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Your first impression of Alfred Hitchcock?

post #1 of 5
8/13/09 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
This is probably a goofy topic. 

I was just thinking about Hitchcock films because I was going to watch The Birds again. What occurred to me is what was your first impressions of Hitchcock?

I ask because I grew up in the 60's. So my first exposure to Hitchcock was probably Dial M for Murder. I believe I either saw that on the afternoon Dialing for Dollars show, or it was aired during an evening broadcast. Never forget that image of the scissors! But too young to know who Grace Kelly was! Then I saw The Birds in the late 60's. I was probably 8 or 10 years old. I didn't make the connection that Hitchcock directed both. I also probably saw at about this time, Torn Curtain. I only recently saw that and I vividly recall the scene when Paul Newman kills the guy in the oven.

My first impression though was The Birds when I was old enough to figure it out. So my only connection is that he directed horror films. It wasn't till much later that I started to watch his films and discover the range. I still have not seen them all. But they do have a commonality of someone being murdered.

Of course, I am mainly exposed to the later films and those are the ones I like the most. My earliest favorite from the Selznick years is Notorious.

So I would guess that depending on what decade you discovered Hitchcock, you may think he's a director of suspense films, psychological thrillers or horror films. Or maybe you're much younger then me and have a different perspective.

I still have a few DVD's in the several Hitchcock box sets that I have to watch.....
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post #2 of 5
8/13/09 at 3:44pm
The first things I remember are a combination of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on TV and reading the Three Investigators books somewhere in the early 70's.   From there on I searched for anything on TV that was Hitchcock.  Obviously long before Home Video and well before I had cable this was a frustrating experience.   From that point, AH always was the Mystery/Suspense Guy since I don't think I realized even then that Birds was a Hitchcock film until much later.

Interesting subject particularly in that The Birds is my first memory of seeing a movie that I later learned was Hitchcock.  It was on TV somewhere in the late 60's so I must have been around 8 or 9 and I got home on a Saturday night during the last 30 minutes or so.   All I remember is birds getting through  the roof of the house and attacking the person in the room -- scared the daylights out of me.   For years I'd have a nightmare every once in a while of those birds coming into the house and pecking my face and hands.

Somewhere in the late 70's when I was in college the University would have film presentations which often would be something from Hitchcock so I finally got to see his major films -- the later Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, NBNW, Psycho, Rope, Dial M, Trouble with Harry,  etc.

When Criterion Laserdiscs were at their height I got a number of the others and just loved Notorious (far better than Rebecca for my $100).  If I had to choose my absolute favorite AH then Notorious and Vertigo would likely be a flatfooted tie.

I forget when I saw Marnie for the first time, but for some reason this movie has always struck a chord with me though many people don't like it as much as some of his earlier works.   Strangers on the Train has the same odd effect on me and is critically held in a bit higher regard.

  I've watched a good amount of the earlier films as well, but the Jimmy Stewart/Cary Grant era 1945-1960  films are my clear favorites.  The WW2 era films from 1934 MWKTM to the 1945 Spellbound are still very high of my lists.   Lifeboat particularly just hangs with me more than many of his films.

OTOH Psycho is certainly a classic and I understand why, but honestly just never got into it like his earlier films.  The Birds hasn't aged as well for me either -- interesting overall message and idea, but the film is pretty middling overall.
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post #3 of 5
8/13/09 at 4:02pm

Alfred Hitchcock's movies really helped create a love of the movies for me. As a horror fan from a young age, I'm reasonably sure that the first Hitchcock movie I saw was Psycho, then probably The Birds and I also watched Alfred Hitchcock Presents on Nick At Night. When I was a teenager, I watched more of his movies and that snowballed into checking other older classic movies and directors. Overall, his movies got me interested in more than just current movies.

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post #4 of 5
8/14/09 at 9:04am
Thread Starter 
Not to focus on The Birds, it being my first introduction to Hitchcock as a kid. Over repeated viewings my impression changed from initial really scary horror film, to a suspense film to a film I wonder what it's all about now. It's got layers that I see more of each time. From the Mother issues that Hitchcock is known to deal with and to the cool blonde.

Why do the birds attack, is it because they don't like Melanie? Is it because she's disrupting the lives of people in Bodega Bay, is it because she bought the Love Birds?

Upon the most recent viewing, I paid a lot more attention to the way Hitchcok framed shots to get maximum reaction from the actors. The two scenes I refer to is the subtle sparing that goes on when Melanie first meets Annie Hayworth. It's interesting to watch Pleshette and Hedren as Annie realizes that Melanie is after Mitch. And then later in the evening at Annie's house, how Annie tells Melanie how she still really likes him. The film has many other scenes where Annie is watching and saddened to see Mitch with Melanie. And then to watch how Melanie watches how Mitch's Mom (Tandy) reacts to her and then later after the bird trash her house and she's picking up the broken cups.

I was also amused at how Hitchcock used so many visuals to tell the story. The leaning love birds to imply motion as Melanie's car is winding through the road to Bodega Bay. The almost comical stills of Melanie as her head moves from one angle to another to show how the flames go from the burning car, up the hill and to the gas pumps and explodes.

I admire how Hitchcock would do this kind of visuals going back to Notorious for that famous crane shot of the camera panning down a high shot of a party scene and zooms right down to tight close-up of Ingrid Bergman's hand and the key to the cellar.

There's a lot more in his films then meets the eye. I tend to gravitate to the favorites like many others which are his most popular films, NBNW, Vertigo, Notorious, Rear Window and the sheer fun of To Catch a Thief. I'm finding it interesting to revisit other titles for more insights.
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post #5 of 5
8/18/09 at 9:11am
seen a lot of his flicks on TV, but didnt know they were his until much later.

i'd have to say that the first time i knew it was AH is The 39 Steps, i specifically sought it out cause of him and watched it. that's what made me realize his autuer-ship ;).
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