Did any of you guys catch that recent Hitchcock documentary? It is part of a series of ones on famous ppl…
It kinda painted Hitchock as living a very depressing life, but Im not sure whether that was just the angle that the series was going for, showing the tragic private lives of famous people (well that seemed to be the general theme anyway), anyone have any insight on the matter?
Ive only seen the “true hollywood story” It was pretty good.
Vertigo by far. It’s one of those rare movies that not just entertains you, but simply blows you away.
I think Vertigo is probably his best, its definitely his most influential. Although its not really my favorite. My personal favorite is Rear Window. I just love the whole voyeurism aspect of it and its really got some great nailbiting sequences, plus its got the drop dead beautiful Grace Kelly.
I loved watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Thats one of my fav classic black n white TV shows along with Twilight Zone. I own Season One on DVD too.
My first introduction to Alfred Hitchcock was when I was a little kid in elementary school. My music teacher would play Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghost Stories on his record player. He’d turn out the lights and we’d listen to it. Its funny, I havent thought about that in years. 0
Grace Kelly is the most beautiful woman who’s ever lived. Ever.
Vertigo is the best, really, although not my favourite, it’s what I think Hitch’s best. A perfect story perfectly told. JImmy Steward is so great in it, Kim Novak as well, they’re amazing. I love how that beautiful city of San Francisco can provide such terrific atmosphere, and Hitch manages tu put a great amount of eeriness in, I was really scared by this film when I watched it as a kid, especially the dream sequence. And it has amazing theme, Hermann’s best.
I was greatly disappointed when I heard Vera Miles could’ve been there instead of Kim, because I like her really much in Psycho, my Hitchcock’s favourite.
I like North by Northwest, althought Vertigo is very good too. He’s made so many great films, so I dunno.
Psycho. Today’s horror movies only lead to the desensitisation of viewers because the horror is all visual and audial. Psycho had elements of fear that were actually placed into the imaginations of the viewer which could remain for years and years. I think that the fact that a man dressed up like his mother to kill women that gave him a hard-on is pretty fucking scary, not to mention the fact that he used her voice to repremand himself. The murder scenes were not all that scary, but that is probably because I was desensitised by Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. >:D
TCM is very Hitchcockian and has a direct connection to Psycho since they were both based on Ed Gein. The great thing about TCM is that it was advertised as this super gory horror film, but it actually has no gore and was shot using Hitch’s brilliant methods of psychological editing to make people THINK it was bloody and gory. Its also very much a black comedy. A masterpiece of the genre.
I own the Friday The 13th Crystal Lake to Manhattan Box set. Its a must have for hardcore fans of the films. I love em! –
[quote=“Kilgore Trout”]
I think that the fact that a man dressed up like his mother to kill women that gave him a hard-on is pretty fucking scary, not to mention the fact that he used her voice to repremand himself.
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Exactly, now when I’ve seen it, the scariest scene in my opinion must be the one where he brings her mother’s corpse to the fruit cellar and she’s like arguing with him, and you see it from the ceiling, it’s awesome, because you KNOW he’s talking to himself, but you see neither his nor her mother’s face. Sick, isn’t it?
I used to run a construction crew several years ago and I had this painter from New Jersey that was a real whack job. One day I left him alone in a townhouse while I went for supplies. When I returned I heard a conversation between two people with two different voices going on upstairs that went on for half an hour. When he came down I asked him who was up there and he said that no one was up there. Wow! I had goosebumps because he scared the living shit out of me. I immediately thought of Norman Bates. “I won’t even swat at that fly”
I love those Gods eye view shots Hitch does in that. It adds a craziness to the feel of the scene. One of my favorite scenes in Psycho is when Martin Balsam is walking up the stairs and when he gets to the top we get one of those Gods Eye View shots of Norman/Mother walking out of the room and BAM, he gets knifed in the head and he falls down the stairs backwards. I love the rear projection in that because it makes it look like surreal slow motion as hes falling. a
[quote=“WinslowLeach”]
TCM is very Hitchcockian and has a direct connection to Psycho since they were both based on Ed Gein. The great thing about TCM is that it was advertised as this super gory horror film, but it actually has no gore and was shot using Hitch’s brilliant methods of psychological editing to make people THINK it was bloody and gory. Its also very much a black comedy. A masterpiece of the genre.
I own the Friday The 13th Crystal Lake to Manhattan Box set. Its a must have for hardcore fans of the films. I love em! –
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also if im correct Tobe Hopper wanted the movie to be PG-13
Also If you like good twist endings at the end a horror movie watch Sleepaway Camp, your get the twist of your life.
As for Hitchcock I have only seen a two of his movies, Birds and Psycho. I find Birds scarier I guess because something about animals mainly “Birds” in this subject, getting fed up with people and just taking out their anger. Also there Is a movie Im dying to see that I believe is inspired on The Birds called “Long Weekend.”
An appreciation for photography is a must in order to appreciate Hitchcock films. As a photographer, I look at things in a different manner. When I look at Hitchcock films I find myself in awe of the original ideas that he used to create the masterpieces he made. His films inspire photographers of all sorts to go out and shoot things just a little differently. I think that there are only a handful of guys who have maximized the use of traditional photography skills to make ordinary scripts works of genius: Welles - the scene where you are looking through the chain link fence at Hurst’s mansion which gets closer and closer. Scorsese - the scene in The Color of Money with the billiard balls moving all over the table. Stone - the awesome beaver shot - are you going to arrest me for smoking? ;D
I saw Sleepaway Camp when I was 12-13 and it freaked me out big time, especially the ending!
Growing up, I rented tons of horror films and thats how I first saw Psycho. I also really liked Psycho II alot. The first time I watched them, I saw them back to back. I
There was also a Psycho that showed the beginning - there was a dead girl in a car at the bottom of the lake. Which one was that?
I LOVE Rear Window and Psycho
north by northwest, the best, vertigo close second
I would like to add ROPE to this list
psycho and strangers on a train