Alfred Hitchcock Marathon

[Tom]

Title: Sabotage
Year: 1936
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating:
Length: 76 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: German: MPEG-2 Mono, English: MPEG-2 Mono
Subtitles:

Stars:
Slyvia Sydney
Oscar Homolka
Desmond Tester
John Loder
Joyce Barbour

My Thoughts:

Sadly, the video and audio quality of my DVD release again put a damper on my enjoyment of another Hitchcock movie.
The scene, of which Hitchcock thinks, it was a mistake, is the best bit of the movie. I like how this scene ends and I am glad, Hitchcock couldn't pull a George Lucas on it and change it to the way he thinks would be better.

Here an interview with Hitchcock about the famous scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dhbSUP9mhk

Rating:

[Jon]

Thanks for posting that. I always enjoy his interviews, though who's the interviewer? He wasn't very good, with his overly obvious leading questions!

It's the build-up without a reward that caused the problem. Films were structured much better back then in general and audiences were far more invested emotionally in characters, so doing it like that was like punching the viewer in the stomach! I doubt Hitchcock suffered from nostalgia much so he'd never dream of altering it even if he filmed it today. Probably the closest he came to a similar experiment was Psycho and he did it perfectly there...

Spoiler (hover to show)

Killing the main character a third of the way in, despite all the time the audience spent with her motivations for the theft. I think Tarantino must love that method because he's used it twice in Dusk Till Dawn and Death Proof.

Ironically, demonstrating you could still go too far, Michael Powell released Peeping Tom that same year and destroyed his own career. The killer had this trick of filming his own murders, making the audience see them from his POV and therefore making them complicit in the crimes. Then, they were horrified, now it's a masterpiece. And sadly if the same trick was used today, we'd barely notice!

[Achim]

Thanks for the interview, Tom! I have once read the nook with the famous interview by Francois Tuffaut but rarely got to hear Hitch speak...

The scene, of which Hitchcock thinks, it was a mistake, is the best bit of the movie. I like how this scene ends and I am glad, Hitchcock couldn't pull a George Lucas on it and change it to the way he thinks would be better.

I think it's like Jon said, that the audiences simply weren't ready for it at the time. Cinema was much more escapism at the time and the audience was left hanging (or worse, actually, they were kicked in the stomach) at the end of the scene. Nowadays "we've seen it all" and it would not enrage an audience as much.

Spoiler (hover to show)

I think Tarantino must love that method because he's used it twice in Dusk Till Dawn and Death Proof.

You simply mean the switch in style he pulls for From Dusk Till Dawn...? Otherwise I don't remember Tarantino using the Psycho method in that one...

Spoiler (hover to show)

Only person getting killed early is Richie and honestly, who cares, other than Gecko?

Ironically, demonstrating you could still go too far, Michael Powell released Peeping Tom that same year and destroyed his own career. The killer had this trick of filming his own murders, making the audience see them from his POV and therefore making them complicit in the crimes. Then, they were horrified, now it's a masterpiece. And sadly if the same trick was used today, we'd barely notice!

Good call here! Main actor was German, as you certainly knew. Seen it once in the past and have the Criterion release on my Wish List...

[Jon]

Thanks for the interview, Tom! I have once read the nook with the famous interview by Francois Tuffaut but rarely got to hear Hitch speak...

Those interviews were originally recorded and the audio pops up on one of the DVDs at least. Rebecca, I think it was. They're great.

Spoiler (hover to show)

I think Tarantino must love that method because he's used it twice in Dusk Till Dawn and Death Proof.

You simply mean the switch in style he pulls for From Dusk Till Dawn...? Otherwise I don't remember Tarantino using the Psycho method in that one...

Spoiler (hover to show)

Only person getting killed early is Richie and honestly, who cares, other than Gecko?

Dusk Till Dawn's pitch is far broader by affecting the whole narrative rather than one or two characters, but I think the method is similar at least. You think you're watching one story, but actually, no, it's something entirely different. More importantly, you could argue that the stories central character changes, which is very unusual.

Death Proof I think is definitely more Psycho in style...

