Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll and Lucie Mannheim in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘The 39 Steps’

The mystery, thriller movie The 39 Steps (1935) is an Alfred Hitchcock film loosely based on the 1915 novel The Thiry-Nine Steps by John Buchan. Charles Bennett and Ian Hay garner screenwriting credit for this movie taking place in England and largely in Scotland.

(From left, Robert Donat as Richard Hannay and Lucie Mannheim as Annabella Smith in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

This story of The 39 Steps is one of the wrong man, Canadian Richard Hannay as portrayed by Robert Donat, suspected of murder getting mixed up with an attractive blonde, Pamela as portrayed by Madeleine Carroll, while hoping to clear his name. The death in play is that of one Annabella Smith, as portrayed by Lucie Mannheim, who turns to Hannay for help before coming to her end after implicating him; Smith introduces to Hannay the notion of an abstract and unexplained phrase The 39 Steps.

(From left, Madeleine Carroll as Pamela and Robert Donat as Richard Hannay in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

The opening confusion with Annabella Smith begins in London at a music hall event featuring Mr. Memory; Wylie Watson portrayed Mr. Memory. It’s while Smith fleeing to Hannay’s bedroom and getting murdered that Hannay retrieves a map of the Scottish Highlands held by Smith; that map leads Hannay to a building labeled Alt-na-Shellach in the village of Killin, Scotland. Hannay first meets Pamela aboard the Flying Scotsman, learning at Waverly Station in Edinburgh, Scotland of his being suspected of murdering Smith. Hannay escapes police custody at the Forth Bridge when Pamela aims to support his capture.

(From left, Robert Donat as Richard Hannay, Peggy Ashcroft as Margaret and John Laurie as John in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

The police ultimately follow Hannay to the the croft of John and Margaret, where the couple has granted Hannay an evening of respite. Margaret, as portrayed by Peggy Ashcroft, gives Richard the coat of her husband John, as portrayed by John Laurie, to assist Hannay in making an escape. The notion of an extended police chase in cinema gains an expression multiple ways through The 39 Steps, leading for now to Alt-na-Shellach.

(Godfrey Tearle as Professor Jordan in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

It is at the home there that Hannay encounters Professor Johnson and his wife; Professor Johnson and Mrs. Louisa Johnson were portrayed by Godfrey Tearle and Helen Haye, respectively. A bullet meant for Hannay at the home of the Johnson’s misses its mark when a hymnal in the coat jacket of John, as presented to him by Margaret, saves Robert Hannay’s life. Pamela, intending to reveal Robert Hannay to police again, leads the pair on a trip with police impersonators aiming to take the pair to Inverary, Scotland.

(Wiley Watson as Mr. Memory in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

Cleverness by Hannay helps Robert and Pamela, handcuffed together, escape their captors once again. The pair make their way to the London Palladium, where the movie comes to a satisfying conclusion. The film’s ongoing chase sequences resolve provided an interesting mix of humor and directorial winking. Owing to the overall enjoyment that was experienced, I grant The 39 Steps as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, May 4, 2024

Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King and Jeannine Taylor in the Sean S. Cunningham movie ‘Friday the 13th’

The independently released movie Friday the 13th (1980) experienced a distinctly successful commercial success in theatres upon its original release. A horror movie depicting graphic violence, a distinctive musical score and the building of a franchise with many sequels, the movie was written by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz. Sean S. Cunningham directed the original Friday the 13th movie.

(From left, Rex Everhart as Enos, the Truck Driver, and Robbi Morgan as Annie Phillips in the Sean S. Cunningham movie Friday the 13th).

The recently reopened Camp Crystal Lake, where a young boy drowned in 1957 and a pair of teenage camp counselors were killed in a cabin in 1958, has been reopened in the present day. Annie Phillips has signed on to be camp cook, yet is warned by truck driver Enos while hitchhiking that she is taking a risk in continuing onto camp. The history from the last half of the 1950’s served as a warning that frightening things happen. Phillips, who dies violently at the hands of an unknown assailant, never makes it to Camp Crystal Lake. Rex Everhart and Robbi Morgan portrayed Enos and Annie, respectively.

(From left, Peter Brouwer as Steve Christy and Adrienne King as Alice in the Sean S. Cunningham movie Friday the 13th).

