People fall in love everywhere, all the time. They fall for fellow workers and comrades. They flirt in dirty bomb shelters in much the same way they meet in beautiful marketplaces. Naked, both emotionally and physically, we are all quite similar and circumstances just make us more or less creative about finding ways into one … Continue reading ‘Topaz’: Romance in a Violent World
"One might call 'Marnie' a 'sex mystery', if one used such words." - Alfred Hitchcock 'Marnie' is by far the most extreme vision of frigidity Hitchcock ever explored. Adapted by Jay Presson Allen from Winston Graham's novel of the same name, it serves as an oddly seductive screen commentary about the origins of psychosis in … Continue reading ‘Marnie’: The Complexities of a ” Sex Mystery”
All my life I've heard people name Hitchcock's "Psycho" as the scariest movie they've ever seen. I heard the music from Janet Leigh's murder scene played as a spoof on TV and saw clips of Leigh screaming bloody murder in the shower. I understood that this movie was an icon of horror, but couldn't get … Continue reading The Most Classic Horror Film: ‘Psycho’
From death cometh life and the living can be ridiculous! Fascinating! Oh good, good grief! Alfred Hitchcock always liked his films to have a sense of humor about them, and "The Trouble with Harry" is the height of funny stuff. There's this man who happens to have died at the apex of everybody's favorite hiking … Continue reading A Purist Rom-Com: A Touch of Death in ‘The Trouble with Harry’
Character Study: Rupert Cadell ('Rope', 1948) I recently read an article in which the author questioned whether a psychopath could be a good person. Scientists have studied psychopathic behaviors enough that they’ve come full-circle, considering that psychotic people should be viewed with empathy and even admiration. After all, they are focused, not driven by emotions, … Continue reading Psychopathy in Hitchcock Thrillers ‘Rope’ (1948)
"Rear Window" is a frustrating story to follow. With unbelievable characters and a seriously Mr. Magoo protagonist, I found it tough to watch. Of course that’s naive, because it isn’t about the character’s development- not how cunning they are or how quick their reflexes…there’s so little traditional ego present in the dialogue. This isn’t a … Continue reading Private Worlds: Hitchcock’s Penchant for Rule-Breakers (“Rear Window”, 1954)
Hitchcock’s thriller 'Saboteur' exemplifies the director’s drive for subverting his audience’s sympathies. There is a daringly clarified critique of systematic injustice in the form of a single misjudged civilian taking on a class of evil that operates somewhere between the powers of government and industry, far above the heads of common workers: the saboteurs, those … Continue reading Analysis of Hitchcock’s ‘Saboteur’
