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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (1942-76)
"Mother, uh, what is the phrase? She isn't quite herself today."
- Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), in Psycho
Review By: Jon Danziger
Published: April 06, 2006
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
DVD Review
A masterpiece is a singular thing—they don't come in collections, as a rule, and Hollywood history and economics being what it is, there's no one-stop shopping for a Hitchcock primer. But this is just about as good as it gets when it comes to the Master of Suspense, collecting 14 of his films. It's easy to see what's not here: none of the work from England before coming to the U.S. to make Rebecca, none of the great early American work now in the Warner catalog (the prime example of which is probably Strangers on a Train), and, most shocking of all, no Cary Grant. But the array of talent assembled here, in the 1940s and 1950s particularly, would be enough to do any self-respecting studio proud, and to have all of this work done at the behest of a man who promised to treat them like cattle is a testament to his talent.
Saboteur kicks things off in high style, and Shadow of a Doubt makes for quite a #2 hitter. (See the reviews of the individual titles for further discussion of their relative merits.) Rope is some nasty piece of work, and what in many ways is the paradigmatic Hitchcock picture, Rear WIndow, follows. In context, The Trouble With Harry and the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much seem relatively minor; the next great ascent is Vertigo, a film that, despite any sort of reluctance, will wear down its naysayers through its extraordinary combination of craft and obsession.
Psycho makes for a great Mother's Day present, and Hitch continues to work out his Grace Kelly abandonment issues in The Birds and Marnie. The final four—Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy and Family Plot—sag in comparison, but then anything would, and they've got their own particular fascinations.
Hitchcock was a great filmmaker, but he made only one sort of movie—he doesn't have the breadth of Billy Wilder, the depth of Bergman, the pitiless vision of Kurosawa. But this box set reminds us that Hitch is always a real fun date, and delivers on the implied promise of a good time at the movies. Lock the door, turn the lights down low, and come find out where the bodies are buried.
Rating for Style: A
Rating for Substance: A-
Stars: Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Norman Lloyd, Otto Kruger, Vaughan Glaser, Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, Hume Cronyn, James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr, Wendell Corey, Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick, Shirley MacLaine, Jerry Mathers, Doris Day, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, Janet Leigh, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, Frederick Stafford, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli, Roscoe Lee Browne, John Vernon, Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, Lila Kedrova, Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Bruce Dern, Karen Black, William Devane, Barbara Harris
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=8001
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| Steamboat Bill, Jr. |
Overall positive review, but a little too dismissive imo. Saying things like Hitch only made one type of film and therefore lacks the significance of Wilder, Bergman, Kurosawa, etc...what the fuck? And both Frenzy and Family Plot are great, despite what this guy says.
Despite a few weak films (Torn Curtain, Topaz), definitely a must buy, with Vertigo, Psycho, Rear Window, and Shadow of a Doubt being among the greatest films ever made.
[Edited by Steamboat Bill, Jr.] |
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| MrPleasant |
I agree, Steamboat. Hitchcock was a major loon who could handle romance, comedy, dramas and even history. Besides I remember an article about how The Birds, somehow, follows some of Bergman's explorations on women.
Also, there are a lot of similarities between him and Buñuel. Trust me. ("Always make the audience suffer as much as possible", said he.) |
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| MrPleasant |
In here, another interesting article:
http://hitchcock.tv/essays/aura.html
Finally, again regarding Steamboat's reply, remember that Kurosawa made Seven Samurai mainly as a form of entertainment. |
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| Steamboat Bill, Jr. |
quote:
MrPleasant wrote:
Also, there are a lot of similarities between him and Buñuel. Trust me. ("Always make the audience suffer as much as possible", said he.)
Hitch rarely named filmmakers he admired, but he did say on one occasion that he admired Bunuel, and particularly liked Viridiana. I think they were also at a dinner together once. |
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| MrPleasant |
quote:
Steamboat Bill, Jr. wrote:
I think they were also at a dinner together once.
There is a dinner in Buñuel's honour at George Cukor's house in Hollywood in 1972. Fifteen famous directors are there, including John Ford, Rouben Mamoulian, Robert Mulligan, George Stevens, Robert Wise, William Wyler, Billy Wilder. Hitchcock sits next to Buñuel, says very little, then at one point puts an arm round his companion's shoulder and says with deep admiration: "Buñuel, that wooden leg in Tristana. That wooden leg."
http://books.guardian.co.uk/lrb/articles/0,,362448,00.html
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| Gazza |
quote:
Steamboat Bill, Jr. wrote:
I love that fuckin' photo! Keaton's face just cracks me up... |
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