Hitchcock Journey

Over the last year I have been on a grand mission to view every Alfred Hitchcock film in chronological order. I had purchased several sets and realized just how close I was to owning all 52 extant films. Four are presently unreleased on DVD: Rebecca, Notorious, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case. I've seen the first three on the big screen or video at one time or another, so only the fourth remains as completely unseen. I've heard it is among his worst films, but I've also learned that some others with bad reputations weren't nearly as awful as they were cracked up to be. One of my goals was to view them all objectively with fresh eyes.

All 19 available British films are contained on two sets and are public domain, so the DVD quality varies. Each film has its charms; even the ones far removed from Hitchcock's eventual oeuvre. In fact, even though some are pretty much straight dramas essentially done as contractual obligations, the Hitchcock touch can still be discerned, and provided an opportunity for him to develop his craft. The first 6 are silent, but Hitchcock's use of imagery rather than a lot of subtitles, makes them unique for the time period. His first film as director was 1927's The Lodger, and appropriately set the tone for his later style. A series of Jack the Ripper-type murders confounds London, and a family becomes suspicious that their upstairs lodger may be the culprit. Be careful not to read the blurb on the DVD cover before viewing, as it maddeningly gives away the essence of the mystery. I've learned to never read even the slightest sentence (if it can be helped) about a movie before viewing it, even if I've seen it before. It's generally preferable to suspend disbelief if you can.

The other silents are: The Ring, Easy Virtue, The Farmer's Wife, Champagne, and The Manxman. I enjoyed all of them, but they are admittedly probably for Hitchcock fans or film buffs (of which I am both) only. Hitchcock's first talkie, Blackmail, was actually filmed in both silent and talking versions, of which only the latter survives. Appropriately, the first 20 minutes or so are without dialogue. This movie is the first that is instantly recognizable as what we have come to know as an Alfred Hitchcock film. It was still an uneven road, though, before Hitchcock had more or less complete creative control over both choosing and directing his projects. Juno and the Paycock, The Skin Game, Rich and Strange, Number 17, and Jamaica Inn are in this category. Of the remaining British films, Murder!, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Secret Agent, Sabotage, Young and Innocent, and The Lady Vanishes, are the best. After this impressive output, he was approached by American producers, and agreed to come to Hollywood to work for David O. Selznick.

His first film in America was Rebecca, starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier, and it was a big success, though Hitchcock was obligated to stay close to the Daphne Du Maurier novel, while doing things the Selznick way much of the time. It's still a masterpiece of its kind, and I find little to quibble about in its presentation. Next was Foreign Correspondent, another tour-de-force, that established the Hitchcock style in Hollywood as its own entity once and for all. Mr. and Mrs. Smith was a rare romantic comedy for Hitchcock, though there were almost always at least traces of the genre in his work. It's thoroughly enjoyable for what it is. Next came Suspicion, which combines more of the traits we've come to expect in a true Hitchcock film. Joan Fontaine won the Academy Award for best actress, the only such victory for a Hitchcock cast member. It also includes Cary Grant in the first of his many roles with the director. The ending had to be changed in order to make the film more palatable to audiences (and Grant fans), and the film has been criticized for this, but I particularly like the way it turns out.

World War II provided the basis for Saboteur, another fine vehicle, and features the Empire State Building in the thrilling finale (sorry to mention the ending, but it is quite famous). Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock's own favorite, followed, and it portrayed a typical American small town as a backdrop to suspicions of murder. Next, Hitchcock made two short propaganda films for the war effort that ended up not being released at the time; they were grim espionage tales that didn't necessarily march in step to the message that the producers wanted. Also, they were filmed in French, with English subtitles, and this adds to their inaccessibility; I found them almost unwatchable. 1944's Lifeboat finds Hitchcock back in more familiar territory with yet another World War II story. This film is unique because all of the action takes place on the lifeboat, providing a cinematic challenge that Hitchcock relished. After this are the 3 remaining films that are currently unavailable due to ownership technicalities (here's wishing for a swift resolution to this).

1948's Rope was another unusually filmed project; it employed one take for the entire film. This necessitated that the actors perform their lines like a stage play and the camera would steal away to focus on a doorknob, for instance, when a scene change was required. It was largely successful, though never repeated to such lengths again. Under Capricorn is not known as one of Hitchcock's best; however I found it to be much better than expected. It features Ingrid Bergman in her last appearance in a Hitchcock film, and is worthwhile just for her performance; one of her scenes features a long take a la Rope. Stage Fright was a film that rises above a possible flaw in the plot (I won't give it away), to achieve classic proportions by the end. The supposed drawback is considered revolutionary today, though to Hitchcock himself it was merely a mistake that was discovered too late to rectify. The film also features Marlene Dietrich in a performance that's worth the price of admission.

Strangers on a Train begins a sequence of films during the 1950s where Hitchcock was arguably at his most consistent. I Confess, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window follow in rapid succession. Rear Window, of course, is one of the greatest films of his career. It combines star power, suspense, and humor in a cumulative effect. This was followed by the lightweight but fun To Catch a Thief, which was Grace Kelly's last film (before marrying the Count of Monaco and giving up acting). It was ahead of its time and reminded me a bit of early James Bond or the Pink Panther films as far as locale and style. The Trouble with Harry was a farce that is more enjoyable the second time around, once you aren't expecting anything serious. The Man Who Knew Too Much was a remake of of the 1934 classic and it stands on its own as a vehicle for Jimmy Stewart. The Wrong Man, with Henry Fonda, was an excellent film noir based on a true story. Vertigo was better than I remembered, perhaps because I expected too much the first go-round. North by Northwest is simply one of Hitchcock's best, the peak of his 50s films both literally and figuratively.

Psycho marks the beginning of a new era for Hitchcock that coincided with the advent of the 1960s. There was a modernity present that wasn't as apparent before. The film stands up well and represents Hitchcock at his absolute pinnacle. It would be difficult to match the dizzying heights that his career reached with this film, and he never was quite able to. Tippi Hedron was Hitchcock's new star and was featured to good effect in his next two films. The Birds was a flawed masterpiece that nevertheless is still one of my favorites; Marnie was a lot better the second time through (Sean Connery is superb). Torn Curtain stood up better than could have been foreseen (Paul Newman and Julie Andrews were wonderful together, in my opinion).

Topaz was disappointing and might win the award for Hitchcock's worst film: the plot is grim and there is no humor or romance to brighten the proceedings. It's overlong and lacks star power to carry it. Frenzy was a return to form, while also a return to England for Hitchcock. Family Plot was his final film, and it was at least successful as a black comedy of sorts, though it can't compare to any of his finest films. It has such a bad reputation that I ended up enjoying it because it wasn't nearly as awful as I feared or remembered; maybe perspective allows us to be more forgiving. Part of what I was trying to do was give each film another chance without the expectations that usually accompanied the initial screening.

I came away from the journey with even more respect for Hitchcock as an artist than I had before, which was substantial. He definitely stands as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, director of all time. His career spanned an unprecedented 6 decades, and bridged the silent, sound, and modern eras. There is not another director that comes close to his level of output on a year after year basis. He never received the kind of recognition he deserved until late in his career, but his legacy will endure for generations to come. I look forward to watching all of these films again over time, and will no doubt find new treasures within them with each new viewing.


Sources:

http://imdb.com/name/nm0000033/