Camp owner Steve Christy, along with a half dozen camp counselors, have set to restore the cabins and the grounds of the camp. With the suspense of the pending risk set in motion, the counselors are seemingly oblivious to the risk they run following our initial introduction to them enjoying the lake on the grounds. As a storm is on the way for the evening, the camp’s owner heads to town for supplies. Steve Christy was portrayed by Peter Brouwer.

(Kevin Bacon as Jack in the Sean S. Cunningham movie Friday the 13th).

With the owner away, the counselors would play. Ned, as portrayed by Mark Nelson, becomes the first to suspect something unusual. That suspicion isn’t aroused for Jack and Marcie, as portrayed by Kevin Bacon and Jeannine Taylor respectively, enjoy their intimacy unaware of a morbid experience involving Ned in the cabin that hosts their fun. An echo of 1958 accompanies a separate scene as Brenda, portrayed by Laurie Bartram, investigates.

(From left, Harry Crosby as Bill, Jeannine Taylor as Marcie, Laurie Bartram as Brenda and Mark Nelson as Ned in the Sean S. Cunningham movie Friday the 13th).

Alice and Bill, portrayed by Adrienne King and Harry Crosby, respectively, realize that they have not seen the other camp counselors for too long a period. The pair begins to investigate when Steve returns to an untimely demise. Circumstances worsen substantially for Brenda and Bill as well, with Mrs. Pamela Voorhees presenting herself as a friend of Steve. Voorhees, portrayed by Betsy Palmer, shares a sad tale of the death of son, Jason, all those years ago. Alice establishes the turn of all cliffhangers for the movie, offering an immensely impactful line that setups a franchise for subsequent installments to follow.

(Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Pamela Voorhees in the Sean S. Cunningham movie Friday the 13th).

The peak of the slasher film genre of movies had its biggest expression during the period of roughly six years when Friday the 13th was released. That the franchise that followed this movie would go on to function with a different central killer than did this movie, the homage paid to the Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho (1960), as reviewed here, is worth noting; Psycho is noted as a slasher film wherein the relationship between mother and son carries weight. I grant Friday the 13th as directed and written by Sean S. Cunningham 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, October 11, 2023

John Travolta, Nancy Allen and John Lithgow in the Brian De Palma movie ‘Blow Out’

Advertisements including this trailer for the Brian De Palma directed and written Blow Out (1981) included the phrase “Now you hear it; now you don’t”. The neo-noir movie offers thrilling bits of mystery as a sound recordist for movies captures evidence for what might actually be murder.

(John Travolta as Jack Terry in the Brian De Palma movie Blow Out).

Blow Out begins during the post-production of a low budget movie where producer Sam instructs Jack Terry to get better sound effects for the film. The response of heading to a park to record the wind for Terry results in his witnessing a car lose control and plunge into a nearby creek. John Travolta and Peter Boyden portrayed Jack Terry and Sam, respectively.

(From left, John Lithgow as Burke and Nancy Allen as Sally Bedina in the Brian De Palma movie Blow Out).

The male driver in the accident, Governor George McRyan, died in the accident. Jack Terry saved passenger Sally Bedina, a female escort. Aids of McRyan convince Terry to help smuggle Bedina, portrayed by Nancy Allen, out of the hospital as a means for keeping the relationship between Bedina and the governor quiet. The governor had been a presidential candidate at the point that the movie begins.

(From left, Dennis Franz as Manny Karp and Nancy Allen as Sally Bedina in the Brian De Palma movie Blow Out).

That two forms of recording were taking place at the park the evening of the apparent accident was not immediately known by Jack Terry. In addition to his audio recording, Manny Karp’s presence becomes known when images from the video Karp had taken were published in the tabloids. Karp, as portrayed by Dennis Franz, is linked to Bedina as well as a man named Burke, with Burke being portrayed by John Lithgow. The layering of these connections combined with a compelling string of mysteries with on-going turmoil from here delivers a story that offers an unexpected depth the ultimately works.

(From left, actor John Travolta, director and writer Brian De Palma, and actress Nancy Allen in support of the Brian De Palma movie Blow Out).

