5 Things You Might Not Know About Alfred Hitchcock's Masterpiece 'Vertigo' By Oliver Lyttelton "Voting is currently underway on the Sight & Sound poll for the greatest film ever made, which takes place every ten years, and is generally seen as one of the most definitive of such polls. And one film that’s near-certain to place in the top ten, given that it’s been there in every poll since 1982 (and placed second in 2002) is Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.” "The film was relatively poorly received on release, and indeed, remained unseen for twenty years, one of the five films to which Hitchcock bought back the rights to leave to his daughter (the so-called Five Lost Hitchcocks, which also include “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Rear Window,” “Rope” and “The Trouble With Harry“). But since its re-release in 1984, the film has grown into the great director’s most acclaimed masterpiece, and is now one of the most examined, deconstructed and written about films in the history of the medium." READ MORE
Anthony Perkins Will Always Frighten Us in ‘Psycho’ "63 years ago, ‘Psycho’ set the gold standard for handsome homicidal maniacs. In this column, Jacob Trussell explores Anthony Perkins’ performance as Norman Bates." "Before being offered the role of Norman Bates in Psycho, Anthony Perkins was considered a new James Dean type, good looking and sensitive, with chops straight out of The Actor’s Studio in New York City. But prior to 1960, he had yet to be cast in a role that neared the complexity he’d tackle in Norman, and the ones he did get relied more on his charm than any of his idiosyncrasies." "It was his natural amiability that attracted director Alfred Hitchcock to Perkins for the role. Hitchcock wanted to weaponize the nice guy persona that the actor was known for so he could shock the world with his boyish psychopath. In this regard, Psycho typecast Perkins long before Perkins would become typecast by Psycho." (READ MORE)
If he hadn't been in that film, we may not be talking about him today. One's career is really in the hands of others.
I watched Notorious (1946) on YouTube last weekend, for the 3rd time. My favorite Hitchcock movie, but I'm probably biased because I've always liked Ingrid Bergman. Hitchcock was notorious for choosing a certain profile for his first ladies. Some try to force Ingrid Bergman into that profile, but I don't buy it. These days, the Transatlantic Accent exists mostly as a joke, a sort of shorthand to point out that someone is a pretentious snob. Frasier Crane and his brother, Niles, both use it on "Frasier." So what happened to the accent? Blame World War II, says linguist William Labov, via The Intrepid Guide. "This American version of a 'posh' accent has all but disappeared even among the American upper classes," he wrote. I always wondered if Grace Kelly was underrated as an actress, partly because of her TransAtlantic Accent. Accent itself can type-cast an actor. She would have been only 16 when WW2 ended. She got caught in the transition period.
I have never watched Notorious. I will have to do that.....however, I am notorious for saying that, but not following up on it. We'll see.
"Mr. Hitchcock was a noted practical joker whose favorite prank was telling a tantalizing story in a loud voice to a companion in an elevator, perfectly timing his exit just before the punch line and then bowing politely to the intrigued but frustrated passengers." Peter Bogdanovich tells his story about Alfred Hitchcock. From the Documentary "Rear Window Ethics" Hitchcock's Elevator Story
"I love this short excerpt from Conan O'Brien's...talk show, where Mel Brooks tells his story about dining at Chasen's with Alfred Hitchcock." (with just a touch of the "F" word) Mel Brooks on Alfred Hitchcock