#3: The Master of Suspense

I don’t really know how it started – but it probably began late at night – technically early morning. I have no idea why I was still up, but I was flipping through my meager number of channels, looking for something to watch for a short while. The only thing on besides infomercials must have been the old movie on CBC – a blonde woman with an updo, sitting in a boat, “crossing” a body of water – an obviously fake background, but hey, old movie, whatever. It all seems so benign – that is, until a seagull swoops down and takes a nice nummy swatch of skin from her forehead. Okay. Weird. But cool. Enough to make me look up just what movie I was watching. And I decided then that – next chance I got – I’d rent The Birds and give it a proper watch. That’s when I started loving Alfred Hitchcock films.

This appreciation of Hitchcock is something I can’t quite explain. When it comes to movies, for the most part, I’m a fantasy/sci-fi junkie – I like being sent to worlds I can’t visit on my own. I’m also not a fan of horror movies – I haven’t seen many, but I feel the ones I have were poorly acted, predicable, and a sorry excuse to spew blood and gore all over the screen. But Hitchcock movies are different somehow. Yes, they’re older, and therefore more strictly censored. In a way, though, that makes them better. They’re all about what you don’t know and what you can’t see – and what you make up in your head about what’s really happening is far more intriguing (and sometimes terrifying) than anything that could be splashed across the screen. I also believe these films were made in a time when movies weren’t just produced for profit, and directed by a man who planned everything so meticulously and thought everything out so well that the final product is nothing short of classic – and something everyone should see.

I haven’t seen every Hitchcock film out there – not even close – but I’m working on it. In the time being, though, you might want to check out these ones yourself:

Dial M For Murder (1954)

Tony Wendice: At exactly three minutes to eleven, you'll enter the house through the street door. You'll find the key to this door under the stair carpet here.
C.A. Swan: The fifth step?
Tony Wendice: That's the one. Go straight to the window, and hide behind the curtains. At exactly eleven o'clock, I shall go to the telephone in the hotel to call my boss. I shall dial the wrong number. This number. That's all I shall do.

Ray Milland finds out his wife, Grace Kelly, is having an affair. To get revenge, he blackmails a man into murdering her by means of his seemingly genius plan. But – as we well know – things don’t always go according to plan: the murderer becomes the murdered, and Milland’s character must think on his feet to avoid being discovered by the police.

Though it is neither the best known nor best appreciated Hitchcock film, I still quite enjoyed it. It was based on a play, so the action is largely limited to one room, which gives the film a rather claustrophobic, stagey feel – though the lack of changing scenery is certainly noticeable, it never detracts from the action. Without a doubt, the best part is the failed crime itself – and the added suspense that comes from recognizing the characters’ mistakes before they themselves do.

Rear Window (1954)

Jeff: Why would a man leave his apartment three times on a rainy night with a suitcase and come back three times?
Lisa: He likes the way his wife welcomes him home.

James Stewart breaks his leg during a dangerous photography assignment, and is confined to his apartment until it heals. To pass the time, he watches the day-to-day lives of his neighbours through his rear window. Soon, however, something he sees leads him to believe that one of his neighbours (Raymond Burr) is guilty of murder. Unable to act upon his suspicions, he sends his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) and homecare nurse (Thelma Ritter) on fact-finding missions, inadvertently putting them all in danger.

This is – and probably always will be – my favourite Hitchcock movie. Aside from being a fan of both Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, I have no idea why I like this movie so much. It is cleverly written, and yet nothing much happens in terms of real action – nothing at all, really, until the very end. It’s a lot of sitting and staring and people-watching, and yet it’s still fascinating somehow. Once again, the “Master of Suspense” lives up to his name – the scene where Grace Kelly ventures into Raymond Burr’s apartment to find evidence sets me on edge every time – which is probably why it’s been parodied to death. If you’re ever going to watch a Hitchcock movie (and/or you don’t have the guts to watch Psycho), make it this one.

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Frances Stevens: Even in this light, I can tell where your eyes are looking. Look, John. Hold them. Diamonds... The only thing in the world you can't resist. Then tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. Ever had a better offer in your whole life? One with everything?
John Robie: I've never had a crazier one.
Frances Stevens: Just as long as you're satisfied!
John Robie: You know as well as I do: this necklace is imitation.
Frances Stevens: Well, I'm not.

Cary Grant is a reformed jewel thief, but when several recent jewel heists are blamed on him, he sets out to find the real culprit by adopting the persona of an American industrialist and socializing with the owners of the most expensive jewels in the Riviera, hoping to catch the thief in the act.

