Film Persona

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" A common piece of trivia you hear about Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterwork " Psycho " is that it is the very first film to ever feature a shot of a flushing toilet. Perhaps this is a mild piece of trivia, however I think it really connects me to a greater contextual understanding of the whole film. I'm sure seeing a flushing toilet on screen may have been a great 'shock' to a 1960's audience. I'm not entirely sure 'shock' is the right word, but given that the image may have been possibly taboo and perhaps anecdotal of unwanted imagining, its safe to say that Hitchcock and writer Joseph Stefano really wanted to hit their audience with an unsettling image. I think this idea holds the key to the whole film. The entirety of " Psycho " is really an unsettling shock to the audience's senses.  After Hitchcock made " Vertigo " in 1958, many felt that it was a bloated, overbudgeted misf...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" Of all of Hitchcock's film I've seen, his 1958 masterwork " Vertigo " is by far is most perplexing. Walking away from the film, I feel a sense of confusion. Not necessarily because the film is rampant with plot holes, because really that's not the point of the film. Hitchcock films are full of plot holes and usually those turn out to be unnecessary to the integrity of the film. No, what confuses me about " Vertigo " is something far more deeper.  The film plays out like a noir: a retired detective gets dragged into a mystery involving a blonde femme fatale. However, " Vertigo ," with its bright saturated colors, looks nothing like a noir visually. Rather, its the visual inverse of one. However, Hitchcock uses the beauty of this incredible cinematography by Robert Burks to his own advantage. Typically in a noir, our protagonist cannot resist the urge to continue in his investigation, gravitating towar...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man" When discussing the breadth of Hitchcock's oeuvre, his 1956 film " The Wrong Man " is rarely mentioned. This is rather unfortunate, as it is a film well worth observing and discussing. It seems like Hitchcock's attempt at a noir, at a time when the noir genre had reached its natural conclusion. Two years later, Orson Welles' " Touch of Evil " would put the exclamation mark on the genre's finality. Despite being a noir-influenced film, it still has all the landmarks of a Hitchcock suspense film. In fact, you might say " The Wrong Man " is Hitchcock boiled down to his very essence.  The film stars Henry Fonda as New York City musician named Christopher. He has a wife, Rose (played by Vera Miles), and two children. Christopher and his wife are down on their luck and needing money for Rose's dental concerns. One day, Christopher goes into a life insurance company to try and get a loan on hi...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 " The Man Who Knew Too Much " is almost a direct remake of his 1934 film of the same name. As stated in an interview with Francois Truffaut in 1967, Hitchcock stated that the first version "is the work of a talented amateur," while the second "was made by a professional." Personally, I couldn't agree more, as I have seen both and very much prefer the 1956 version.  The film tells the story of an American family vacationing in French Morocco who become involved in a political conspiracy. After their son gets abducted, they must further entrench themselves into the mire of an assassination attempt. These aspects of the film scream Hitchcock, as he often makes films dealing with an everyday man, woman, or group who must get involved in a political conspiracy unsuspectedly.  The film does not offer much in the realms of thematic depth. It is, however, an entertaining...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" After dishing out " Rear Window ," the best film he had made in his career up until that point, Alfred Hitchcock decided to go on holiday. He did not take a break from making films, mind you. Rather, Hitchcock decided to make his 1955 film " To Catch a Thief " because he fancied himself a holiday in France. Watching the film makes it feel like you are watching Hitchcock on holiday. The film is full of lavish locations, beautiful views, and expensive aerial shots that were filmed from a G-AJOV helicopter.  The plot of the film, as well as its visual style, plays out like a James Bond movie, well before the character of Bond ever hit the screen in 1962 with " Dr. No ."  Cary Grant even behaves like James Bond. Grant, in 1953, had announced his retirement from acting. He felt that with screen presences like Marlon Brando and Montgomery Cliff, his type of acting was no longer required in the film industry. ...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" Often called the 'Master of Suspense,' Alfred Hitchcock was a master at creating tension and anxiety within his audiences. By the 1950s, he had perfected his craft and reached the pinnacle of his success. His 1954 classic " Rear Window " is no exception. Going into this film, I knew it was a classic and considered one of his best. Even so, the film far surpassed my expectations.  It stars Jimmy Stewart as L.B. Jeffries, a professional photographer who is confined to a wheelchair in his apartment in Greenwich Village, Manhattan after suffering a broken leg. He is visited daily by Stella, his nurse, and Lisa, his socialite girlfriend, played by Grace Kelly. L.B. often finds himself emotionally distant from Lisa, as he feels they live two separate lives. He continues to push her away, despite her wanting to spend her life with him. During his days cooped up in his apartment, he has nothing to do but look out his rear windo...