Reviews of movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Saturday, June 28th 2008
Grade: C
Synopsis: After a dying man provides them with mysterious information, a vacationing British couple (Leslie Banks and Edna Best) discovers their daughter has been kidnapped.
The Man Who Knew Too Much works because of Peter Lorre. Any thriller is really only as good as it’s chief antagonist and Lorre is riveting here. Though he reportedly spoke so little English at the time of filming that he resorted to learning his line phonetically, Lorre nonetheless manages to infuse every word with a subtle menace that belies his limited understanding of the semantics.
Unfortunately, the rest of the cast leaves something to be desired. Nova Pilbeam is a whiney, unsympathetic mess as the kidnapped daughter, and Leslie Banks and Edna Best are a dull and lifeless pair of protagonists who, even combined, fail to muster so much as a fraction of Lorre’s screen presence, and, given the script’s paper-thin characterizations, presence is everything. MORE »
Posted at 5:08 PM in Movie Reviews and Alfred Hitchcock.
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Thursday, April 24th 2008
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A married barrister (Gregory Peck) defends a beautiful woman on trial for killing her rich husband.
The Paradine Case is a disappointing drama from director Alfred Hitchcock that should have been much better.
The fault isn’t Hitchcock’s, but rather producer David O. Selznick, who insisted on having a hand in everything from the screenplay, to the casting, and even the final editing.
While we may never know what the original screenplay or unedited version of the film looked like, the casting is certainly a disaster.
Gregory Peck is totally wrong for the lead. Not only is he too young and decidedly American, but his entire rugged stature is ill suited for the part. Hitchcock wanted Laurence Olivier, who would have been perfect and absolutely believable as a mild mannered barrister approaching middle age who falls under the spell of a beautiful murder suspect. Peck is far too chiseled, and thus it’s harder to believe that this woman could take him in. MORE »
Posted at 11:47 AM in Movie Reviews and Alfred Hitchcock.
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Friday, April 18th 2008
Grade: B
Synopsis: A man (Robert Cummings) on the run and facing charges of sabotage enlists a young woman (Priscilla Lane) to help him uncover the true culprits.
Saboteur is a solid thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock featuring a supporting cast that, perhaps unfortunately, overshadows the leads.
Otto Kruger is fantastic as the suave, but decidedly cold, villain. Despite relatively limited screen time, he makes a strong impression as a ruthless, calculating, yet still three-dimensional antagonist.
Similarly, Vaughan Glaser makes the most of his small role as Priscilla Lane’s character’s blind uncle, by bringing a genuine warmth to the part and finding a way to make his character’s otherwise trite dialog, somehow work. MORE »
Posted at 11:08 AM in Movie Reviews and Alfred Hitchcock.
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Thursday, April 17th 2008
Grade: B+
Synopsis: A young woman (Teresa Wright) begins to suspect that her visiting uncle (Joseph Cotton) may be a serial killer.
Shadow of a Doubt is a wonderful thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock that gets better with each repeat viewing.
Joseph Cotton is spot-on from the opening frames, as the suave but menacing Uncle Charlie. Not only is he believable, he’s riveting to watch, as he repeatedly lulls you into a sense of security only to shatter it with an errant glance or word. His performance has become the model for every wolf in sheep’s clothing since.
Opposite Cotton, Teresa Wright gets off to a bumpy start, but soon rights herself and delivers a solid performance, though she’s upstaged by the wonderful supporting cast. The running gag between Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn’s characters about how they could off each other without being caught adds a delicious element of black comedy while also providing the perfect counterpoint to the story’s subtle theme of things not being what they seem. MORE »
Posted at 3:00 PM in Movie Reviews and Alfred Hitchcock.
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Monday, April 14th 2008
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A rich businessman (Sean Connery) becomes interested in a serial thief (Tippi Hedren) in his employ.
Marnie is a miss, but an interesting one. Director Alfred Hitchcock covers some of the same territory here as in his earlier Spellbound (1945), only with less successful results. While his use of color as a story element is engrossing, the overall film feels lazy and undisciplined.
For his part, Sean Connery is great in one of his first roles after breaking out in the James Bond series of films. His charisma and intensity fit the part well, and he wins the audience over early on. His performance and the few moments of inspiration from Hitchcock are the film’s saving graces. MORE »
Posted at 3:37 PM in Movie Reviews and Alfred Hitchcock.
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