Thursday Movie Picks: Alfred Hitchcock Movies
1) Rear Window
I always seem to catch the ending of this film on TV, but I've never sat down and watched it the whole way through. Though Drew hates it, so maybe I shouldn't bother?
2) Marnie
Another film of his that always gets great reviews that I have yet to visit. I have it on my preliminary Blind Spot list next year.
3) Rope
I do love some James Stewart. I've noticed this film has some pretty passionate haters. This, I have to see.
What do you think I should see?
Rope is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Marnie, unfortunately.
You know how I feel about Rear Window.
I actually wrote this post months ago, and went back to edit it because I found out how much you hate it after I wrote it. lol
DeleteWait a minute. What's wrong with Rear Window?
DeleteI know how Drew feels about it, but I still recommend starting with Rear Window.
ReplyDeleteI did like Disturbia lol (I know you hated it) but that has to be somewhat of a good start.
DeleteDon't listen to Drew about Rear Window. It's GREAT. One of Hitchcock's best and super entertaining, too.
ReplyDeleteRope is pretty good, too. It's designed to look like one take (cameras didn't hold as much film back then, so every ten minutes or so he had to pan behind something to conceal the cut. Smart for something adapted from a stage play. And the queer subtext (it's based on the Leopold & Loeb murders) is off the charts.
Marnie is my least favorite of the three. There is one absolutely STELLAR sequence, where she robs her place of business, but other than that it's mostly boring. Sean Connery has never been duller, and Tippi Hedren is kind of stranded in a ridiculous part. It does have its points of interest, but it's far from top-tier Hitchcock.
Thanks for detailing what you like/dislike about them. I appreciate that. They're in my Netflix queue.
DeleteHaha. I can guess Drew's thoughts on Rear Window are not positive. I agree with the others, Rear Window is a great film. See that. Haven't seen the other two though!
ReplyDeleteI should've linked the post where he was bitching about it. I agree with him quite a bit. This should be interesting.
DeleteI haven't seen Rope either. That's probably the most embarassing Hitchcock blindspot that I've got.
ReplyDeleteI had two Hitchcock films on my Blind Spot list last year (Vertigo and North by Northwest) but they aren't horror, so here I am. Got it covered for next year.
DeleteRear Window is one of my favorites. It's suspense all the way through. Rope is brilliant, but it can be boring for some. I'd say to avoid Marnie out of them all - that one is just creepy for me.
ReplyDeleteI like creepy though, maybe Marnie will be my thing?
DeleteI think Drew is great and I love his take on film, Oscar and so much more.......except when it comes to Rear Window:) Rear Window is a true gem that takes you into the world of a voyeur and you really don't realize that you want to know what all those people are up to. Marnie is not one of my favourite films of his-I can tell you to watch many others before Marnie. I have yet to see Rope and I love Jimmy Stewart. Hitchcock loved trying new things so this film is supposed to work as one whole reel or something like that. I do want to see one day
ReplyDeleteDang, I thought Marnie would get more love, apparently not. lol
DeleteI haven't seen Marnie or Rope myself, but I have seen 'Rear Window' and I really like that movie. Unfortunately, it's been copied to death, so it doesn't have the impact it once did. I think for its time it was really something special. There's something about being first. Hitch did it best.
ReplyDeleteIt has been done to death, but I did like Disturbia, so there's that. lol
DeleteRear Window is a bit of a slow burn, but does get very intense during the last scenes. Haven't seen Marnie and Rope though.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind slow burns if they're done well. As long as the end result is worth it, I'm fine slowly moving along.
DeleteLike the idea of picking three you need to see.
ReplyDeleteI'll join the chorus of approval for Rear Window and I think if you commit to watching it from start to finish without interruption you'll find it very rewarding, if you have a chance to see it in the theatre-I saw it that way once, just wonderful-that would be ideal.
I've always found Rope more of any interesting experiment than a great picture. Jimmy Stewart is very good in it however.
