Edwin Pereyra
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 1998
- Messages
- 3,500
Recently, I had the opportunity of viewing Psycho and North By Northwest on the big screen with an introduction by Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter, Patricia. Before each screening, Patricia gave a little background on the films. During a Question and Answer session, I asked her what she thought about the remake of Psycho by Gus Van Sant and how it all came about.
She answered my query by first relating her first meeting with Van Sant over lunch about the project. She then went on to say that she was very pleased with the film and Van Sant’s work. But she also indicated that the filmmakers made the estate a really good offer, which led me to believe that one of the reasons for greenlighting the remake was an economic one – a revelation that was less than satisfying.
As for the screenings, I was a little disappointed with the print of Psycho. It was not a very good print and had a few nicks here and there. North By Northwest, on the other hand, was a very pristine print. There was nothing short of remarkable experiencing these classic films, nor any film for that matter, directly on the big screen. The overhead shot of the United Nations where Cary Grant was running away from the building showed the depth and clarity that was sometimes hard to appreciate on the small screen. Seeing that shot the way Hitchcock meant it was even more impressive.
I also had particular interest seeing this film on the big screen due to some discussions when the DVD was released about some missing letters on a shot of the United States Intelligence Agency sign. As Robert Harris said, the shot on the DVD was, in fact, the same shot on the film’s theatrical presentation. I am now able to confirm this.
Being pleased overall by this entire experience, the next classic film I’m looking forward to seeing is the 70mm presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, by all means, an event that is not to be missed.
By the way, Patricia Hitchcock’s favorite of all her father’s films was Notorious. According to her, that film “had the perfect cast”.
~Edwin
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http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum9/HTML/005780.html#8 http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum9/HTML/006466.html
[Edited last by Edwin Pereyra on November 08, 2001 at 12:16 AM]
She answered my query by first relating her first meeting with Van Sant over lunch about the project. She then went on to say that she was very pleased with the film and Van Sant’s work. But she also indicated that the filmmakers made the estate a really good offer, which led me to believe that one of the reasons for greenlighting the remake was an economic one – a revelation that was less than satisfying.
As for the screenings, I was a little disappointed with the print of Psycho. It was not a very good print and had a few nicks here and there. North By Northwest, on the other hand, was a very pristine print. There was nothing short of remarkable experiencing these classic films, nor any film for that matter, directly on the big screen. The overhead shot of the United Nations where Cary Grant was running away from the building showed the depth and clarity that was sometimes hard to appreciate on the small screen. Seeing that shot the way Hitchcock meant it was even more impressive.
I also had particular interest seeing this film on the big screen due to some discussions when the DVD was released about some missing letters on a shot of the United States Intelligence Agency sign. As Robert Harris said, the shot on the DVD was, in fact, the same shot on the film’s theatrical presentation. I am now able to confirm this.
Being pleased overall by this entire experience, the next classic film I’m looking forward to seeing is the 70mm presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, by all means, an event that is not to be missed.
By the way, Patricia Hitchcock’s favorite of all her father’s films was Notorious. According to her, that film “had the perfect cast”.
~Edwin
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http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum9/HTML/005780.html#8 http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum9/HTML/006466.html
[Edited last by Edwin Pereyra on November 08, 2001 at 12:16 AM]