Summer of Hitchcock: Marnie Discussion

Another Hitchcock film based upon a novel!

Marnie is the story of Margaret Edgar, a thief who goes around from job to job stealing money. When she is recognized by one of her employers for who she is, he marries her! Marnie is quite cold to men, has an adverse reaction to the color red, a fear of thunderstorms, and a few other triggers. Why? What is in Marnie's background that has made her the way she is?

I enjoyed this movie. It's interesting to read that there are two camps on this one: Marnie is a failure and Marnie is brilliance. For my part, I found it enjoyable. I enjoyed the use of color, and found Tippi Hedren to be far less annoying than she was in The Birds!

Next week is our last week for Summer of Hitchcock with The Trouble with Harry. I scheduled a twitter night, but I'm curious to know if anyone will actually be watching Friday night at 9 PM Eastern. Please RSVP in comments. If no one RSVPs, I will cancel.

Summer of Hitchcock: Rebecca Discussion

I was able to finish the book Rebecca before watching the film which was a huge goal for me. I absolutely loved the book, but worried that reading it so close to watching the movie would lessen my enjoyment and I do think that's a little bit the case. I couldn't finish watching the movie last night because I fell asleep. I did feel cheated that Maxim wasn't really hot (as in my imagination) and thought a bit of the acting bordered on cheesy. I'll finish watching tonight and let you know what I think! But what did you think?

Summer of Hitchcock: Discussion on Vertigo

Vertigo is my favorite of Hitchcock's film, hands down. I love almost everything about it. I was stunned and captivated the first time I saw it and nothing has really changed.

I was delighted to read that many consider it to be his finest work or masterpiece. The book I've been reading this summer that analyzes each film agrees, so that was nice.

Did you enjoy Vertigo? Was this your first time to watch it? Have you seen it before?

A few interesting things to note: Hitchcock was not thrilled with Kim Novak, she actually replaced another actress who was pregnant and could not do the film. The film is based on a book, but quite a few significant changes were made, including cutting out some heavy WW2 setting.

I can't wait to hear what you all thought! No mister linky yet, because I can't seem to load the site, but leave you link in comments and I'll try to update it later. (next week we discuss Rebecca!)

Summer of Hitchcock Discussion: The Man Who Knew Too Much

As I suspected, I did not have time to watch this week. However, I will try to watch it this week and update this space with my review. Please share your thoughts in comments if you did watch!

Summer of Hitchcock: Spellbound Discussion

I never realized how many of Hitchcock's films are based on the written word and Spellbound is no exception, it is based on the novel The House of Dr. Edwardes by Francis Breedings. Fascinating stuff!

In any case, Spellbound is the story of Dr. Edwardes who arrives at a mental hospital to take the place of Dr. Murchinson. Dr. Edwardes, himself, however seems a bit strange, as he has episodes triggered by visual clues. The beautiful Dr. Peterson has fallen in love with him however, and attempts to help him, believing he is not a murderer but a sick person.

And so we must uncover just who Edwardes is...he isn't who he says he is but who is he?

I enjoyed Spellbound when I first saw it and I enjoyed it this time as well. This time, however, I was terribly distracted by the overpowering and sickening love music. But never mind that, I had managed to forget some of the details which made it a mystery all over again. And I really enjoyed Gregory Peck to be honest. ;)

When I think of Spellbound what sticks out in my mind is the dream sequence by Salvador Dali. It is really quite true to the bizarre nature of dreams and beautiful in a way.

What did you think of Spellbound?

Next week we discuss the Man Who Knew Too Much with James Stewart. I may not have time to watch it with Comic-Con this week, but I'll do my best!

The Birds Discussion: Summer of Hitchcock

The Birds is loosely based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier, of the same title. If you haven't read the short story, I highly recommend it, it's absolutely fantastic. Much more terrifying than the film. The only things the short story and film seem to have in common is the basic idea that the birds have gone crazy, gathered in huge amounts, and are attacking the humans.

Now the short story is exactly that....short. So I suspect when writing a screenplay they felt it necessary to add some of the usual suspects, a love story, a new set of characters we were meant to feel for. Unfortunately, at least for those of us who tweeted through the movie on Friday, we didn't feel anything for the characters and the set-up felt unrealistic and almost annoying.

I've been thinking about this and I think part of the problem is that the movie is very long...two hours. And with the added dimension of these characters there's just not enough tension. In the short story, there's almost no relief from the constant feeling of the birds pecking and the swishing of wings. Their attack feels constant, terrifying, unavoidable. It's everywhere and has affected the entire nation, maybe even world, as opposed to just one small town.

In any case, I have to admit to feeling bored during the film. This movie really scared me when I was little, especially the scene when they find the old man with his eyes pecked out, but I'm not sure this one has withstood the test of time quite as well. I had a hard time feeling sympathy for the characters.

