End of Hitchcock Month

And this concludes the month of Hitchcock film reviews!  Which Hitch film is your favorite?

I hope you enjoyed this month of reviews dedicated to my favorite director!  Maybe you found a new film to watch because something in a review got your interest.  I hope so!

There are lots of other films by the Master of Suspense.  I'm sure over the next year, I'll review some of them.

Torn Curtain, 1966

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews,









And now, the last review of April!

American physicist Michael Armstrong (Newman) is on his way to Europe with his secretary/fiancee Sarah (Andrews) for a big mathematics conference or something.  (Is it ridiculous that I don't completely understand what is going on?)  Anyway, the whole point is that everyone thinks Armstrong is defecting to Germany, and he can't tell them that really he is working for the US government as a sort of spy, trying to get a formula for something!  

Okay, I don't know why I don't know the details because this truly IS one of my favorites.   It has PAUL NEWMAN!  Enough said.

Torn Curtain is not at all scary, just suspenseful, and of course, romantic.  And, no, Julie Andrews does NOT sing.

CAMEO:  In the hotel in the beginning, Hitch is seated, holding a baby.

North by Northwest, 1959

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason






Have you ever seen this clip form the movies-- a man running down a road with a crop duster chasing him?  It's from Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

Advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Grant) is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies.  When he escapes from them, he goes to the police, who don't believe him, and then the government contacts him.  They want to use him because the spies already think they know who he is.  He works with another agent, (Saint), who is working with the foreigners under cover.  Anyway, it's a great story and very suspenseful.  It all ends with an exciting scene on Mount Rushmore!

CAMEO: Hitch appears right at the beginning, just as the credits ends and his name is shown, he is trying to get on a bus, which closes its doors just as he gets there.  It's one of my favorites!  :)

The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK


Stars: James Stewart, Doris Day





While vacationing in Morocco, Dr. Benjamin McKenna (Stewart) and his wife, Jo (Day), accidentally become involved in an assassination plot, and because of their knowledge (as in, they "know too much"), their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet.  They follow the criminals to London, where they try to track them down and save their son, and maybe the ambassador set to be assassinated.  All without the involvement of the police.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is so suspenseful, and so emotionally moving.  When Jo finds out her son has been taken, I cry along with her every time!  And when she sings "Que Sera, Sera" (which was written for this movie) at the end, I am a complete wreck.

 

The Road to El Dorado, 2000

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!

Kevin Kline--Kenneth Branagh


Director: Bibo Bergeron, Will Finn, Don Paul, David Silverman


Stars: Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez




Two thieves find a map to the "city of gold" and decide to try their luck.  This is very funny, but not the cleanest movie for children.  There's a bit too much of the guy and girl trying to be alone, if you know what I mean.  But hey, it works for a "movie connection" movie.  And it really IS funny!

The Trouble With Harry, 1955

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine










When a body is discovered in a small Vermont town, trouble and hilarity ensue!  I don't want to give anything away- just watch it.  Not your typical Hitch film, as you can see from the poster.  

To Catch a Thief, 1955

Re-post (original post- June 15, 2011)



Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams







Retired jewel thief John Robie (Grant) is compelled to prove his innocence in a new string of robberies which bears a striking resemblance to his old M.O. He decides to anticipate the moves of his "copy-cat burglar" hoping to catch him in the act and hand him over to the police. Tipped off by an insurance agent (John Williams), he befriends the people he himself would target, the wealthy Mrs. Stevens (Landis) and her daughter Francie (Kelly).

This was filmed in Monaco and the French Riviera, and it's such a beautiful movie! To me, it is just perfect for summer.

Grace Kelly's wardrobe makes me want to go back in time!

This isn't like other Hitchcock films. This is more romance than suspense, so don't worry, those of you who don't like Hitch's style. Try this out- you're in for a treat!

Rear Window, 1954

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK


Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr






One of the best!

Photographer Jeff (Stewart) broke his leg on an assignment, and cannot leave his apartment.  So, he sits   in his wheelchair and watches all of his neighbors across the building's courtyard.  His fiancee Lisa (Kelly) joins him, and they witness something in Mr. Thorwald's apartment that strikes them as suspicious.  Together, they investigate, and stumble across the shocking truth!

It's wonderful!  Really!  It does go slowly, but I love it!  I am always on the edge of my seat.  Hitch truly is the Master of Suspense!

CAMEO: Hitch appears winding the clock in the songwriter's apartment, about 25 minutes in.

