a copy of Family Plot at my local library too. and made a run down there this afternoon - the hold wasn't in yet and no other Hitchcock titles grabbed my interest but speaking of horror I did pickup Rosemary's Baby.

...and I found a really interesting 1969 country rock LP on the friends of the library sale shelf for 50cents - "Area Code 615" by the Nashville guys who played on Harvest, Blonde on Blonde, and Nashville Skyline...

[SEAWOLF97]

well, I got abt 15 minutes into "39 steps" and got diverted by a squeaky renter,
didnt have the motivation tp restart it when I got back home..:(

[jcrobso]

well, I got abt 15 minutes into "39 steps" and got diverted by a squeaky renter,
didnt have the motivation tp restart it when I got back home..:(

They didn't have a film rating system back then so I saw so many movies, "39 steps" was one of them and so was Psycho!:eek::eek::eek::eek:
Scared the crap out me, I was 15 at the time.:blink:

[jerry_rig]

Rope is as close to a "film of a stage play" as you can get: It is shot in just a few long takes. Highly recommended.

[SEAWOLF97]

Just finished up "The Man who knew too much" ...not 1 of AH's best , tho well known...

Doris Days acting abilities were rather spare and even James Stewart was stiff...plot had a lot of holes and idiot devices to make it work..:(

Oh well, "Trouble with Harry" up next.

[SEAWOLF97]

Trouble with Harry was like a redo of my 39 Steps experience....

was abiut a half hour in , and it just wasnt grabbing me (despite The Beavs great performance) and once again the renter calls ...they've broken the water spout of the bathtub :eek::eek::eek: , their cover story didnt make sense ....they may be due for a relocation soon..

after I got home, just wasnt in the mood to restart Harry ...so off to the return to lib pile...M for Murder is next...

[SEAWOLF97]

M for Murder is next...

just finished M ....it was everything that you expect from Hitch ....great storyline , fine acting , glam actors ...a good twist

Grace Kelly's Brit accent wasnt too hokey , Ray Milland was snarky , Bob Cummings was good, the Police Inspector was the model for Colombo.

the only negative (or more rightly , non-positive) was that it wasnt a Bernard Herrmann score..:(

a welcome respite from the last 2 that I didnt finish..:applaud:

A little classic Brando is next on the stack...then back to AH with Sabotage.

[SEAWOLF97]

I placed a hold on a copy of Family Plot at my local library too. and made a run down there this afternoon - the hold wasn't in yet and no other Hitchcock titles grabbed my interest but speaking of horror I did pickup Rosemary's Baby.

I made it abt 45 minutes into FP before I lost interest..:dont-know:

One of the best "in the vein of Hitchcock" , and IMHO the BEST that Nick Cage ever did was "Red Rock West" by John Dahl ....also starred Dennis Hopper , Lara Flynn Boyle and J.T. Walsh

I don't buy many DVD's...but had to own this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rock-West-Nicolas-Cage/dp/B00441GZ00/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294683159&sr=8-2

Product Description

The quirkiest thriller since Blood Simple, RED ROCK WEST stars Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper and Lara Flynn Boyle in an offbeat mystery about an average guy who is mistaken for a professional hit-man. Dead tired and flat broke after driving 1,200 miles, Michael, an unemployed Texan (Cage), walks in to a tavern in tiny RED ROCK WEST, Wyoming, and is immediately offered a job. There's just one problem: the owner thinks Micheal is a hit-man, and the "job" is murdering the owner's wife (Boyle). Just when Mike decides to take the money and run, the real hit-man (Hopper, sporting a homicidal Texas twang) arrives, ready to do the job right. Full of playful twists and sexy turns, RED ROCK WEST is a perfectly plotted game of cat-and-mouse that will keep you guessing until the final, shocking shot.

[SEAWOLF97]

I'm a big fan of Strangers on a Train - (Devito's Throw Momma from the Train was a comedic homage to it ...)

Amazon.com

From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director's finest examples of timeless cinematic suspense. It's not just a ripping-good thriller but a film student's delight and a perversely enjoyable battle of wits between tennis pro Guy (Farley Granger) and his mysterious, sycophantic admirer, Bruno (Robert Walker), who proposes a "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. With an emphasis on narrative and visual strategy, Hitchcock controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic design, and the plot (coscripted by Raymond Chandler) is so tightly constructed that you'll be white-knuckled even after multiple viewings. Strangers on a Train remains one of Hitchcock's crowning achievements and a suspenseful classic that never loses its capacity to thrill and delight.


Watched "Strangers" a couple of days ago .....what fun !!! The Ferris wheel disaster was classic ....the disc that I checked out had the UK version on the backside , which supposedly had a more menacing Bruno , but the lib put their RFID sticker on that side , so it was unplayable..

My AH viewing has slowed since I obtained 6 seasons of "House M.D." ....I'm midway thru season 2 , but need to knock off as "Not One Less" and "Walk the Line" are waiting for HT time too.

[Fangio]

Has been my favorite Hitchcock for decades :)

To Catch A Thief

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is so glamorous it positively purrs. The classic Hitchcock thriller stars Cary Grant as a reformed cat burglar under suspicion of a series of robberies in the French Riviera, and Grace Kelly as the aristocratic American heiress who thinks she’s got him figured out. If you haven’t seen it, or (like me) haven’t seen it in a long time, this movie is worth watching for several reasons. One, it’ll make you realize you need to spend some time in the south of France. And two, it’ll take you on a journey back in time, to a place you hadn’t realized was as far away. 1955. That’s 53 years ago – and, boy, has the world changed.

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Life just doesn’t seem as glamorous as this any more. Perhaps it’s a French Riviera thing, perhaps I need to get out more… But, apart from Cary Grant’s unappealing high-waisted pants and a cheesy love scene interspersed with fireworks, the world of To Catch A Thief is glitz central. It's a world where men are suave (and a little politically incorrect), women are dolls, and landscapes are positively regal.

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Grant is slick in a way that even George Clooney can’t emulate (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how you like your men), and Kelly is seemingly flawless. They fit perfectly into the backdrop, which is classic Riviera (save for some great blue screen driving shots and interiors filmed at Paramount Studios). Cannes features heavily, as does the city’s grand Hotel Carlton, which stars as itself.

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This movie will make you want to don a swing skirt and sunglasses, and sip champagne in a bougainvillea-draped café… Jump into a classic Sunbeam convertible, and take a drive up a winding mountain road… Or attend a masked ball dressed as a gilded princess. It may even make you want to climb around on French rooftops stealing jewels from unsuspecting widows, but we don’t advise it.

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To Catch A Thief may be a Hitchcock thriller, but it’s one of his lightest, an enjoyable adventure that’ll keep you guessing ‘til the final scenes on a Cannes rooftop. Endlessly photogenic (it won an Oscar for Best Color Cinematography), it twists and turns like the mountain roads Grant and Kelly career down at breakneck speed, with the police in pursuit.

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Ironically, Grace Kelly died at the wheel of her car almost thirty years later on the same roads. She’d quit the movie business and moved to nearby Monaco not long after the movie wrapped, having met her future husband Prince Rainier while filming on location. In the movie, she drove so fast Grant's character broke into a nervous sweat. In real life, it's thought she had a stroke behind the wheel. As you watch the movie, it's impossible not to think of it. – Roshan McArthur