As a fan of the work of Alfred Hitchcock, I appreciated the influence taken by De Palma with this movie. Graphic elements for this film depicted some of the shifting social mores of how explicit movies could be, which were less pronounced during much of Hitchcock‘s career. The overall outcome was better than I anticipated, leading me to give Blow Out as directed and co-written by Brian De Palma 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Stephen King and the book ‘Bag of Bones’

Daphne du Maurier influenced both Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King with her 1938 book Rebecca. The Hitchcock movie Rebecca (1940) was a direct adaptation of the du Maurier book; King would write the 1998 book Bag of Bones with plot points inspired by du Maurier‘s 1938 book.

(Stephen King wrote Bag of Bones, which was first published in September of 1998).

The books Bag of Bones and Rebecca are vastly different regarding the undercurrents and themes of the individual stories told. King‘s tale uses the aftermath of the death of his wife to tell a story with a completely different concept for how and why the narrator’s wife has died, why, and the social context of a potential romance that comes about afterward. The narrator for bag of bones is popular novelist Mike Noonan.

(Alternate book covers to the Stephen King book Bag of Bones).

Noonan opens the novel as married to Jo, a wife with much more than meets the eye regarding her independence, panache and life of her own during those periods wherein her husband would get into a productive writing zone and tune out. Jo’s sudden death led to a dry spell in the novel writing business for her husband, which after a period of four years draws him back to a summer house that the two shared off TR-90, an unincorporated town in Maine next to Dark Score Lake. The home and the town have a distinctive personality all their own, the home carrying the name Sara Laughs.

(Daphne du Maurier‘s book Rebecca inspired elements of the Stephen King book Bag of Bones).

Soon after getting into town, Mike forms what I can best call a relationship with 20-year-old widow Mattie Devore and her 3-year-old daughter, Kyra Devore. It’s not long before we learn of Max Devore, Mattie’s rich and elderly father-in-law bent on gaining custody of his granddaughter, Kyra. The obsessiveness of the man, his cabal of dedicated helpers, and the small town in TR-90 form a creepy feeling that, gradually as the story unfolds, leads us into a number of supernatural places that bend the narrator’s sense of reality, right along with ours. The creeping supernatural leads us to the backstory of Sara Tidwell, the laughing namesake of Mike Noon’s summer house.

(Bag of Bones also exists as an audiobook. Stephen King reads the shown unabridged version of Bag of Bones).

A mystery unfolds about the Jo’s past, and a much larger past that we see unfold through the eyes of our narrator and plot points that reveal increasingly more background as the story progresses. The notion for how Mike feels about Jo, Mattie, Kyra, Max and several others introduced provide a richness of experience, along with some uncomfortable generational and interpersonal attitudes, that add spice to the story that might otherwise be uncomfortable for some. The undercurrent for how small town residents view tourists visiting over the summer, for example, is a harmless perspective that the notions of racial, age-based and inequity-based perspectives that the book explores.

(Daphne Du Maurier wrote Rebecca, which was first published in 1938).

The blurring of reality and elements of the supernatural offer some of the better touches of the book Bag of Bones. Some of the recurring images used to sell this notion, including hair ribbons, plants, refrigerator magnets, typewriters and other objects that helped cross thresholds were excellent means that really helped me conceptualize the sense of wonder that made this reading experience worthwhile. I recommend reading Bag of Bones by Stephen King, which I recognize with 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Monday, October 17, 2022

Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter and Karl Malden in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘I Confess’

The Alfred Hitchcock movie I Confess (1953) offers a rare glimpse into the world of religious responsibility and obligation placed besides the subject matter of murder. The 1902 play Nos deux consciences (Our Two Consciences) by French author and journalist Paul Bourde (pseudonym Paul Anthelme) inspired the movie. The movie was filmed in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

(From left, Anne Baxter as Ruth Grandfort and Montgomery Clift as Fr. Michael Logan in the Alfred Hitchcock movie I Confess).

The movie begins by introducing us to a priest named Father Michael Logan from St. Marie’s Church in Quebec City, Quebec in eastern Canada. Logan, as portrayed by Montgomery Clift, Otto and Alma Keller, German immigrants, as caretaker and housekeeper on the church grounds. Otto Keller works as a part time gardener for lawyer Monsieur Villette. O.E. Hasse, Dolly Haas and Ovila Légaré portray Otto Keller, Alma Keller and Monsieur Villette, respectively.

(From left, O.E. Hasse as Otto Keller and Dolly Haas as Alma Keller in the Alfred Hitchcock movie I Confess).