Marnie has some interesting elements that don't quite come together as Hitchcock hoped I think. It had a complicated trip to the screen, Princess Grace was originally suppose to return to the screen in the lead until the people of Monaco objected and then Hitchcock revealed to Tippi his desire for her which she didn't reciprocate and he tortured her from then on out, so a fraught set to say the least. I think all that lead to him being slightly off his game. It's not a disaster but not one of his greats.
Since you're in an exploratory mood I'll offer mine which all differ from yours. The main three are among my favorites the last an example that even great artists don't hit the bulls-eye every time.
Saboteur (1942)-During WWII an airplane factory is sabotaged. Barry Kane, falsely accused of the crime, goes on the run in pursuit of the real culprit and encounters various memorable characters along the way including the expected Hitchcock blonde in the appealing form of Priscilla Lane. Enjoyable chase drama is highlighted by its famous Statue of Liberty finale. This is my personal favorite of all Hitchcock's films.
Lifeboat (1944)-A small group of passengers from a torpedoed ship struggle for survival in Hitchcock's fascinating microcosm of society in the contained space of a lifeboat. Excellent performances across the board but most of all a great showcase role for Tallulah Bankhead.
Notorious (1946)-Alicia Huberman, played by Ingrid Bergman, has become embittered upon finding out that her father is a traitor. After his conviction she is recruited by Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a suspected spy ring in South America lead by an acquaintance of hers Alex Sebastian, played by Claude Rains. Once she manages that a deadly game of cat and mouse commences as the tension mounts. One of Hitchcock’s best with amazing work by the entire cast.
Nobody’s perfect pick-Topaz (1969)-An intriguing premise: An intelligence agent becomes involved in Cold War politics while trying to expose espionage that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis and attempting to dismantle a Russian spy ring. Add in a solid if not extraordinary cast and Hitchcock in the director’s chair and this should have been an engrossing entertainment. What it is however may be Hitch’s worst film, certainly his dullest, it just plods along. If they insist on remaking one of the Master’s films this would be the place to start. A good idea somehow gone terribly wrong.
I love it when you share your picks! Someone else had Lifeboat as well, and that sounds very interesting. I didn't think about Notorious, Ingrid Bergman is always a reliable actor. I'll have to add these to my list.
DeleteHah, this is a list of good intentions!
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you. :)
DeleteI'm a sucker at Hitchcock's movies, but this week I saw a lot of great movies coming up, so I guess this can be a compiled watch-list for me. I'm intrigued by Rear Window, though.
ReplyDeleteI like the ones I've seen, Psycho is easily one of my favorite horror movies. Hopefully I can add more of his "greats" to my list.
DeleteMarnie is excellent, it's not as great as his masterpieces but it's definitely worth seeing
ReplyDeleteI knew you liked Marnie, hopefully I do too.
DeleteRear Window is great, entertaining and smart. With James Stewart and Grace Kelly. What more could you ask for?
ReplyDeleteI really like Rope, though before watching someone told me it wasn't great. I thought Stewart was terrific in it and the moral questions in it are well designed - like the movie.
I'm pretty sure I watched Marnie a long time ago, but no memories. I try to watch a Hitchcock regularly, so soon on my TV I hope.
For three Hitchcock I have to see, I'll say : Rebecca, The Lady Vanishes (my brother really like this one) and Shadow of a Doubt or Dial M For Murder (I love this movie's title), I can't pick between those two.
Dial M for Murder almost made my Blind Spot list this year. I think I really just should see all of his movies.
DeleteRope is high on my list simply for its technique. You and me both need to up our Hitch game.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not alone.
DeleteNice picks. Marie is an underrated Hitch film, and I'm a big fan of Rear Window and Rope.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm looking forward to them.
DeleteWatch Rear Window. Just one of those films you know...and it's good too.
ReplyDeleteRope has haters? I didn't know about that. Anyway I like it. Like Rear Window, it is also a single location movie.
Apparently so, I've read a lot of online forums of people trashing that movie. I was kind of surprised.
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