![]() Grant’s suave looks and elegant voice served him well when he started acting in films, but his artistry and nuance on screen matured considerably over the years. He became one of the most admired and beloved leading men that Hollywood would ever produce. At 16, he would travel by ship to the United States, where he would eventually change his name to Cary Grant after signing his first movie contract in 1931. As a teen, he became attracted to show biz at an early age, becoming friends with a troupe of acrobats and doing odd jobs while hanging out backstage at theaters. Time has been kind to Vertigo, however, and it's many qualities are now obvious to see.He was born Archibald Alec Leach in South West England on January 18, 1904. Despite these obvious qualities, it was met with baffled shrugs at the time. It's also visually remarkable, with Saul Bass's hypnotic opening titles and a surreal, psychotropic nightmare sequence adding to the delirium. Stewart may have been twice as old as his 25 year old co-star, but even that works in the film's favour, adding to the sense that Scottie is chasing the past. But will his fixation lead to history repeating itself? The plot may sound torturous, but that's part of the film's appeal. Some time later he meets another woman, Judy (also played by Novak). James Stewart plays Scottie, a detective with a fear of heights who falls for Kim Novak's Madeleine only to witness her death. And Vertigo is the best of the bunch, the jewel in Hitchcock's crown. How much of a creative roll was Hitchcock on in the 1950s to mid '60s? From 1951's Strangers On A Train through to 1964's Marnie he barely put a foot wrong. ![]() Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and the rest all owe their success, in part, to Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins portrayal of Norman Bates was a masterclass in menace, and it effectively birthed the slasher movie. Its combination of sexuality and violence was extremely potent for the '60s. But the impact of Psycho is far greater than just a brilliant gotcha! moment. Coming just a third of the way through the film, Leigh's death scene subverted natural expectations that the leading lady would make it all the way to the end. The pivotal murder scene is a masterpiece of implication the editing leaves you with an impression of extreme violence that's far stronger than what you actually see and it scared audiences silly. Made on a tighter budget than North By Northwest (indeed, at one point it was planned for TV) Psycho was lean, mean and horrifying. The fact that virtually every moment from Psycho has been homaged, parodied or referenced means that, even if you've never seen the film, the name instantly conjures up a host of potent images. With a noticeably strong (and then extremely rare in cinema) homosexual subtext, world class performances from the entire cast and a haunting script, it's a jaw-dropping piece of work that still has the power to chill. This twisted setup is made all the more intense for being told in real time and in what appears to be a single continuous shot (it's not the film is actually stitched together from 10 long takes). They don't bet on housemaster Rupert Cadell (a brilliant James Stewart), however, who begins to piece the horrible truth together. The pair invite some friends including David's family over for dinner and use the trunk as a dining table. Two young men, Brandon (John Dall) and Philip (Farley Granger) have strangled their old classmate David (Dick Hogan) and packaged up the body in an antique trunk. Not as widely-seen or as lauded as Vertigo, but every bit as bleak, it's a brilliantly realised thriller with a heart of ice and a sick sense of humour. Rope is undoubtedly the hipster's choice of Hitchcock movie. Hitchcock's direction makes that clear from the start, cutting between the two as they head for their fateful chance encounter. The randomness of Guy and Bruno's encounter is terrifying. Sensibly, Guy wants nothing to do with this, but Bruno goes ahead and murders Miriam and the blame lands squarely on her husband.Īs with North By Northwest, Strangers On A Train is driven by the horrible idea of being accused of a crime you didn't commit. The theory is that, as neither of them has any obvious motive for committing the crime, they'll both escape justice. Bruno suggests a scheme: he will off Miriam for Guy if Guy kills Bruno's father. A chance encounter with Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) leads to a terrible conclusion. Two men meet on a train in an encounter that will change their lives and end others Based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, this is the story of Guy Haines (Farley Granger) a tennis star who is fed up with his wife Miriam's infidelity.
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