I've long been hearing there will be a remake of The Birds, but I have no idea if it's moved forward. I would be interested in a version of the film that goes back to the source material and tries to recreate that incredible feeling tension and fear. Skip the love story that doesn't make sense!

Perhaps if you loved the movie a bit more than me, and are looking for that extra special gift you might give this Barbie doll more thought....



What are your thoughts?

Summer of Hitchcock Discussion: Psycho

Am I a little bit Psycho if I admit that Psycho is one of my favorite Hitchcock films? It never fails to entertain me and creep me out!

I also think it's one of his better known films if not best known.

Psycho is the story of Marion Crane who is having a love with Sam Loomis. They are unable to marry since Sam has many other financial obligations so one day, Marion steals some money from a client at her office and heads out of town. Stealing this much money is of course out of character for Marion and she is nervous and in my opinion acts really really suspicious as she makes her way. Finally, she stops in the at The Bates Motel where she meets Norman Bates. Norman Bates seems like a nice guy a little shy and perhaps a bit tied to his mother. He just gets stranger and stranger, though, especially as he spouts off lines like, "my hobby is stuffing things."

Anyway, Marion begs off and ultimately meets a grisly fate in the famous shower scene at the hands of what we believe is Norman Bates mother.

Well eventually, people notice Marion is missing and start to look for her. A private detective also meets an ugly death at the hands of Mrs. Bates and it's not until Marion's sister and Sam go looking for her that the twist is revealed...Mrs. Bates is long dead and it's been Norman all along.

I studied this film as part of a film unit in my high school Humanities class and one thing I remember from that is that Psycho is one of the first films where they really used music to build suspense. Every time I've watched it since then, I've noticed just how much music they use..it's almost overpowering!

Also I gleaned from watching this on TCM last weekend, that the film was shot in black and white as it was suspected it would be too grisly in color. This also allowed for chocolate syrup to be used in the shower scene. Speaking of the shower scene, what do you think of the fact that Marion was killed off? Did you feel the movie lost some of its energy at that point?

I still find this film to be incredibly entertaining and creepy. I'm interested in your thoughts as well as what you think about the themes. I did learn that this was based on a book that was based on a real serial killer, Ed Gein.

Just a reminder that next week's movie is The Birds and we'll be chatting about it live on Twitter at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST. This is based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier and if you read the short story and watch the film and participate in next Monday's discussion, I'll draw a winner for a ten dollar Amazon gift card. See you then!

Summer of Hitchcock: Rear Window

I hope you all enjoyed watching Rear Window! I found it to be very amusing.

Rear Window is the story of L.B. Jeffries who is confined to his apartment due to a broken leg. Since he is photographer accustomed to travel, he is bored out of his mind, and succumbs to watching the lives of other people through their windows.

Which raised the first question for me....who leaves their windows open like that? I'm such an intensely private person, that if I knew there was a chance someone would be watching me I'd have my blinds shut all the time! There were some very strange people in the apartment complex, from the exhibitionist girl who danced around doing everything, to the people who lowered their dog down in a basket, to the very sad Miss Lonelyhearts.

As Jeffries watches his weirdo neighbors his beautiful girlfriend tries to convince him to marry her, Jeffries doesn't feel ready for marriage though, and would rather keep the status quo. It's kind of hard to believe any man would try to turn Grace Kelly away!!

He starts to become suspicious of that one of his neighbors has murdered his wife when he no longer sees the wife, and observes a great deal of suspicious activity coming from his apartment. The film then moves in the direction of Jeffries trying to convince his friends that he's not paranoid and something bad really did happen.

I really enjoyed this one, I thought it was funny and suspenseful and even a little thought provoking. We knew nothing of the neighbors except for the little snatches we saw of their lives through Jeffries observations...how like life!

DISCUSSION
Did you enjoy this movie? Did you ever doubt that the murder had been committed? Who was your favorite neighbor to watch? Discuss and share!

Summer of Hitchcock -- Dial M for Murder

Did you watch Dial M for Murder? Let's discuss! Be sure to link to your own reviews in the Mister Linky below!

How did you feel about the overall plot of the story?

How did you feel about the acting?

How about the camera angles and shots?

How would you compare this one to North by Northwest?

Don't forget! Next week we will discuss Rear Window!

Dial M for Murder--Summer of Hitchcock

Dial M for Murder has always been a Hitchcock film I enjoyed. The premise of trying to pull off the perfect murder is an interesting one, even if I didn't think the set-up was in any way perfect. So many things to go wrong!

When I watched the film, though, I did fall asleep for the first 30 minutes. But, I've seen it before and it was a much needed nap!

Dial M for Murder is the story of Tony Wendice who has discovered his wealthy wife, Margot, is having an affair with novelist Tony Halliday. He devises a plot to kill her that he believes will be the perfect murder.

Things never go as expected though, and the night of the murder brings circumstances Tony didn't anticipate. Will he get away with his plot against his wife? Or will he be found out?

