The Last Movie You Watched?

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Haha, no I haven't. I hope it has a terrible ending, because all of the Hitchcock films I have seen (all 3 ) have ended terribly... particularly Psycho's, where the stupid psychiatrist explains EVERYTHING that we already know/guess/should figure out for ourselves.

I think I should see more before seeing a parody of it - just as one should watch the classic horror films before seeing Scream so you can pick up on all the references.

 

It's a 1963 movie... You have to put it back in context, the audience found it terrifying at that time. Even if you don't like it (I personally don't) you have to admire the craftsmanship. Especially considering that at that time there were very strict rules that severely restricted what could be shown on screen.

What is the other Hitchcock movie you've seen? Marnie? Vertigo? North by Northwest? Rear Window? When it comes to old movies I think it's best to see them with a time machine, what I mean is that you have to adjust or once you're there you won't understand the locals.

Talking about machines, I've watched the Fly the other day (the David Cronenberg version) part of the fun for me was remembering how frightening it was when I was a kid. If I had watched it for the first time now I would probably have been distracted by the special effects (really good for 1986 though) or the haircuts. Hence the need for a time machine.

 

Vertigo is the other one I've seen. I am not bashing Hitchcock films, I like them very much (The dialogue in The Birds is incredible, and there are some spectacularly directed shots), but he seems to always give up at the end and cop out with some cheesy ending, either explaining everything (Psycho, Vertigo*) or not finishing all his payoffs (The Birds).

*The "ending" I am referring to in Vertigo is when Kim Novak's character explains everything in the letter, then rips it up. The actual ending-ending was fine.

I definitely do; to work with all of those birds and get them to do what he wanted must have been incredibly difficult, and the way he makes it seem very natural works quite well. There was only one moment I felt drawn out of the movie by his style (the jump cut between the birds on the playground and when they take off was way too noticeable).

He is definitely a great director, just some of his flaws are really bothersome to me (like poor rear-projection while driving in Vertigo made me go nuts).

 

I felt you were dismissing him too quickly. There is another one of his film that you should see apart from the classics I've listed in my previous post and it's Rope with James Stewart, it's the first colour movie Hitchcock directed but apart from that it's very interesting on purely technical grounds (it was shot in ten takes only and it's almost real time, the duration of the movie equals the story). If Hitchcock had the tools that filmmakers have now he would have done some pretty cool things I've seen a documentary about this movie and it's impressive to see the layout of the set with all the big rails to move the dolly around (cameras were really big then). I'm no expert but I've watched this movie very closely and didn't notice any of the equipment which is quite a feat since it must have taken most of the space on the set.

True, but rear-projection in driving scenes always feel awkward in old movies, especially in colour movies. Black and white movies could get away with that but it really shows in old colour movies. Still, I remember a scene in an old movie with James Cagney, I think it was the Public Enemy (but it probably isn't since I can't find that scene), in which the director chose to close the back of the "car" to eliminate this issue it worked really well and created a closed atmosphere that suited perfectly the action. These scenes rarely looked good. I'm thinking about Dr No, compared to today's standards, the chase scene with the hearse is very awkward in that respect (link).

 

Will do; the new Ladyfriend is a big fan of older movies and I have been isntructed to see a bunch of classics, including most of Hitchcock, Stewart, Grant, Bogart, Hepburn, and Tracey's work. Rope sounds really interesting; are there only ten cuts, or does he cut back and forth between the same ten shots?

As for rear projection, it isn't so bad in Psycho or The Birds, when them turning the wheel matches up with the moving of the projection, but it was all out of sync in Vertigo, which completely took me out of the movie watching experience. I don't mind it when it matches up because I understand the technological hindrances back then.