The movie opens with a man wearing an ankle length black coat worn by Roman Catholic priests at the time I Confess was filmed; that man is shown walking away from the home of Monsieur Villette, who was dead. Otto Keller confesses to Father Logan that he, Keller, killed Villette during the course of a robbery. Otto tells his wife, Alma, of his crime and his confession, along with the oath a priest has to keep confessions confidential.

(From left, Montgomery Clift as Fr. Michael Logan and Karl Malden as Inspector Larrue in the Alfred Hitchcock movie I Confess).

The wrong man motif kicks in when Otto heads to the Villette’s home the next day, reporting the discovery of his dead boss to the police. Inspector Larrue, as portrayed by Karl Malden, interviews Logan as a suspect in the crime after the priest is seen at Villette’s home. The situation looks worse for Father Logan when witnesses report having seen a priest at the Villette home the day before the murder was brought to the attention of the police.

From left, Brian Aherne as Prosecutor Willy Robertson and Montgomery Clift as Fr. Michael Logan in the Alfred Hitchcock movie I Confess).

With an awareness that Father Logan having spoken with Ruth Grandfort at the Villette house, Larrue contacted Prosecutor Willie Robertson at a party being hosted by Grandfort and her Quebec politician husband, Pierre Grandfort. This turn of events tends to cast further suspicion upon the priest, leading to a trial wherein Father Logan cannot candidly defend himself of the crime. The movie does a solid job of adding further, credible intrigue to the case against the priest, which adds credibility and thrilling elements to the nature for how the story will work out. Anne Baxter, Roger Dann and Brian Aherne portrayed Ruth Grandfort, Pierre Grandfort and Prosecutor Robertson, respectively.

(Director Alfred Hitchcock in cameo for the Alfred Hitchcock movie I Confess).

The building tension and the individual motives in play throughout the movie are outstanding, as is the central aspect of the priest wrestling with the religious doctrine of keeping the contents of confession confidential. The movie offers compelling circumstances wherein a spiritual mandate causes clear challenges to the personal freedom of the priest, with bad actors all around. The way that the film resolves this is immensely interesting; thus, I grant the movie I Confess as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and George Sanders in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Rebecca’

The presentation of the movie Rebecca (1940) by director Alfred Hitchcock offers an interesting and smart premise to the ways psychological pressure can be expressed. The film begins the story from the middle of the larger tale, though details unexpectedly revealing and revealed so as to make the experience one that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Hitchcock‘s first movie made in the United States with producer David O. Selznick is based on the 1938 Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca.

(Laurence Olivier as ‘Maxim’ de Winter in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca).

The movie begins with a glimpse of ‘Maxim’ de Winter, as portrayed by Laurence Olivier, considering taking of his life at the edge of a cliff. A woman yells to him in an attempt to change his mind. The scenario ends with rudeness on behalf of de Winter, though the plot for the movie is cleverly planted with this simple yet strong interaction.

(From left, Florence Bates as Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper and Joan Fontaine as the second Mrs. de Winter in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca).

It would be in Monte-Carlo, Monaco where de Winter and the young lady unexpectedly meet again, with the young lady as a paid companion to the intentionally demonstrative and extravagant Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper. It is owing to Van Hopper that we, along with the young lady, learn that de Winter was recently widowed. Through a warmth the belied a distinctly different station in life, de Winter is taken with the young lady in this setting and proposes marriage. Florence Bates portrayed Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper to Joan Fontaine portraying the woman who would become the second Mrs. de Winter.

(From left, Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers and Reginald Denny as Frank Crawley in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca).

It would be at Maxim de Winter’s sprawling southwestern England estate, named Manderley, that we learn of the fondness that many serving the mansion and grounds were devoted to the first Mrs. de Winter. Rebecca would be the former lady of the house. The Manderley staff included Mrs. Danvers as housekeeper, Frank Crawley as Maxim’s estate manager, Frith, as a butler, and so forth. Judith Anderson, Reginald Denny and Edward Fielding portrayed Danvers, Crawley and Frith, respectively. Precisely how the staff worked to make the young Mrs. de Winter uncomfortable. That these truths rolled into our getting to know Jack Favell, Mrs. Rebecca de Winter’s cousin, ultimately makes the story one of greater depth than simple devotion to a prior lady of the house.

