Today the film is revered by critics and film lovers, and during the last Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll in 2002 the film almost beat Citizen Kane to the number one spot – it was only 6 votes away. But again Hitchcock seems to smuggle dark themes into these studio movies, with Vertigo being a particularly bleak emotional journey concerned with loss and obsession. He made a couple of grittier movies in the 1950s, notably I Confess (1953) and The Wrong Man (1956), which had the feel of film noir and neo-realism, but Vertigo was clearly aligned with his bigger releases: vivid colour, Vistavision, and a star name in James Stewart. At first glance his films of the 1950s were clearly Hollywood products, as was the case with the glossy star vehicle The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) with James Stewart and Doris Day, or To Catch a Thief (1955) with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. So when Vertigo was released it was clearly seen as another ‘Hitchcock film’. The controlled movement and pacing of his visuals suggest control behind the camera. Indeed Hitchcock is seen as perhaps the ultimate auteur: the precise visual style of his films suggest to the viewer that he knew what he wanted and achieved it. ![]() In the review below Houston talks of a ‘typical Hitchcock joke’, for instance. The combination of this shift in film criticism and the strong Hitchcock brand meant that Hitchcock’s role as an auteur was indisputable. Influenced by the politique des auteurs promoted by the French critics of Cahiers du Cinéma, British film critics of Sight and Sound focused more on the role of the director and the director’s responsibility for the film as a whole, then they ever had before. The 1950s saw key changes in how films were written about. ![]() Hitchcock had become an unlikely but powerful brand. It was Hitchcock himself who had transformed his profile into a neat logo, which then went on to open every episode of his TV show. No doubt this was galvanised by his appearance on television as host of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-61) in which Hitchcock was cleverly cementing a clearly-defined screen persona – the slow drawl, the black suit, the sense of humour, the portly figure, and the famous profile. One of the single most interesting cases is Vertigo (1958), a film that has become embedded in the consciousness of serious filmgoers.īy the time the film was released in 1958 (1959 in Britain) Hitchcock was the most high-profile Hollywood director of them all. I am very interested in how the reception of films change over time, and how their initial reception relates to their standing today. ![]() 6, 8 pmVertigo | TCMI still personally prefer Notorious and Shadow of a Doubt, but I certainly won't throw down with anyone who contends that this dark a.Below I reprint the review of Vertigo published in the influential British journal Sight and Sound upon its original release in 1958, but first a brief introduction. This was Lee's last completed film before his untimely death in 1973, and he's spectacular.Wednesday, Feb. Lee stars as a martial-arts expert who enters a contest held in a remote island fortress, a setup that's been copied endless times ever since. ![]() 5, 8 and 9:45 pmEnter the Dragon | AMC Bruce Lee is a legend for a reason, and even if you don't think you like "chop-socky" flicks, you need to check this one out. You'll get no argument from me: This classic concert film from the Maysles brothers captures the dark twilight of the Age of Aquarius.Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 2:45 pm/ETGimme Shelter | SUND It's been said that the '60s came to a crashing halt at California's Altamont Speedway where, in 1969, the Rolling Stones at their most satanic played "Sympathy for the Devil" while the Hell's Angels rampaged and a young man died. Movies-on-TV: Ken Fox's Picks for the Week of Feb.
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