This movie is very different from the other Hitchcock movies I’ve seen – if anything, it’s more of a romantic comedy (albeit with a crime subplot) than a suspense movie. There are twists and turns (including the surprising identity of the thief – though I guessed right), but not the usual helping of suspense. The reason why I like this movie is in actuality a superficial one – the fireworks scene is (visually speaking) one of the best I’ve ever seen in any movie, and… I want Grace Kelly’s clothes. Best wardrobe ever. Yes, I’m partial to ‘50s dresses, but… did you SEE that golden gown??? It’s to die for – and those other flowy dresses are gorgeous in their own right. Edith Head, thou art a genius. Yeah, it’s not an amazing movie (and Cary Grant is a stick – I’ll take Jimmy Stewart over him any day), but still worth a watch.

Vertigo (1958)

Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past - someone dead - can enter and take possession of a living being?

James Stewart is an acrophobic police officer-turned-private investigator, hired by a college acquaintance to monitor the odd behaviour of his wife (Kim Novak). A Hitchcock given: twisted, evil plots ensue.

Because this movie has so many twists, I won’t discuss it in detail, but I will say it is probably my second-favourite of the Hitchcock movies I’ve seen (though I’d probably like Psycho better if it wasn’t so damn scary). It’s not as suspenseful as it is disturbing – there’s something very creepy about Stewart’s obsession with his acquaintance’s wife. The ending is abrupt – but awesome – almost as awesome as the ending of The Birds. Definitely worth it.

North By Northwest (1959)

Now you listen to me, I'm an advertising man, not a red herring. I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself "slightly" killed.

Cary Grant is mistaken for another man, and forced to run for his life from agents who think he’s out to foil their plans. While evading capture and facing numerous perils, he attempts to track down the man everyone seems to think he is and settle the matter once and for all.

There’s no doubt this is an iconic Hitchcock movie – everyone should recognize the famous crop dusting scene – but to be honest, I really didn’t think it was that good. It might be the lack of both James Stewart and Grace Kelly… but I think it’s more to blame on Cary Grant, the stick-man. He just doesn’t have the natural charm that Jimmy Stewart has. He’s boring, in my books, which is a shame, since it seems he’s in all the Hitchcock movies that Stewart isn’t in. I dunno. It was just sort of blah for me. A good watch for iconic purposes, but not much else.

Psycho (1960)

A boy's best friend is his mother.

Janet Leigh steals $40 000 from her employer, then, fearing pursuit from the authorities, takes refuge at the Bates Motel. After flushing the evidence of her crime down the toilet, she takes a shower – and she’s history.

Oh. My. Goodness. This is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen, and even thinking about it now gives me the wiggins. I had seen the majority of the shower scene before – many a time, actually – and thanks to an American Film Institute special on TV, I already knew the ending (stupid AFI). I was still freaked out of my tree. I think this is largely the doing of the film’s score, which inexplicably gets my heartbeat racing even when there’s nothing much going on (even the title sequence was freaky, for crying out loud). Anthony Perkins is also a very very very scary man. I don’t think I said “very” enough times. The second-to-last shot of the movie… I want to get it out of my head, but I can’t. Needless to say, the first shower I took after seeing this was a thrill. Yee-ikes. This movie delivers all it promises and more – and I don’t think any newfangled blood-and-guts horror movie can ever top it. Ever. Do watch – if you dare.

The Birds (1963)

Sebastian Sholes: Hell, maybe we're all getting a little carried away with this. Admittedly a few birds did act strange, but that's no reason to...
Melanie Daniels: I keep telling you, this isn't 'a few birds'! These are gulls, crows, swifts...!
Mrs. Bundy: I have never known birds of different species to flock together. The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn't stand a chance! How could we possibly hope to fight them?

Tippi Hedren flirts in a pet shop with Rod Taylor, then follows him out to his home in Bodega Bay – taking with her a pair of lovebirds. Upon her arrival, the birds in Bodega Bay begin acting strangely – swarming, swooping down, and attacking humans. Chaos ensues, and death soon follows…

This was the first Hitchcock movie I ever saw, and it wasn’t too bad for a first pick. It is an odd one out, however, since all the others I’ve seen have been centered around some sort of crime, and this one concerns more of a supernatural occurrence. It’s not the sort of classic that the other movies I’ve discussed here are, but it’s still good after three viewings (especially when you watch it with someone who’s ornithophobic!). I do have to fault it, though, for its female lead. Melanie is an idiot, and virtuous ol’ good boy Mitch has to save her from all her stupidity. I prefer the “cool blondes” of Hitchcock’s other films, who hold their own in times of trouble, instead of, well, flapping around – if you’ll forgive the pun. The Birds isn’t Hitchcock’s best, but I still like it, despite its flaws – and ambiguous (though enjoyably creepy) ending.

Hitchcock films. Oldies, but goodies. Do watch.

And that as they say, is that.