(From left, Billy Bevan as a policeman, director Alfred Hitchcock in cameo, and George Sanders as Jack Favell in the Alfred Hitchcock move Rebecca).

The story of Rebecca stands out among the earlier work offered by Alfred Hitchcock in that the psychological tension takes on distinct tones of loyalty, romance and questions of well-being at levels that intermingled so smartly that true motivations among the characters were, at times, less than straightforward. That the truth of who had done what and why becomes clear, my appreciation for the artistry presented makes me satisfied with the experience. I rate Rebecca as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Jon Finch, Barry Foster and Barbara Leigh-Hunt in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Frenzy’

The second to last full-length Alfred Hitchcock movie ever made was Frenzy (1972). The distinctly British production is set in London, England. The Anthony Shaffer screenplay is based on the Arthur La Bern novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square. The movie itself is simultaneously the most explicitly risqué and explicitly visceral movie presentation of any in the Hitchcock canon.

(From left, Jon Finch as Richard Blaney and Barry Foster as Robert Rusk in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

The story of Frenzy deals in the underlying subject of the serial murder of women by someone called the “Necktie Strangler”. We in the audience are presented our first primary suspect in the way of Richard Blaney, who until recently had led a squadron in the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom. Blaney is fired as a bartender in Covent Garden, near the produce stand of his friend, Robert Rusk. Covent Garden is located in the City of Westminster, an inner borough of London, England. Blaney and Rusk are portrayed by Jon Finch and Barry Foster, respectively.

(From left, Jon Finch as Richard Blaney and Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Brenda Margaret Blaney in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

Rusk offers Blaney a horse racing tip that Blaney cannot possibly use, given his having just been fired. Displeased, Blaney visits Brenda Margaret Blaney, his ex-wife at her matchmaking agency. Having complained loudly about his overall situation. Brenda sends her secretary to lunch as a means to avoid further embarrassment. Appearances are not in Blaney’s favor when he gets caught leaving the matchmaking agency as the secretary returns. Brenda Margaret Blaney, as portrayed by Barbara Leigh-Hunt, had been murdered.

(From left, Barry Foster as Robert Rusk and Anna Massey as Barbara Jane Milligan in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

That the Necktie Strangler looks like Blaney is clear, which leads Blaney to seek help from Barbara Jane Milligan, as portrayed by Anna Massey. Milligan, a former colleague for Blaney at the pub, makes love to Blaney in a nearby hotel after becoming convinced of his innocence. While later retrieving Blaney’s belongings from the pub, the later rape and murder of Milligan leads to a series of mistakes for the legitimate Necktie Strangler, whose identity was revealed to the audience after the first murder.

(From left, Vivien Merchant as Mrs. Oxford, Alec McCowen as Chief Inspector Timothy Oxford and Michael Bates as Sergeant Spearman in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

The course of the investigation, coupled with the progress being made in identifying the true nature of the killings, leads Chief Inspector Timothy Oxford, Sergeant Spearman and the suspect, Richard Blaney, to be multiple steps behind the reality of who was committing the crimes. The treachery that reveals to Richard Blaney the truth is what gets Blaney charged, and additionally. The extended take with Mrs. Oxford and dinner offers a distinctly British study on the humor of manners. Chief Inspector Oxford, Mrs. Oxford and Spearman were portrayed by Alec McCowen, Vivien Merchant and Michael Bates, respectively.

(Director Alfred Hitchcock, shown in cameo wearing a black hat, in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

The comedic tone of Frenzy as a murder film feels quite deliberately done and executed with clear effect. The film was received with more critical than audience acclaim, as shared here by the folks at Rotten Tomatoes. Overall, I found the movie well executed true to form, though not the best offered by Hitchcock. All things considered, I grant Frenzy as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, August 6, 2022

Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman and Richard Todd in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Stage Fright’

The movie Stage Fright (1950) as directed by Alfred Hitchcock rewards the viewing audience with a mystery, a thriller and the film noir perspective. The movie was adapted for film from Selwyn Jepson‘s 1947 novel Man Running, which is out-of-print at the time of this movie review.

(From left, Richard Todd as Jonathan Cooper, Alastair Sim as Commodore Gill and Jane Wyman as Eve Gill in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Stage Fright).

