|
Hitch
by Ed Mauget
Remember the Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series that ran
from 1955 through 1962? Each episode was a short thriller with a
surprising twist. I'd never encountered its like, and have not seen
anything that approaches it today. To this adolescent Spokane youth,
he had a strange, name, and he talked like a snooty butler. I
thought it was cool that he did not show respect for his own
sponsors: "We shall continue in a moment, after a word about a
much doubted product".
I noticed that Hitchcock directed movies. His films had name-brand
actors, such as Cary Grant, Kim Novak, and James Stewart. The movies
were the same twisted plot, suspenseful genre, as his TV show, but
with extended imagery, symbolism, and musical scores. He always
appeared in a comical cameo snapshot near the start of each film.
His first film for me, was Vertigo, a 1958 thriller starring
James Stewart and Kim Novak. It also featured Barbara Bel Geddes,
who later played Miss Ellie on the TV series Dallas, and Ellen Corby,
who would eventually be cast as Grandma Walton on The Waltons.
The plot centers on a flawed San Francisco police detective who has
psychological troubles, a previous investigative failure, and a fear
of heights. He obsesses over a women played by Kim Novak.
Understandable, except she is a whack job too, having an obsession
with death. He gets mixed into a complex plot and tries to discover
the truth behind it all.
We can view the plot from many angles: neurotic obsession, a police
story, a murder mystery, or a love story,
The film uses complex imagery shot in great locations such as
Mission Carmel and the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. The musical
score is excellent. There is a scene where Stewart follows Novak for
ten minutes with no dialog - just music. I pick up something new on
each viewing. To say more is to spoil this film. I think it is one
of the best films ever made. Check out the restored DVD at your
video store.
-Ed Mauget |