It's important to note two things when watching Dial M for Murder. The first is that it is based on a stage play--this explains the simple settings and dialogue and performance being the driving elements of the film. The second is that it was filmed for 3-d. I've actually seen parts of it in 3-d at Universal Studios. The scene where Margot is reaching for the scissors is really amazing!

Overall, I enjoy this film, though it does move at a fairly slow pace. The acting is pretty good and it's fun to hate on Tony. Grace Kelly is stunning and the furniture couldn't possibly be uglier!

Summer of Hitchcock: North by Northwest Discussion!

Did you watch North by Northwest this week? If so....what did you think?

If you blogged about it, please leave your a link to your post in the Mister Linky.

Or to get us started in comments, here are some questions:

Did you like it?
What did you like best?
What didn't you like?
What was your favorite scene and why?
Did you have a favorite line?
What did you think of the acting?
And anything else of course!

Also, here's a little meme you can do for Summer of Hitchcock...feel free to put your responses on your blog and leave a link in Mister Linky. Just include in parentheses that it's the meme and not a review of North by Northwest.

1) What film are you most looking forward to watching this summer?
2) How many Alfred Hitchcock films have you seen before?
3) Which one is your favorite?
4) Is there one you don't like?
5) Is there one you wish was on the list but isn't?

Twitter
Also if you want to talk about Summer of Hitchcock on Twitter, please use the hashtag #gethitch It's the same one we will be using for Twitter nights!

Remember next Monday we discuss Dial M for Murder!

Summer of Hitchcock: North by Northwest

I thought it would be fun to start with North by Northwest for Summer of Hitchcock because it's just such a fun and popular film, not too scary. It's actually been several years since I'd watched it, so I enjoyed watching it again.

North by Northwest is the story of Roger Thornhill a successful advertising executive who gets caught up by mistake into a case of mistaken identity and finds himself fighting for his life and the life of a beautiful woman he meets on the train.

What I like about North by Northwest is that it is action packed, full of intrigue, and downright humorous. I laughed out loud several times while watching due to the quick wit of the characters, particularly Roger Thornhill. Yet I was also never bored, because the plot moves at a brisk pace we are often wondering what will happen next, and like Roger, we don't always know what actually is happening.

Roger Thornhill himself is an interesting character. He works in advertising which naturally means we'd think him to be focused on helping others get what they think they need. His initials spell out ROT, and his relationships all seem quite superficial. In fact, in the very beginning when his secretary accuses him of lying, he says, "In the world of advertising there is no such thing as a lie, Maggie. There is only the expedient exaggeration." And perhaps that is what the whole film is based upon, the "non-lies" of others he soon finds himself caught in.

I found the entire abduction scene to be so amusing, almost as nauseating as I found the later seduction scene on the train.

My favorite sequence was probably the scene where Roger is running from the plane. I mean how crazy was that?

I did a bit of reading of critial analysis of the film which says that North by Northwest is a the story of a man's struggle for identity. I can certainly see how this would be so, but does he find himself? Or does he just marry another pretty girl he knew for 24 hours???

Anyway....

Where's Alfred?
Alfred Hitchcock famously made cameos in his films...spotted him in the very beginning of this one!

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and can't wait to watch Dial M for Murder this week!

Summer of Hitchcock Schedule

A few weeks ago, I suggested we watch something together to pass the long summer months where the good new television is minimal. I put up a few suggestions and watching Alfred Hitchcock films and making your own schedule of award winning films battled it out. In the end, watching Hitchcock films won out by a narrow margin.

So let's call it...Summer of Hitchcock!

Here's how it will work. I'm going to put up a schedule of the films we'll watch. I know this will be tricky. We'll be battling it out at Netflix and Blockbuster to get the films on time. But hopefully, everyone will be able to get them. Then each Monday I will put up a post discussing the film and add a Mister Linky. You can put your "review" or thoughts about the movie up on your own blog or just come discuss in comments!

I've also put two Twitter nights on the calendar...these will be nights where we'll watch together (if you want) and chat about the film on Twitter.

The films chosen are based on what people said are their favorites, so whether you're rewatching or watching for the first time I hope you enjoy and have fun.

Oh one other thing...feel free to snag the button and promote..I think the more the merrier!

June 15--Discuss North by Northwest
June 22--Discuss Dial M for Murder
June 29--Discuss Rear Window
July 6--Discuss Psycho
July 13--Discuss The Birds (Twitter night on Friday July 10 at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time, 6 PM Pacific.
July 20--Discuss Spellbound
July 27--Discuss The Man Who Knew Too Much
August 3--Discuss Vertigo
August 10--Discuss Rebecca (with bonus book tie-in!)
August 17--Discuss Marnie
August 24--Discuss The Trouble with Harry (Twitter night on Friday August 21 at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time, 6 PM Pacific Time)

Because this is me, there are bound to be some sort of fun prizes and additional challenges along the way! So stay tuned....for the Summer of Hitchcock!

(Please let me know in comments if you plan to join in!)