NOTE: I've watched the extras on the DVD, and it's really neat to hear about how it was filmed.  The set was 4 or 5 stories high and all constructed on a stage because they had to be able to control everything.  I love watching the extras on movies, and this one has plenty.

Dial 'M' for Murder, 1954

repost (original post: September 28, 2011)

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings

When ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Milland) discovers that his wife Margot (Kelly) is having an affair with her old school friend Mark (Cummings), he begins to plan her murder.

His intricate plan involves hiring someone to kill his wife, preferably someone who can be blackmailed into it. After finding the perfect man for the job, Wendice explains the whole detailed plan to him, and the next night, while Wendice takes Mark to a party (using Mark as his alibi), the murderer is to get in using a key Wendice hid for him, and then strangle his wife when she goes to answer the telephone call from Wendice himself. Everything goes just fine.....until Margot fights back as she's being strangled, and ends up stabbing her assailant with a pair of scissors.

I LOVE this film. Wendice is chilling. Mark is desperate to protect Margot. And the detective in charge (John Williams) is absolutely brilliant in the way he solves the crime.

Strangers on a Train, 1951

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Patricia Hitchcock

Tennis star Guy (Granger) meets Bruno (Walker) on a train while travelling to see his wife, who has smeared his good name all over the papers with her behavior- though she won't give him a divorce. As it's all common knowledge, Bruno knows it too, and begins a disturbing conversation with Guy, offering to kill his wife if Guy will kill Bruno's father. Guy shakes it off, and wonders what is wrong with this crazy man. He thinks nothing of it until his wife ends up dead. And because Guy is in love with another woman (Ruth Roman), suspicion will naturally fall his way.

One of my favorites! Crazy suspense, and Bruno is so creepy!

I love it.

CAMEO: Hitch appears early on, carrying a double bass onto the train, as Guy leaves.

French Kiss, 1995

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!!

Meg Ryan-- Kevin Kline

Director: Lawrence Kasden

Stars: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton

Kate (Ryan) heads to France to surprise her fiance Charlie (Hutton). The trip is a disaster from the start, as she is terrified of flying, and the man seated next to her, Luc (Kline), tries his best to irritate her, and it doesn't stop when she gets off the plane. Having used her to smuggle something, Luc must now follow Kate. So he is there when she arrives at Charlie's hotel and finds him kissing another woman.

Kate goes off the deep end, and Luc helps her plan her revenge on Charlie.

Very sweet, funny, and romantic! I can't do it justice and of course I don't want to give anything away!

Rope, 1948

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: James Stewart, Farley Granger, John Dall

I find this one to be chilling. Absolutely chilling!!

It's not scary, though, just crazy with suspense. In the first minute of the film, a man is murdered by Brandon (Dall) and Phillip (Granger), and then the two young men throw a small dinner party- right there in their apartment, in the very room where the murder took place. They invite their old teacher Rupert Cadell (Stewart) as well as the victim's parents and fiancee, and as everyone is chatting, the body is just sitting in a large chest, the top of which is used as a place for the refreshments.

The whole time, you are just dying of suspense, wondering if Cadell will catch on to their hints, and connect the dots, and figure out what his former students have done.

Amazing and awful at the same time. Really.

The Paradine Case, 1947

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton

When she is accused of poisoning her blind husband, Mrs. Paradine hires Anthony Keane (Peck), a brilliant and successful lawyer. As he gets to know her, Keane begins to fall in love with her, which doesn't help his relationship with his wife Gay (Todd). Gay can see that her husband has feelings for Mrs. Paradine, and so she hopes that there will be a verdict of not-guilty. Otherwise, she will lose her husband forever.

Keane begins to investigate the Paradine home, and soon finds Mr. Paradine's servant, Andre Latour, to be a very suspicious character. Could Latour have killed his master? The outcome, is- I thought- surprising. This isn't the most pleasant film.

CAMEO: Hitch is leaving a train station, carrying a cello.

Notorious, 1946

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains

Alicia (Bergman) is asked by the government to spy on a group of Nazis in South America. She already has a connection because her father was good friends with one of them- a Mr. Sebastian (Rains). Devlin (Grant) escorts Alicia to South America, and while waiting for more particulars about her assignment, the two fall in love, though with the whole espionage situation going on, things are a bit complicated.

They stage a meeting with Mr. Sebastian, who is thrilled to see her, and soon begins to woo her. When asked by the government to reciprocate his feelings, Alicia pretends to be in love with him, all the while reporting to Devlin about the people that come and go in the house.

