Alfred Hitchcock Appreciation and Discussion Thread

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  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    I have 4 Bluray players my Sony player is Region free. My Xbox's maybe also never tried.

    I'm surprised anyone should have four Blu-ray players. What for? And it's fine that the Sony is region free, but do you have three more "theaters" to supply? BTW, I've never been into Xboxes ort he like.
  • Posts: 1,477
    Any filmmaker today making films as interesting as Hitchcock's best?
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,311
    I would say: No. The only director that piques my interest would be Steven Spielberg. Whichever film of his I watched, he never disappointed. But then his main work lies behind him and I do not see clear favorites emerging.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 1,282
    I don't know if this would be appropriate, but I think Hitchcock was the first Star Director.
  • Posts: 2,742
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Any filmmaker today making films as interesting as Hitchcock's best?

    Depends on your definition of interesting I suppose. Hitchcock's best films certainly have had an influence on much that came after them though, including some of the most well regarded films of the last 10 years.
  • Posts: 1,477
    007HallY wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Any filmmaker today making films as interesting as Hitchcock's best?

    Depends on your definition of interesting I suppose. Hitchcock's best films certainly have had an influence on much that came after them though, including some of the most well regarded films of the last 10 years.

    In the style of Hitchcock, and intriguing enough to want to revisit. What are some of those well regarded films of the last ten years?
  • Posts: 1,477
    zebrafish wrote: »
    I would say: No. The only director that piques my interest would be Steven Spielberg. Whichever film of his I watched, he never disappointed. But then his main work lies behind him and I do not see clear favorites emerging.

    I would like to see him do a Hitchcock style thriller, perhaps even a remake. He did a great job with West Side Story. I don't see a remake of my Hitch favorite, Vertigo, as the twist is well-known. But a remake of North by Northwest could be lots of fun. Would he update it to the present, or set it once again in 1959?
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    There really hasn’t been straight up Hitchcock style films as recently. The last director to try expanding on what Hitchcock started was Brian De Palma, though he’s pretty divisive in that some will either say he honors Hitchcock‘s style or is just a pastiche. I can see both points depending on what film we’re talking about.

    Tarantino has never made a straight up Hitchcock film, but I do think he’s made suspenseful sequences that come close to Hitchcock’s best (two scenes in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS definitely come to mind). The only way he could probably do a Hitchcock style film is if he minimized his dialogue and let the visuals tell more without any commentary. But that’ll never happen, because Tarantino is just too in love with his dialogue to ever give that up. Even when he tries to ape Sergio Leone he can’t help but have his characters babble.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904
    I don't know if this would be appropriate, but I think Hitchcock was the first Star Director.

    He often got top billing when marketing the films. I think you are correct in saying that, I suppose John Houston, and Howard Hawks might also be in that category. But I think Hitch tops them all.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    I'm a big Hitchcock fan and have almost everything he directed (minus the silent ones) on disc, but beyond his obvious qualities he was just incredibly talented in marketing his persona, unlike most of his contemporaries or earlier directors.
  • Posts: 2,742
    It's worth saying that when directors or certain films are influenced by Hitchcock it doesn't necessarily mean they set out to make films using Hitchcock's 'style' (so as was stated we don't often get the likes of Brian De Palma's early films which, yes, can seem like pastiche for many, as much as I really enjoy those films). There's a lot to Hitchcock's films, their craft, their subject matter etc. which directors have specifically said influenced them. Heck, attend any film school or media class and you get the obligatory 'Hitchcock's bomb' analogy about how to create suspense in a film.
    CrabKey wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Any filmmaker today making films as interesting as Hitchcock's best?

    Depends on your definition of interesting I suppose. Hitchcock's best films certainly have had an influence on much that came after them though, including some of the most well regarded films of the last 10 years.

    In the style of Hitchcock, and intriguing enough to want to revisit. What are some of those well regarded films of the last ten years?