The movie Stage Fright introduces us to Jonathan Cooper interrupting aspiring actress Eve Gill during rehearsal at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) with a story of murder. Gill, as portrayed by Jane Wyman, has a crush on Cooper, as portrayed by Richard Todd.

(From left, Michael Wilding as Wilfred ‘Ordinary’ Smith and Marlene Dietrich as Charlotte Inwood in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Stage Fright).

The story Cooper brings is a flashback to having learned from what we discern is his secret love interest, stage actress/singer Charlotte Inwood, that Inwood had visited him in a bloodied dress after having killed her husband. Cooper heads to the scene of the crime, the home of Inwood and her deceased husband, to stage the scene and retrieve a change of clothes. Nellie Goode, Charlotte’s maid and dresser, saw Cooper in the home. Marlene Dietrich and Kay Walsh portrayed Charlotte Inwood and Nellie Goode, respectively.

(From left, Kay Walsh as Nellie Goode and Sybil Thorndike as Mrs. Gill in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Stage Fright).

Eve Gill took Richard Cooper, with the bloodied dress, over to her father’s house. Alastair Sim portrayed Eve’s father, Commodore Gill. The theory initially expressed was that Charlotte Inwood had meant to frame Richard Cooper, yet Cooper takes to destroying the dress and the biggest piece of known evidence that would exonerate him.

(Hector MacGregor as Freddie Williams in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Stage Fright).

An elaborate set of activity follows intending to prove Richard’s innocence through solving the mystery of what really happened. There is charm and oddity in the specific approaches aimed at arriving there, which includes a budding romance between Eve Gill and Wilfred ‘Ordinary’ Smith. Michael Wilding portrayed Smith. Further mystery with Charlotte Inwood and her manager, Freddie Williams, offers an additional strand to unravel. Hector MacGregor portrayed Williams.

(From left, actress Jane Wyman as Eve Gill and director Alfred Hitchcock in cameo for the Alfred Hitchcock movie Stage Fright).

While many watching Stage Fright may not have read Man Running, it should be noted that the resolution to the resolution and thriller storylines are different between the movie and the book. There is quality storytelling and an engaging mystery that stands up better than some other movies offered by our fair director. I grant Stage Fright as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Monday, July 4, 2022

Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Suspicion’

Using the pseudonym Francis Iles with the 1932 crime novel Before the Fact, Anthony Berkeley Cox wrote what became the underpinning for the movie Suspicion (1941). The movie offers an interesting mixture of Alfred Hitchcock‘s perspectives of film noir, romance and psychological thriller. It’s our belief that you should watch the movie Suspicion.

(From left, Cary Grant as Johnnie Aysgarth and Joan Fontaine as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Suspicion).

Suspicion establishes setting and character when eligible, handsome and financially irresponsible Johnnie Aysgarth meets Lina McLaidlaw on a train traveling in England. Johnnie aims to initiate conversation with a suspicious insult meant as a means of beginning the desire for communication. When Lina later overhears her parents mentioning that they believe Lina will never marry, she lashes out by kissing Johnnie in defiance. Cary Grant portrayed Johnnie Aysgarth. Joan Fontaine, winner of an Academy Award for the performance, portrayed Lina McLaidlaw.

(Cedric Hardwicke as General McLaidlaw in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Suspicion).

The kiss to spite her parents leads to an afternoon date between Lina and Johnnie, which Johnnie cancels before vanishing. Things eventually turn around, with a proposal for marriage that Lina’s wealthy father opposes with decided strength. Cedric Hardwicke and May Whitty portrayed General McLaidlaw and Mrs. Martha McLaidlaw, parents to Lina, respectively.

(From left, Joan Fontaine as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth and May Whitty as Mrs. Martha McLaidlaw in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Suspicion).

This escalating romance eventually leads to the couple’s decision to elope, thus making the wealthy couple’s daughter Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth. The story escalates into an increasingly thrilling set of actions that become decidedly film noir when the state of Johnnie’s finances come to light with the notion for how to pay for a luxurious wedding and living arrangements come into focus. The selling of family heirlooms to cover gambling debts are simply the beginning.

(From left, Cary Grant as Johnnie Aysgarth, Joan Fontaine as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth and Nigel Bruce as Gordon Cochrane ‘Beaky’ Thwaite in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Suspicion).