After a few weeks, she becomes engaged to Sebastian, but he wonders if she truly loves him, and if he suspects her, her life is in serious danger.

CAMEO: Hitch's cameo in this one is an hour into the film: at a party, he is at the champagne table.

You've Got Mail, 1998

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!

Tom Hanks--Meg Ryan



Director: Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, Bewitched)

Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Steve Zahn, Dabney Coleman

Yes, this one is one of the best ever. Way to go!

Kathleen Kelly's (Ryan) bookstore is threatened by the new mega bookstore nearby- Fox Books. Joe Fox (Hanks) feels bad that he's putting Kathleen out of business, especially when he finds out that his secret email pen pal, with whom he has fallen in love, turns out to be Kathleen herself. Meanwhile, Kathleen is torn between her anonymous pen pal online and the charming Joe Fox.

Okay, I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!

And no review would do it justice. This is one of those long, quiet movies. You will love it.

And yes, it is a remake. The first was "Shop Around the Corner" (1940 -James Stewart), and then a musical of "Shop Around the Corner" called "In the Good Old Summertime" (1949 -Judy Garland).

Shadow of a Doubt, 1943

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey, Henry Travers

Young Charlie (Teresa Wright) is thrilled when her uncle Charlie (Cotten) comes for a visit. Uncle Charlie has always favored his namesake, and his sister, young Charlie's mother, has always favored Charlie, her much younger brother.

Everyone is talking about a serial killer on the run; a man who gets to know rich women and then strangles them and takes their money. And soon young Charlie's suspicions are roused by the behavior of her beloved Uncle. There might be more to Uncle Charlie than meets the eye.

SPOILER!!!!!This film is absolutely chilling! I mean, imagine finding out a beloved family member is a serial killer! A really nice guy, your favorite Uncle who always brings you presents and cheers up the whole family. And he's actually a psychopath. It's nto actually scary, just very suspenseful. One of my favorites.

NOTE: This was Hitch's favorite of all his films.

CAMEO: Hitch appears in this one, but with his back to the camera playing cards. It's on a train.

Saboteur, 1942

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, Otto Kruger

Barry (Cummings) is on the run from the bad guys and the police when he is falsely accused of setting fire to the aircraft factory where he and his best friend worked. As this factory made aircraft for use in the war, this was a distinctly anti-American act. But Barry has a clue to who might have started it, because of a chance encounter at work, and he sets out on his own to prove his innocence because if he waits for the police, it will be too late. The bad guys are planning some big event and he must stop it.

But he isn't completely alone. When he seeks shelter in a cabin in the woods, he meets Pat (Lane), who eventually comes to believe that he is telling the truth.

Because of Robert Cummings, this is one of my favorites of Hitch's films! Cummings is so brilliant. (And handsome, too!) Hitch has a common theme of the common man being wrongfully accused. And Cummings plays it well.

CAMEO: Hitch appears on the street when the real Saboteur's car stops, and it's actually about an hour into the movie.

Rebecca, 1940

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson

A young woman marries an older man, Mr. de Winter, and goes to lives with him in his large estate called Manderly. The new Mrs. de Winter must get used to this whole new life, getting to know his staff and what her place is at Manderly. The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers doesn't make it easy, with her obvious obsession for the previous Mrs. de Winter, an apparently wonderful young woman named Rebecca, who died some years before. The new Mrs. de Witner fears that her husband will always love Rebecca, and that she will always be a wall between them. But things are not as they seem, as she soon discovers when Rebecca's sunken sail boat is found in the bay.

I like the movie, and the unexpected twist. I've actually seen it before, and I had forgotten the end, so it really WAS unexpected. What I hate is how nervous and scared Mrs. de Winter is of everything. Why is she so afraid of the stupidest things. Just speak up!!!!!!!!!! It drove me crazy.

CAMEO: actually, I don't know. Look it up.

Young and Innocent, 1937

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Nova Pilbeam, Derrick De Marney, Percy Marmont

Robert (De Marney) is accused of murdering a famous movie star, and when there's a commotion at the court house during his hearing, he escapes in the back of a car, which happens to belong to Erica (Pilbeam), the daughter of the chief magistrate. She is shocked to find him in her car, but she's out of gas and he helps her push it to a station. Soon, Erica is convinced that Robert is innocent, and together they are on the run from the police, searching for proof of Robert's innocence.

It's good! Not at all scary- not even a bit.

