3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous Noir...Classic Films...One Short Of Perfect, May 12, 2006
This review is from: Wrong Men & Notorious Women: Five Hitchcock Thrillers, 1935-1946 (The 39 Steps / The Lady Vanishes / Rebecca / Spellbound / Notorious) (The Criterion Collection) (DVD)
Hitch, Cary, Ingrid, Olivier, Whitty, Du Maurier,Fontaine. The list goes on. All these great talents combined to make a great package for Hitch fans.A selection of fabulous noir, that is definitive of all things Hitch. The suspense, the shadows and light, the camera angles, the sly humor, his trademark sequences, all here, for one great Hitch film-fest. A mix of his vintage British films, and the great classics of Hollywood.
Here are the "wrong men" and "notorious women" that make up this great collection.
"The 39 Steps"
One of Hitch's masterpieces! From 1935.. "The Thirty Nine Steps" has Hitch's trademark style all through it. An innocent man gets involved with spies and counter spies. He is at the music hall, watching a "Memory Act"(which is quite a scene in itself),there's a gun shot, panic erupts and everyone runs out. A mysterious woman attaches herself to him and comes home with him. She reveals she is a spy and others are after her. She mentions the mysterious "Thirty Nine Steps", and the next morning he finds her dead. He goes on the run for fear he will be implicated in the murder and in order to prove his innocence he must uncover this spy ring on his own. His path is fraught with danger, suspense and of course a beautiful woman. It stars Robert Donat,Madeline Carroll(you know how Hitch loved those beautiful cool blondes!), and Lucie Mannheim(as Annabela the spy).Also look for his trademark staircase scene.
Looking for Hitch: Less than 10 minutes in, you'll spy him. What a litter bug!
"The Lady Vanishes"
Of all Hitch's early British made film's(mostly made during the late 1920's and 1930's), "The Lady Vanishes" is by far the most captivating one for me.
A train trip is the setting for this mystery. A woman's traveling companion has disappeared. Where could she be? The train is only so big. She tries desperately to find her friend, but is alone in her quest. No one seems to believe that she even had a companion to start with.All seem to have their own mysterious reasons for denying her any help.
Finally one man is convinced to help, and together they try to solve this possible crime. There are lots of tense sequences to keep you in suspense, and your heart pounding. Hitch mixes up the thrills with his marvelous sense of humor and his wonderful trademark style.Wonderful performances by the likes of Dame Mae Whitty, Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave add to the enjoyment of this one.
Looking for Hitch:....You must be patient. Check Victoria Station almost at the end of the film.
"Rebecca"
What do you get when you have a great work of literature by Daphne Du Maurier, combined with the cinematic skill of Director Alfred Hitchcock,combined with the extraordinary acting talents of Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders and Judith Anderson? You get pure perfection on film. Movie heaven!
The story begins in the South of France where a young, introverted woman(Joan Fontaine) meets wealthy widower Maxim de Winter(Olivier) His wife,Rebecca, had recently died in a drowning accident and often he seems to be pensive and far off. They fall in love, marry, and go back to his home, an estate called Manderly. She is overwhelmed by the palacial grandeur, the huge staff of servants but mainly by the very prim but chilling head housekeeper Mrs. Danvers(Judith Andersson). The first Mrs. De Winter still seems to have a presence in the household that Mrs. Danvers keeps alive.
To say anymore will be giving away too much of this hauntingly chilling love story/mystery.
Looking for Hitch: Nice day for a stroll...check the phone booth scene towards the end.
"Spellbound"
Here's a little of this riveting story.....
The beautiful Ingrid Bergman plays the distant psychiatrist Dr. Constance Petersen. She treats a number of troubled patients at the Green Manors Mental Asylum, but her toughest case is yet to come. With Dr. Murchison(Leo G Carroll) being forced into retirement a new chief of staff will be arriving. It is the esteemed Dr Edwards(Gregory Peck)who takes over. It is not long before Edwards and Constance find themselves attracted to one another, and it is not long before Constance figures out that Edwards is not really who he says he is. He displays signs of paranoia and amnesia and it is possible that he murdered the real Dr. Edwards.They are on the run to try to solve the case but as the original theatrical poster says,"Will he Kiss me or Kill me?"
You'll be awed Hitch's definitive style of camera angles, shadow and lights, romance and a unique dream sequence designed by Salavdor Dali. Not to mention all the wonderful talent that graces this film. Bergman and Peck make screen magic together, Carroll is a legend and this film shows us why.Also starring is Rhonda Flemming,Michael Chekhov, and Wallace Ford. The music by Miklos Rozsa also adds greatly to the building tension, and romantic scenes in the story.
So don't worry about trying to over anaylze this one....As Hitch himself said "It's just a movie." But a GREAT one!
Looking for Hitch: About :40 minutes in, you may see him if you're quick!
"Notorious"
The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, gives us another edge of your seat thriller. He combines, mystery,romance, and the evil's of Nazism in this chilling story.It takes place shortly after WWII. Alicia(Ingrid Bergman) is a woman with a past. Her father has just been convicted of spying. American agent Devlin(Cary Grant), enlists Alicia to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring.After her father's conviction, Alicia can prove her own patriotism by cooperating in this manner. She finds herself right in the thick of things and her own life in danger after she goes as far as to marry Alex(Claude Rains), one of the very powerful, rich and dangerous ring leaders of the group. Alex is on to her and tries to methodically get rid of his beautiful wife.Can the handsome "Dev" rescue the woman he has come to love so much before tragedy strikes.?
You'll delight to find Hitch's trademarks all through the film. The camera angles are definitive,the trademark staircase scene, the passion between Grant and Bergman electrifying,Claude Rains is terrifying, and the story a rollercoaster of suspense filled moments. There isn't a more perfect film I can think of.
Looking for Hitch: A little over an hour in you can have a little drink with him.(Not too much though, the Champagne needs to last the night at this party).
Hitch was "notorious" for stories where the "wrong" guy was accused of the crime. There are others that could fit into this collection. But I truly think there is one glaring omission.Shouldn't "The Wrong Man" with Henry Fonda, be included in "Wrong Men and Notorious Women"?.It's a dark wonderful piece of filmmaking, based on a true story of a man who happened to look like the criminal.
One other note. I notice that Amazon is out of stock. The outside sellers seem to be taking advantage of that fact, and have raised the cost sky high. If this set is the absolute way you want to go, put it in your cart or wish list, and keep an eye out for a reasonably listed price. In the meantime, you may want to surf around and see what it would cost to buy these films separately. A couple of them are on the expensive side, but others are averaging the usual cost of a DVD. One more route, would be to go to you local video store, they may have it, or may even be able to order it for you at the suggested retail price.
Five 5 star films, but missing one to make the package perfect.
Enjoy....Laurie
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