Rebecca moves slowly but picks up speed as it progresses. It is one of the first films that Alfred Hitchcock made after crossing the Atlantic and the only one which won him a Best Picture Oscar. Shot along the Côte d’Azur in black in white, it lacks the brightness and clarity of To Catch a Thief, which was filmed in Technicolor.
The film features tight angles that focus on the leads, Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine and wide, chaotic shots that emphasize how the Second Mrs. de Winter and Mrs. Danvers are losing their heads. At this point, Hitchcock had not perfected his style but nevertheless he successfully hides a twist ending from the audience. ***
The Wrong Man casts Henry Fonda as a musician who is wrongly accused of armed robbery. To me, the film contains several plot holes, diverges briefly along a spurious emotional storyline, and concludes with a deus ex machina plot device. Occasionally, Fonda plays characters that are so naïve that it is no wonder that they have been victimized. Perhaps it takes a western for him to become a character that can stand up for himself.
The film is shot entire on location in New York City, perhaps inspiring the Nouvelle Vague but it drags, one of the first examples that Hitchcock was losing his touch. He redeemed himself briefly with Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho but more of his later work is like this film than those three.
The mastery of camera angles remains and the black and white footage shows how every situation is comprised of shades of grey. Even honest citizens are powerless to escape seemingly hopeless circumstances. Still, this film could use more action and less talking. **½
Under Capricorn proved to be more than I could handle. Whether it was Joseph Cotten in a lead role or ninety minutes of “suspense” before anything occurred, I did not enjoy this film. It proved to be a colourful period piece but I would not recommend it
There is a strong class system in 1830 Australia. The unspoken rule is that nobody is to ask about another person’s past: whether they have been in jail, how they got to Australia, what they did in a previous life. Prejudices abound and society separates itself based on biases. The ultimate penalty for a worker is to be “pink-slipped” and forced back into the lowest common denominator: the unemployed and those who have recently been released from prison. As usual, the protagonist may not be who he seems and the love interest is experiencing mental troubles. Of course, like Rebecca, it will all come to a head at the grand ball when everyone’s secrets will be revealed.
Like the recent James Bond films starring Daniel Craig which lack an explosive brawl in the dinning car where tables are overturned and windows shattered, Under Capricorn is lacking something.*½
Torn Curtain is typical of Hitchock’s later work: tension builds slowly and consistently. Hitchcock wanted Cary Grant, his favourite actor, to play one more role for him but Grant refused, having recently retired. The director cast Paul Newman in one of his first major roles and his understated performance is far more appropriate than the Roger O. Thornton type of roles played by Grant; initially it seems as if he is defecting but there is a twist as usual. Newman’s eyes, portraying a conflicted scientist, are integral to the emotion of the film.
One scene, as Newman attempts to lose the East German security agent who is trailing him in an empty museum is spellbinding simply because of the cadence of the two footsteps in the empty building. Another low-key scene engages the audience merely because a bus of defectors is gradually pursued by both the army and the regularly scheduled bus. Like The Man Who Knew Too Much a performance is used to build tension.
One could say that openings like the one for Torn Curtain which shows images from the film and the fire from a rocket launch grab the attention of the audience, a precursor to James Bond credit sequences. Throughout the film, simple directorial choices – and Hitchcock trademarks – make a big difference. ***