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Volume CXXXII, Number 12 |
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Ye Olde Movie Column
DAVIN MICHAELS
COLUMNIST
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| Kyle Staller '04 browses the "classics" aisle of Movie Gallery wondering what devilish thriller to take home for a night of fun. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
There's an enormous possibility that everyone has been exposed to a Hitchcock film at one time or another, but for those of you who never have, now is the time. I urge you to go for the obscure films just as much as the famous ones. Each film has its own charm and mystery. Even sixty years after their creation, these films are more entertaining and more skillfully presented than some of the garbage put out today.
For example, why would someone even think of remaking Psycho (1960) to fit a modern world? Psycho (1998) was a complete disaster to American viewers who recognized that it could easily be put to shame next to Hitchcock's timeless classic. Besides, the original Psycho has more drama and suspense than any other movie of its time, possibly more than most films that came after.
Hitchcock's films were the first step towards the development of the genre of thrillers, and to a large extent, they remain the best of their kind.
Alfred Hitchcock uses many different techniques that contribute to the success of his suspense thrillers. He provides information for his audience by drawing attention to details. This gives the audience an inside look at information that his characters themselves are not aware of until it is too late.
Almost all of Hitchcock's films are psychological thrillers. Hitchcock uses camera techniques to convey unspoken truths. A good portion of his best known films were shot in black and white, and the director was a master at using shadows and lighting in order to enhance the effect of the photography in his films.
Hitchcock became a full fledged director in 1921 producing nine silent films early in his career. Even in the absence of words, these films provided anticipation and suspense because of the eerie images projected to the audience.
Hitchcock's first movie incorporating sound was Blackmail (1929). It is still considered a masterpiece because of the way that Hitchcock carefully and artistically uses sound to tell a story. His films' soundtracks magnify essential themes in the plots of his mysteries.
For those looking to rediscover the world of genuine suspense, and master filmmaking, films like North by Northwest (1959), Rear Window (1954), and Vertigo (1958) are classics that should not be missed. The third is my personal favorite of Hitchcock's pieces, with Psycho coming in at a close second.
Famous actors that frequently appear in Hitchcock films include Anthony Perkins, James Stewart, Cary Grant. Hitchcock is also famous for putting himself conspicuously into his own movies. With the exception of a few, like Notorious (1946), he has cameos in all of his films. Other works of his that are worth looking at include To Catch a Thief (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The Birds (1963), Strangers On A Train (1951), and Dial M for Murder (1954). Each of these will leave you on the edge of your seat. And don't worry, for all of you who can't sit through a movie without a love scene factored into the plot, all of these fulfill the necessary requirements.
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