Things get deeper when a financial ambitions, including financial shenanigans that eventually escalate to confirm that a desperate times can call for desperate measures. Lina perceives a confidence play on a land deal between Johnnie and the good-natured Gordon Cochrane ‘Beaky’ Thwaite. Things really get elevate after Beaky travels to Paris, France. Nigel Bruce portrayed ‘Beaky’ Thwaite, and unwittingly points to some fascinating suspense for how the film ultimately resolves itself.

(From left, actor Cary Grant and director Alfred Hitchcock staging a shot for the Alfred Hitchcock movie Suspicion).

The intrigue throughout Suspicion resonates with me, 90-years after the book and 81-years after the movie. What will become of the romantic couple? Are the looks that are legitimate and suspect really what is about to happen? Is there even a chance that the truth isn’t what we suspect? That these are the questions leads to my granting Suspicion as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, June 4, 2022

James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Wendell Corey in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Rear Window’

Our offering today reflects one of the better received movies ever made by director Alfred Hitchcock. Based at a Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window of New York City, New York, we get an intriguing story told from the perspective of a professional photographer confined to a wheelchair with a courtyard, another apartment and the wits of the characters to guide us. Based on the Cornell Woolrich 1942 short story It Had to Be Murder, Rear Window (1954) dares to ask if there in fact was murder before raising the stakes in a decisive answer that moves us from mystery to thriller.

(From left, Thelma Ritter as Stella, James Stewart as L.B. Jefferies and Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window).

Hitch introduces the charming concept of giving as clear a part in the movie as one can get with the central character L.B. Jefferies, as portrayed by James Stewart. It us Jefferies as the professional photographer, cast from toes to hip on his left leg, who accepts the guilty pleasure of looking in on the courtyard below and the multiple floors of neighbors across that courtyard living their lives with curtains and blinds drawn for life to unfold for everyone.

(From left, Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont, Wendell Corey as New York Police Department Detective Tom Doyle and James Stewart as L.B. Jefferies in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window).

With the benefit of a heatwave to keep windows open, L.B. Jefferies discusses the stories unfolding in front of him with his socialite girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, and his nurse, Stella, who visit his apartment daily. Grace Kelly portrayed Fremont as Thelma Ritter portrayed Stella. It is with the commentary about traveling costume jewelry salesman Lars Thorwald and his bedridden wife, a newlywed couple, a songwriter pianist, a dancer nicknamed ‘Miss Torso’, a woman nicknamed ‘Miss Lonelyhearts’ and a middle-aged couple whose small dog likes digging in the flower garden that we get a sense of the intrigue we all get to discover. Judith Evelyn portrayed Miss Lonelyhearts.

(Raymond Burr as Lars Thorwald in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window).

The curiosity of the eavesdropping remains precisely that until one evening when, at home by himself when L.B. Jefferies and we hear the breaking of glass and screaming from across the courtyard. In the middle of the thunderstorm that follows overnight, Jefferies sees Lars Thorwald, as portrayed by Raymond Burr, repeatedly carrying a suitcase from the Thorwald apartment. Mrs. Anna Thorwald, as portrayed by Irene Winston, isn’t seen again after this point. The warning from Stella about the views of New York state when it comes to sentencing for being a Peeping Tom struck me as humorous and clever commentary.

(Judith Evelyn as Miss Lonelyhearts, Sara Berner as Woman on the Fire Escape and Frank Cady as Man on the Fire Escape in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window).

Convincing himself that this and other plot points add up to murder, L.B. Jefferies calls upon his New York Police Department Detective friend Tom Doyle, as portrayed by Wendell Corey, to share his suspicions and assistance in bringing about justice. When Jefferies can bring suspicions without having concretely witnessed a murder, the mystery of what we really saw is mixed in with a request for investigation that simply and logically isn’t actionable. While this is no good, it simply brings us, socialite Lisa Fremont, and nurse Stella even more intrigued as the coincidences continue to pile up.

(From left, director Alfred Hitchcock in cameo and actor Ross Bagdasarian as the songwriter in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window).

When the mystery of what really was happening became too much for Lisa and Stella, the cleverness of action mingled with the charm of screenwriter John Michael Hayes‘ script to offer a story for cinema lovers with the gumption to enjoy Alfred Hitchcock. The movie worked really well. I give Rear Window as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, May 7, 2022