Short Review: To Catch a Thief (1955)

Jan. 30, 2011

26. To Catch a Thief (1955)

Starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Plot: “When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence. ” (from IMDb)

Some view this film as more of a Hitchcock “lite”, but I really enjoyed it. The plot was fun, the on-location shooting on the French Riviera was breathtaking, costumes by Edith Head were stunning, the dialogue was witty, Jessie Royce Landis was delightful as the mother, and the two leads played nicely off each other. Surprisingly, I did not really like Grant much in this role (though I know I will probably get lambasted for saying that). He just seemed a little…I don’t know…dull and bland. Maybe his performance will grow on me, though. But the picture as a whole is lot of fun and a wonderful escape into the glamorous Technicolor world of Europe, intrigue, mystery, and romance. What more could I ask for?

Short Review: Saboteur (1942)

Jan. 26, 2011

23. Saboteur (1942)

Starring Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Otto Kruger, Alan Baxter

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Plot: “Aircraft factory worker Barry Kane goes on the run across the United States when he is wrongly accused of starting a fire that killed his best friend.” (from IMDb)

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*** This is a fairly uneven but always entertaining Hitchcock effort. It is not among his best, yet there are some memorable scenes and certainly a few of the director’s signature trademarks—the wrongly accused man, blonde heroine, road trip, culmination at a national landmark, etc. I thought Priscilla Lane and Robert Cummings were a likable pairing, and the performances by the antagonists were fitting. Yet some parts of the film just felt out of place and kind of odd (like the scene with the circus people). I thought things started to get interesting when the blind man was introduced, but then they left and the film went in a different direction. I can only attribute this to the many screen writers that worked on the story; perhaps that is why certain elements seem incongruous. I read somewhere that Hitchcock himself regarded the script as being the weakness of the film. Some of the war-time propaganda also feels very muddled—like they weren’t quite sure what they wanted to say, and thus end up contradicting themselves somewhat. Despite its faults, this film is entertaining and worth the watch if only for the final scene which featured some cutting edge (for the time) special effects.

Short Review: Stage Fright (1950)

Jan. 22, 2011

19. Stage Fright (1950)

Starring Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Plot: “A struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence when he’s accused of murdering the husband of a high society entertainer.” (from IMDb)

I rather liked this one. For some reason though, it seems to be one of the Hitchcock films that doesn’t get discussed much. I thought it was very entertaining and the surprise twist was very clever. The British setting, lovely recurring piano theme, beautiful lighting, and array of British actors—such as the amusing Alastair Sim (who nearly stole the film)—were added bonuses. Marlene Dietrich has an interesting role here, playing almost a parody of herself. As for Jane Wyman, I’ve read some opinions that see her as miscast, but I thought that she did a good job. The romance between her and Wilding (he had really odd hair, though) was especially sweet, and I felt like she played the part just right. Although this is a suspense/mystery film, there are a lot of charming and humorous moments. Some feel a bit out of place but most hit the mark in contributing to a satisfying film. The ending does feel a little abrupt. (I can’t think of an alternative, though!) In my opinion, this is one that is worth watching.

Short Review: Spellbound (1945)

Jan. 14, 2011

14. Spellbound (1945)

Starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll, Rhonda Fleming, John Emery

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Produced by David O. Selznick
Screenplay by Ben Hecht
Suggested by Francis Beeding’s novel “The House of Dr. Edwardes”

Plot: “A female psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory.” (from IMDb. I’m going to use the plot summaries from there from now on because I’m not very good at writing them!)

This movie was okay. Not my favorite Hitchcock. I am interested in psychology, but the simplification of the psychiatric angle of the plot makes this a little dated. I also thought that Peck was thoroughly unlikeable in this role. I don’t know why but I just couldn’t understand what Ingrid Bergman’s intelligent doctor character saw in him. I know many people will disagree with me on this, though! I did like him better in Designing Woman. I was impressed with how Hitchcock manipulated some of the visual elements in this film (I can’t really say what they were without giving the plot away). But I guess that’s one of the reasons that he’s regarded as a great director! Despite these techniques, I thought the film dragged and the ending seemed a little sloppy. Over all, this movie just did not work for me. The extras on the DVD I watched were very good, however, and it got me interested in PTSD.

Possibly the Best TV Show Ever

 Well, the inevitable finally happened: I started a classic movie blog...

The other day I had my birthday and I got the fifth season of The Dick Van Dyke Show, which is one of my all time favorite TV shows. The whole cast is so funny and the shows are written really well. Over all, it is just a very fun and fabulous show. In case you haven't seen it, I think there are some episodes on Hulu and/or Fancast. [By the way, if you are already a fan of the show, there is a completely amazing Tumblr blog with all kinds of pictures and neat stuff related to the show.]

This is a pretty corny picture, but just take my word for it. It's an awesome show.
 ~

On a completely unrelated note...

I love the new Blogger. The extra little tweaks they made are really nice. I haven't figured out everything yet, but I am enjoying the availability of greater options.

Does anyone know of a way to make a header so that it is not blurry? I'm not very tech-savvy so I just made it on Paint! I don't really like the quality, though, so let me know if anyone knows of a better program or how to transfer the image so it's a better quality. And in case anyone is wondering, the picture I used is Joan Fontaine in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. It was a great movie and I loved Fontaine's performance in it!