    I'm sure just about every thriller David Fincher has ever made has used Hitchcock as an inspiration in some form. I'm sure that's true of Gone Girl which is a pretty well regarded film made in that time frame. Jordan Peele has said that he's a fan of Hitchcock, with Vertigo and The Birds influencing the setting of Us (I'm sure elements of Hitchcock also worked there way into Get Out). Recently Matt Reeves has said that the same director's work was a major component to The Batman and I have no doubt it was the same case with Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy too (ie. the sudden killing off of Rachel mirroring Marion's in Psycho). Park Chan wook is another modern director who's a fan - The Handmaiden certainly reminds me at times of Rebecca. If you haven't seen it Phoenix from 2014 (Christian Petzold) is also a film I find has many similarities to Vertigo too.

    I mean, there are many other recent films that have those seeds from Hitchcock. Whether or not any of those movies are better than his best is up for debate (and very subjective).
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,311
    Good insights into Fleming, Bond and Hitchcock.


  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    zebrafish wrote: »
    Good insights into Fleming, Bond and Hitchcock.


    Yes, that's a nice short documentary with good observations. Although the basic comparison between the two isn't really new. I've also read somewhere a long time ago that FRWL was the best Hitchcock movie that Hitch didn't direct.

    And it's not a coincidence that NBNW has been my absolute favourite among Hitch's works for ages, with a never-ending rewatchability and some lines that can be used in all kinds of real-world situations, like the best Bond films have. (Or, for German-speaking insiders, Loriot's sketches...)
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,311
    I couldn't help it... ;-)

  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    Nice. My wife and I also often quote "That was mother...", from the end of his phone call at the police station.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,598
  • RyanRyan Canada
    Posts: 692
    zebrafish wrote: »
    Good insights into Fleming, Bond and Hitchcock.


    Quite enjoyed that. North By Northwest is my favorite film of all time and it certainly fits nicely into my Bond fandom.

    As an aside, I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival on 4K.
  • Posts: 1,477
    Dwayne wrote: »

    Thank you. An interesting read.

    As this is a Bond site, let's consider the remake of Thunderball. It had it's moments, but it wasn't Thunderball.

    Vertigo remake? Big no.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    A remake of Thunderball could have been interesting if they had based it more on the book, but that’s not what the objective of the project was.
  • Posts: 7,500
    I don't like the trend of remaking old classics. It's just lazy and completely useless.
  • edited March 2023 Posts: 2,742
    Dwayne wrote: »

    Oh dear. Gus Van Sant's Psycho immediately springs to mind.

    I mean, I'm not against remakes (or more strictly speaking, re-adaptations) of some of the films Hitchcock made, but Vertigo isn't a film particularly ripe for this. It's a unique, engrossing film that holds up today, made during the height of Hitchcock's artistic capabilities. Some people would call it perfect, or at least as close to it as any film can get.

    Hitchcock had his misfires. His early filmography is full of them, and actually it took the director a while to become the Master of Suspense. I'm sure there are even films he made which could be improved upon and updated for today. Many were adapted from existing novels, so a different take on certain stories by different directors for the purposes of adding something new/doing something different is fair game. If done for these purposes it would be a valid endeavour. But that's not the point here. The point is not to film a different adaptation of 'The Living and the Dead' (the novel Vertigo was based on), but to remake one of Hitchcock's most well known films a chunk of audiences have heard of, but probably haven't seen. Whether or not this is Steven Knight's intention it'll likely ultimately be a re-packed version of the film, updated slightly albeit superficially, and likely won't be as engrossing or have the same sense of artistic flair as the original.
  • Posts: 1,477
    Now that Spielberg has remade West Side Story, what is the verdict? Good film? I liked
    it. I have seen it a couple of times now. But when I recall WSS, I recall the original, not the remake. For others having seen the new version first, is the new version their WSS? The one they'll recall with fondness?

    Are remakes necessary? Rarely, but film is about profit. So, we'll no doubt get a rehashed version of Vertigo that attempts to be something new. Something akin to Mel Brooks' High Anxiety, only serious.