CAMEO: Near the beginning of the movie, outside the courthouse, Hitch is trying to take a picture during all the commotion.

Forrest Gump, 1994

Thursday Movie Connection!!

Robin Wright--Tom Hanks

Director: Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Romancing the Stone, Cast Away)

Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise

SPOILERS!! This review is really just me writing my thoughts as I watch it......

Okay, so I remember this movie, or bits of it, anyway, from long ago. Wow, what a weird movie. First of all, what was my mom thinking to allow me to watch this? This has way too much sex and innuendo and nudity in it. I doubt I will ever be watching this again. Too much dirtiness. But it's also funny.

A very funny part is when he's talking about how easy the Army is: he narrates, "And you always end everything with 'Yes, Drill Sergeant!" and then he yells it with the rest of his unit. "YES, DRILL SERGEANT!!!" His face, and the way he moves his head, is priceless.

The way he looks at the world is simple and sweet. But it's so sad, too. When Jenny (Wright) tells him he doesn't know what love is, I wanted to cry. It's so messed up. SHE is the one who doesn't know. When his letters are returned to him unopened, I hated her. And almost cried. And then they were reunited in D.C. -- and I almost cried again!

When he asks Jenny if little Forrest is smart or if he's like him, and he can't even say it, he's so choked up. That's the most beautiful moment to me.

Lieutenant Dan's hair is nice. I couldn't figure out why I both loved and hated it. Until I realized that it's exactly like mine. Curly wavy hair. You love it and hate it.

Good soundtrack. I love oldies!

The 39 Steps, 1935

Repost! (original post: September 27, 2011)


Director: Alfred Hitchcock (Dial 'M' for Murder, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, Rope, Saboteur, etc......)

Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll

Hannay (Donat) is taken by surprise at the theater (where, incidentally, he is watching an interesting spectacle of a man nicknamed "Memory" who will answer any question from the audience, because he memorizes 50 facts every day) when a woman comes to him and asks him to take her home. When she discovers that there are men on the street watching his apartment, she begins to tell him about the "39 Steps" and how she must go see someone in Scotland or the UK's secrets will get out of the country. (I don't think they were specific on secrets; I think we are just supposed to know that these are super important secrets. Or it could be I wasn't paying attention. Except I'm pretty sure I was.)

Then the mysterious woman comes to his room in the night and tells him to run or he'll be next. And when she falls over, he sees she has a knife in her back!

This incident convinces him that she was telling the truth, so, still unsure of what to do, but knowing he's headed to see a professor in Scotland, Hannay loses the goons after him by hopping a train. But at the next station, he discovers they're still after him. To escape them, he gets into a young woman's compartment and starts kissing her! (Classic escape! Maybe it was Hitch who started the trend?) The woman, Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), does not believe Hannay, and instantly tries to turn him in, but he is able to get off the train and run.

Well, this summary is getting long. I really liked this movie! I can't believe I've never seen it before! The cover for it (at least the one on Netflix) is a bit scary-looking, with a bunch of bloody hand-prints. The film has nothing to do with that! Except for when the mysterious woman is stabbed in the beginning, but it's not bloody! I don't want to say anything more, except that Pamela and Hannay eventually get hand-cuffed together, and are on the run from the guys trying to kill Hannay, and end up sharing a hotel room. How was this allowed on the screen in the 30s!!!!?? I mean, nothing happens, but still!

It's thrilling! :)

April: A month of Hitchcock

This is NOT an April Fool. The only reviews of the month of April will be Hitchcock films! (Except for the ones on Thursday, of course, which will be the Thursday movie connections.)

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899, in Leytonstone, London, England. In his film-making career, spanning six decades, he directed over 50 films. From "No. 13" in 1922 to "Family Plot" in 1976. Hitch changed the way movies were made and stories were told. He is referred to as "The Master of Suspense".

Among other things, he is noted for making a cameo appearance in each of his films. And as I review them, I'll mention each cameo, so you won't have to search if you're a new fan.

Hitch died on April 29, 1980, at the age of 80. So, that's why April is dedicated to his films. Plus, I just don't like any other director like I like Hitch. I don't like horror films (I've never seen Psycho, and probably never will- and I had to stop watching Frenzy because it was just too awful), but suspense, and action, and romance- I love. Hitch directed most of my favorite movies!

Get ready for a month of suspense, romance, adventure, wrongful accusations of guilt, shocking discoveries, and wonderful, exciting endings on great National monuments and statues, etc.