Alfred Hitchcock
Another month, another decade of film to celebrate! The historical context of the forties is obviously dominated by World War II. The Great Depression has ended, FDR has been in office since 1933 and will stay there until 1945. The US enters the war in 1941, but it takes some time for this to be reflected in film. Here are some of my favorite movies of the decade.
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Hitchcock’s most taut, nail-biting output came during the 1940s, a decade fraught by global war. It was a time laced with suspicion, doubt, daring, and misplaced trust. It would have been nearly impossible to find a person who hadn’t been affected in some way. He knew what plagued an audience’s psyche and he used it.
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We asked our friends at Criterion to curate a list of essential films that everybody should watch in their lifetime. They selected the following 10 films as the must-watch films of the Criterion Collection. Add them to your cinematic bucket list and your queue:
Read MoreNotorious and In the Heat of the Night are some of our latest additions from the Criterion Collection.
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Despite an acting career spanning over 70 films, not to mention a varied background of vaudeville, radio, and a bit of Broadway, can you believe he never won an Oscar? Sure, he was nominated for several BAFTAs, Golden Globes, but only a couple of Academy Awards.
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I’ve always preferred psychological suspense over slasher films. I watch them all year but the cool evenings and shorter days is a perfect time to try a Hitchcock movie – especially if you haven’t before.
Alfred Hitchcock was born in 1899 in London, England. He began making silent films in England as a young man. He took his talents to America in 1940 and is one of the few directors to successfully make the transition to sound. In all, his career spanned more than 50 years and earned him the title of The Master of Suspense.
Trick-or-treat yourself to these beloved Hitchcock films.
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Welcome to September. While you’re eating pumpkin pie, having a caramel apple at a high school football game, or walking along on a chilly morning, it’s time to add some autumnal movies into your queue. Here are my picks for the best autumn films.
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Human beings have a need for art that is nearly as strong as any of the other basic urges. Naturally, where we have art, we have art heists, and the films around them. From the reverse-heist of “Monuments Men” to four other favorites, here are the best on this enticing theme.
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In 1977, I watched the Academy Awards with my classmate Dorothy. I had gone over to her apartment ostensibly to study for our 19th century Philosophy midterm. And to drink scotch. Dorothy loved scotch, which I found to be an admirable trait in a woman back in those days. After about eleven minutes of reviewing Kant’s Categorical Imperative together, Dorothy finally said: “Oh, screw it, let’s watch the Oscars.”
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So, let’s look today at a topic I’m much more equipped to discuss in a meaningful way—Hitchcock and his leading men. With 61 years under my belt as a man, I feel I’m on terra firma discussing this topic. Hitchcock’s leading men are invariably urbane, sophisticated, well-dressed, and handsome. They are generally unmarried, and find themselves caught up in a web of intrigue, menace, and deceit they can neither understand nor control. They are usually wrongfully accused, frequently have mother issues, and are wary of the police or authority figures of all types.
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