    Maybe one day The Louvre will feature a new Mona Lisa, you know, an updated version of that really old painting. Better yet, an AI created version. Why not?

    As the old saying goes, "Everything old is remade again."

    Having previously expressed reservations about remaking Vertigo, honestly, I don't care. Whether it succeeds or not, it won't diminish the original film.



  • edited March 2023 Posts: 2,742
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Now that Spielberg has remade West Side Story, what is the verdict? Good film? I liked
    it. I have seen it a couple of times now. But when I recall WSS, I recall the original, not the remake. For others having seen the new version first, is the new version their WSS? The one they'll recall with fondness?

    It was fine. The new one made some changes which made sense. I see that more as an adaptation of the play though rather than of the film, and to be completely honest even the '61 version isn't one I have many strong feelings about. There are many other musicals that haven't been brought to screen that I'd prefer to see (something like Willy Russell's Blood Brothers).
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Are remakes necessary? Rarely, but film is about profit. So, we'll no doubt get a rehashed version of Vertigo that attempts to be something new. Something akin to Mel Brooks' High Anxiety, only serious.

    Maybe one day The Louvre will feature a new Mona Lisa, you know, an updated version of that really old painting. Better yet, an AI created version. Why not?

    As the old saying goes, "Everything old is remade again."

    Having previously expressed reservations about remaking Vertigo, honestly, I don't care. Whether it succeeds or not, it won't diminish the original film.

    True.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    I love both the 1961 and the 2022 version of WSS. Then of course they both share the same great music and most of the same choreography by Jerome Robbins (and hey, I'm not into ballet and dancing at all, but this is ultra-cool!), both of which are really at the essence of both films.

    Even being aware of the technical progress that moviemaking has made in those over sixty years - and I don't want to diss anyone involved in the earlier movie - I'd say that Spielberg's is the more impressive and powerful of the two...and probably bankrolled with a multitude of millions more compared to the original. I also like the fact that the two protagonists sing their own roles, as much as I appreciate Marni Nixon and "whatever his name was" lending their voices to Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.

    I even bought the soundtrack album for the new one as well, in spite of having had the original first on vinyl (I think) and then on CD, plus for the last 20 years or so the Deutsche Grammophon studio recordings with Kiri Te Kanawa and José Carreras. And I love all three of them.

    But yes, back to Hitch.
  • I think one of the best films he made was Rear Window. It was cool to see how the entire movie was from one Rear Window.
  • edited March 2023 Posts: 7,500
    WSS has a pretty Hitchcock like story to be fair. I think he could have done a very good straight film (without the musical elements) of it.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    jobo wrote: »
    WSS has a pretty Hitchcock like story to be fair. I think he could have done a very good straight film (without the musical elements) of it.

    Uhm...what is WSS? Sorry to appear ignorant, but I'm sort of not used to abbreviations beyond the Bond films (and maybe the Indiana Jones movies).
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,447
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    jobo wrote: »
    WSS has a pretty Hitchcock like story to be fair. I think he could have done a very good straight film (without the musical elements) of it.

    Uhm...what is WSS? Sorry to appear ignorant, but I'm sort of not used to abbreviations beyond the Bond films (and maybe the Indiana Jones movies).

    The 'musical elements' bit suggests West Side Story, though I fail to see how that is a Hitchcockian film in any way at all.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,655
    Ah, yes, I used that abbreviation myself regarding West Side Story, but I thought we were back to Hitch in the meantime. And I never thought of "WSS" being Hitchcockian, but only Shakespearean, actually. But thanks for the enlightenment.
  • Posts: 7,500
    I think West Side Story is a Hitchockian story. A lot of romance and suspense scenes. It's Sheakspaerean too (obviously, as it's heavily based on Romeo and Juliet) but I don't think there is any contradiction there necessarily. Not that it matters. This was just a short point I wanted to make. It's not a topic worthy of a deep discussion.
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