Spoiler (hover to show)

He cheats the audience into wanting to know more about the girls, especially the gorgeous moment with the jukebox and the text messages. We'll never know, because as Psycho shows, murder destroys lives. It doesn't matter who you are or where you were headed.

I do think Death Proof is hugely underrated, but it's possible without Hitchcock's deft touch, audiences got pissed off that it happened. Also, the change in pace is too jarring. But Tarantino has always been interested in proper audience manipulation; I remember an interview with him explaining the ear slicing moment. He plays Stuck in the Middle With You and has Madsen do a silly dance to make the viewer have fun, then wham! The violence kicks in with barely any warning forcing said viewer to "pay" for the fun.

Good call here! Main actor was German, as you certainly knew. Seen it once in the past and have the Criterion release on my Wish List...

It might be worth checking if the Criterion is really the best release now. I have a special R2 Optimum edition and it's very good. Optimum are inconsistent, but sometimes pull together a really nice edition.

[Rich]

I found this article about Hitchcock remakes really interesting - http://www.slashfilm.com/article.php/20060828remaking-hitchcock

[Achim]

Not entirely surprising to me was that none of those remakes was well-known and I hard heard of none of them, really. The only one I know and had actually seen was "Throw Momma off the Train", which is not an entirely bad film, even.

[Jon]

It's an old story because they only mention Disturbia as coming soon and that is now probably the most well known modern remake. I love Throw Momma From The Train, it's a marvellous comedy.

I was really surprised by the writers wish for another Vertigo. Why not do a tracing of the Mona Lisa as well then? Mind you I really lost all respect for him when he had a good word for Psycho, the most pointless of pointless remakes!

Hitchcock films are generally too identifiable for a remake to work. He did miss Flightplan, which is pretty much The Lady Vanishes and as I've said before, Dangerous Crossing is obviously inspired by that. There's another one in the Film Noir series called The House on Telegraph Hill with more than a passing resemblance to Rebecca.

Rebecca and The 39 Steps crop up from time to time, but the books in both cases are as well known as the films, so often they'll go back to source.

In general you're more likely to see Hitchcockian elements in other films. One of the more recent was What Lies Beneath, full of paranoia and secret agendas, affecting seemingly normal people and ending with a decent chase sequence. Hitch would have had a field day and it would have been much better! Still, decent enough though.

Carol Reed is no slouch and it would be cheap to compare him directly to Hitchcock, however I do think Fallen Idol is the best film Hitchcock never directed.  To be fair, I think Reed was better suited to it, with warmer characters than Hitchcock usually has.

[Jimmy]

I love Throw Momma From The Train, it's a marvellous comedy.

Are you seriously talking and I mean really about the Stallone's movie with a title like this
If this is the case, the only thing I can say is 

[RossRoy]

Are you seriously talking and I mean really about the Stallone's movie with a title like this

You're thinking of Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

Jon is talking about this (I think)

 

[Jon]

Are you seriously talking and I mean really about the Stallone's movie with a title like this

You're thinking of Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

Jon is talking about this (I think)

 

  Correct!

[Jimmy]

That's what happen when you answer to fast

[Tom]

Next deadline: 2009-05-03 Young and Innocent
Only one watching this time. Marie, do you hope to still be able to catch up? 
I don't mind sitting this week out, if it helps you to catch up. Otherwise I will include the next movie in this deadline, but that would add another movie to your "to watch" queue.

[Tom]

Next deadline: 2009-05-10 The Lady Vanishes
Registered reviewers for this one: Achim, Dragonfire, Jon, Tom

[Dragonfire]

Yes I do still want to get caught up with this....anyone know how to add some extras hours to my days so I can manage that? 
I know I'm horribly behind...but I do still want to watch the movies...so hopefully I can get caught up soon...or at least start to make some progress. 

[Jimmy]

Yes I do still want to get caught up with this....anyone know how to add some extras hours to my days so I can manage that? 

There always my old trick that keept me awake for 2 or 3 days that I was using many years ago. But it's costly and certainly not a good recommandation

6 years now that I haven't touch it or any other
Unless we have to include the cigarette and the coffee