Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) is one of the most respected film directors of the mid-20th century. He made over 50 films, first in England, and after 1939, in Hollywood. I've been a big admirer of his films and have watched many of them. Among my favorites are the two versions of "The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 and 1956), "The 39 Steps" (1935), "Strangers on a Train" (1951), "To Catch a Thief" (1956), and "North by Northwest" (1959).
Recently, we watched two of Hitchcock's early films that were made before he left England for Hollywood, and one, "Foreign Correspondent," from 1940. Two of them feature spy stories, about dangerous men with mysterious middle-European accents who plan to harm or betray England -- and a contrasting woman who helps thwart their evil plans. These both include a love story that compliments the suspenseful plot. And both reflect Hitchcock's fantastic eye for black-and-white contrasts in imagery that intensifies the atmospheric story and contributes to building suspense.
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| "Sabotage" -- a really good suspense film with great Hitchcock black-and-white imagery. |
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| "Foreign Correspondent" -- good but not quite as captivating. |
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| "The Secret Agent" -- also from 1936. A spy story about World War I. Same enemies. |
A couple of winters ago I watched several Hitchcock films. I really liked North by Northwest and Rear Window from the ones I watched. At least those are the 2 that stick out in my head. I don't remember watching these, but maybe this winter I'll get back to watching some more.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of Hitchcock and his movies. Take care, have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteI love Alfred Hitchcock movies! He did such a wonderful job with Rebecca, liked it much better than the book. Rear Window, Rope, Vertigo, The Birds! So many good ones. I'm not sure if I've seen all, but I'd like to.
ReplyDeleteI've read 39 Steps but haven't seen the movie. The Alfred Hitchcock movies were a staple of ours when I was growing up. I loved The Birds.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen any of these and they all look good. I liked 39 Steps, though. I must find these somewhere!
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