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder" After watching Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 hit " Strangers on a Train ," I felt that despite Hitchcock's technical brilliance, he never really has a good story as a foundation. However, after watching " Dial M for Murder ," I found this only to be partially true. Sure, " Dial M for Murder " doesn't seem to have some deeper thematic resonance with 'the times' or hold some distinctly unique perspective about the nature of man. However, it's a fascinating film nonetheless.  The film follows the carefully meticulous plan of Ray Milland's Tony Wendice and his plan to murder his cheating wife, Margot, played by Grace Kelly. Most of the film's action takes place in a single apartment. However, unlike his 1948 experimental film, " Rope ," Hitchcock doesn't attempt any 'one-take' camera tricks. It is a simply shot and edited story as we watch Tony construct his ...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" It goes without saying that Alfred Hitchcock is a technical master of his craft. In watching his 1951 smash hit " Strangers on a Train ," this is readily apparent. The entire film is shot beautifully. There are images from the film that I simply cannot get out of my head. However, what I've come to notice from watching Hitchcock's filmography is his incredible lack of story and the films' flimsy thematic elements. As much as I want to engage with a Hitchcock film on a deeper level, it appears that style and 'suspense' seem to matter much more than anything else.  " Strangers on a Train " finds a famous tennis star named Guy Haines who desperately wants to divorce his promiscuous wife Miriam so he can marry Anne Morton, a senator's daughter. While traveling on a train, he meets Bruno Antony who suggests the two 'swap murders.' As in, Bruno will murder Miriam and Guy can murder B...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope" Now that Alfred Hitchcock was out from under the thumb of Producer David O. Selznick, he blossomed into a producer of his own. The first picture he produced, " Notorious ," was a smash success and allowed Hitchcock the opportunity to learn how to structure his own production. Soon after, he would produce and direct a film that many would consider a failure. 1948's " Rope " was not only a commercial and critical let-down, but even Hitchcock and film's star, Jimmy Stewart, looked back on the picture with a negative gaze.  The reason for the film's negative reaction was purely due to its experimental nature. Not Bunuel levels of experimental, mind you. Rather, it was something bold for a Hollywood film. The source of this boldness comes from the film's plot taking place in real-time, as well as its seemingly long, continuous take. The entire film plays out like one long, unedited, and unbroken scene. Of course, ...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious" For the first time in his Hollywood career, Alfred Hitchcock was able to get out from under the thumb of producer David O. Selznick and be a producer of his own work. Although originally a Selznick-produced piece, 1946's " Notorious " was conceived by Hitchcock, written by Ben Hecht with the assistance of Hitchcock, cast by Hitchcock, and directed by Hitchcock with no over-the-shoulder producers to edit over his work. As King Vidor's " Duel in the Sun " was taking up too much of Selznick's financing and attention, he sold the rights to the script for " Notorious " to RKO, with Hitchcock and Ingrid Bergman attached. Now backed by RKO, Hitchcock was able to be his own producer for the first time. He polished the script, negotiated post-production details, and demonstrated his skill as an executive. With this newfound freedom, Hitchcock was able to film exactly how he wanted. An example of this was hi...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound" As part of his continued contract with Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, Alfred Hitchcock agreed to work on a film in which he found great interest, " Spellbound ." Originally adapted from the novel " The House of Dr. Edwardes " by Hilary Saint George Saunders and Francis Beeding, the film deals heavily in psychoanalysis. After him and his wife, Alma Reville, did a treatment of the novel, Hitchcock handed the scriptwriting duties to iconic Hollywood writer Ben Hecht.  The film stars Ingrid Bergman fresh off her massive success with " Casablanca " and " Gaslight ." She plays a psychoanalyst who falls in love with the new head of the Vermont hospital she works in. However, she soon discovers that he may not be who he says he is. In fact, he may be suffering from numerous psychological issues, including dissociative amnesia. She spends the film trying to uncover the mystery of who this man is and w...

  Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" Often considered by Hitchcock to be his best film, " Shadow of a Doubt " takes the same principles as his 1941 hit " Suspicion " and utilizes them for a much darker story. The film centers on a 'typical' American family in Santa Rosa, California. Hitchcock liked the idea of bringing evil to an unsuspecting small town and he felt Santa Rosa was the perfect town for an idealized typical America. During the time of the film's production, World War II was in full effect as German forces were battering Hitchcock's home of Great Britain. During filming, Hitchcock was feeling nostalgic and homesick. He could not even go visit his dying mother in London due to wartime travel restrictions. In filming " Shadow of a Doubt ," Hitchcock was able to explore his current sentiment and express the sentiment of America at the time. The film's protagonist, Charlotte "Charlie" Newton, lives w...