Hitchcock: His Talent, Movies, & Legacy

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Hitchcock did that deliberately, feeling that if an explanation was provided as to why the birds attacked, then it would just render THE BIRDS "science fiction."

There can be a lot of overlap with sci-fi and horror
ie Jurassic Park/Jurassic World, The Andromeda Strain, Alien, Doctor Who, especially the Hinchcliff/Baker era

One does not preclude the other

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

There can be a lot of overlap with sci-fi and horror
ie Jurassic Park/Jurassic World, The Andromeda Strain, Alien, Doctor Who, especially the Hinchcliff/Baker era

One does not preclude the other

I don't disagree. But that was just Hitch's reasoning.

 

[Crimson]

I think the lack of explanation is one of the stronger aspects of THE BIRDS, adding to the uncertainty and anxiety. Neither the characters nor the audience know what's happening or why. The modern obsession with origins and explanations is a drag.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I think the lack of explanation is one of the stronger aspects of THE BIRDS, adding to the uncertainty and anxiety. Neither the characters nor the audience know what's happening or why.

Yes, it keeps THE BIRDS a topic of mystery and discussion. It's comparable to the point that sometimes the penultimate moment is more effective to end on.

The modern obsession with origins and explanations is a drag.

I think that might depend on the project. I still want to know why irritating chihuahua Cliff Barnes had turned into a homicidal maniac by nuDALLAS.

 

[Willie Oleson]

The brilliance of NOTORIOUS is in its restraint and careful chess play, and at the same time it is that carefulness that allows the story to use the romantic misreadings that usually look more contrived or light-hearted in other films.
Cary Grant's character reminds me very much of FX's series THE AMERICANS about Americans played by KGB intelligence officers.
It's that conniving way of making another person fall in love with you and then give him or her just enough love in return to make it look real.
In that regard, Agent Devlin as the anti-James Bond looks just as perfectly flawed as REBECCA's Maxim De Winter.

But whereas the romance in REBECCA is supported by against-better-judgment optimism, the chemistry between Cary Grant and the formidable Ingrid Bergman is shrouded in cyncial coldness. His patriotism above everything else, her disillusion about her father's inappropriate patriotism.
They're not on different sides but they are very much on different wavelengths, which makes the story as unpredictable as a film of that period (and about that subject) could be.

The plot puts Alicia Huberman in the perfect position of a double agent, but I guess that would have undermined the romantic aspect of the film.
Still, it would have been a wicked twist.
Speaking of wicked, Madame Sebastian is entertaining as the mother with dangerous ideas.
The race against the champagne, the adulterous kiss to cover up a much bigger betrayal, the surprisingly fiercely social comment on bridge-playing wives, the low-key finale that keeps up the charades until the screen turns black - it's so wonderfully crafted.

Combined with the monster/disaster movie THE BIRDS I think this would be my Hitchcock Top 3.
Unless, of course, something better comes along.
I have a love/hate relationship with PSYCHO. It's sensational schlock that sullies my pretty Anthony Perkins, but at the same time that's what makes it so fascinating.
I don't know why everybody keeps talking and talking about the shower scene while the twist of killing off the criminal protagonist mid-film is just so much more spectacular.
See, I can easily talk myself into loving it.

Let's see if I can find another gem and change my mind about Hitchcock the filmmaker, although I have no (immediate) plans to rewatch VERTIGO. That film really sucks.

 

[Soaplover]

I've watched quite a few Hitchcock movies.. and I think I've figured out my top favs:

1) Shadow of a Doubt (darkness lurking in a peaceful small town)
2) Family Plot (quirky and fun)
3) The Lady Vanishes
4) The 39 Steps
5) Vertigo

Honorable mentions:

Psycho (like with the Birds.. the first part of the movie seems like a woman's picture with the lead feeling desperate to be with her love so she takes the money, then as she realizes the error of her ways.. the picture changes into a thriller).

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I think the lack of explanation is one of the stronger aspects of THE BIRDS, adding to the uncertainty and anxiety. Neither the characters nor the audience know what's happening or why. The modern obsession with origins and explanations is a drag.

I think a few hints or scientists offering an explanation would have helped.
Otherwise, it just becomes an unsolved mystery or an anything goes situation.
Because Hitchcock was so materful, it didn't become an issue.
But most filmmakers are not skilled enough to make it work

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I think a few hints or scientists offering an explanation would have helped.
Otherwise, it just becomes an unsolved mystery or an anything goes situation.

If someone feels the need to have The Birds scientifically explained, I'd point them towards 2007's Kaw, a film I stumbled upon a few years ago. It's made by The Sci Fi Channel and heavily rips off The Birds, "fixing" it with the (ahem) scientific explanation that the titular creatures had been feeding on cattle with Mad Cow Disease.

Even if the rip-off had been good (it wasn't), I feel the explanation would have been a turn-off. But then I'm from the "less is more" school when it comes to explaining such things.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I think a few hints or scientists offering an explanation would have helped.

They were too busy trying to escape. Sometimes things happen before we can examine them.

There are the stereotypical explanations like "sacrilege of Indian burial ground" or "byproduct of secret and ill-fated army experiment".
Personally, I don't find them very satisfying.

What's more entertaining than kids being attacked by homicidal birds? This film is AWESOME and it's got one of those memorable explosions because it doesn't really belong there.

Shadow of a Doubt

I only remember liking the actress who played the mother (and sister of Uncle Charlie) and the brutal finale. I'll add it to the rewatch list.

 

[Monzo]

Almost 80 percent of adults in Germany have seen at least one film by Alfred Hitchcock, and around 70 percent consider him to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. This was the result of a representative survey by the market research institute YouGov as part of the filmmaker's 125th birthday (August 13).

Two thirds of those surveyed find Alfred Hitchcock's films "still exciting today", while only 23 percent think they are "too old-fashioned" and just 16 percent think they are "overrated".

The best-known and most popular Hitchcock film in Germany is the thriller "The Birds". When asked about their favorite Hitchcock films, 72 percent named this 1963 film. In second place are "Psycho" and "Rear Window" (both 63 percent), as well as "Dial M for Murder" and "To Catch a Thief" (both 59 percent). 45 percent like "The Man Who Knew Too Much". This is followed by "Marnie" with 40 percent and the psychological thriller "Vertigo" (39 percent). "Frenzy" and "Topaz" follow with 31 and 27 percent respectively.

Knowledge of Hitchcock's films varies. While 84 percent have seen "The Birds", only 45 percent have seen "Vertigo".

 

[KayLloyd]

This is the set I bought this past Monday at Walmart. It was $12.96 for six movies, and since there was only one on the shelf, I had to get it.

Wow, that is a great deal. Good shopping, and happy watching .

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Willie Oleson]

We!want!Rope!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I enjoyed the movie "Hitchcock" (2012)

such a great cast

Anthony Hopkins (Hitchcock)
Helen Mirren (Alma)
Scarlett Johansson (Janet Leigh)
Jessica Biel (Vera Miles)

 

[Toni]

They were too busy trying to escape. Sometimes things happen before we can examine them.

There are the stereotypical explanations like "sacrilege of Indian burial ground" or "byproduct of secret and ill-fated army experiment".
Personally, I don't find them very satisfying.

What's more entertaining than kids being attacked by homicidal birds? This film is AWESOME and it's got one of those memorable explosions because it doesn't really belong there.


I only remember liking the actress who played the mother (and sister of Uncle Charlie) and the brutal finale. I'll add it to the rewatch list.

​

I´m sure Morgan Brittany would disagree (then called Suzanne Cupito...).

 

[Snarky Oracle!]