OH MY GOSH! Kate(actually doesn't have a hyphen in her name)Gabrielle of Silents and Talkiesand NUMEROUS other amazing sites has written a guest post on THE most brilliantAlfred Hitchcock Presents....EVER! Her review is excellent...I want to go watch it again for the zillionth time. AND she posted links to where YOU can join in on the brilliance! *sigh* I love this episode/this post so much.
If I were forced at gunpoint to name my favorite of Alfred Hitchcock's directorial endeavors, I would have to include the seventh episode of his anthology tv series. Now, I wasn't necessarily forced at gunpoint to tell you this, but I did promise Millie I'd write a post, so po-tay-to, po-tah-to ;-D
The episode is "Breakdown" starring Joseph Cotten, and it's one of the most unforgettable 26 minutes I've ever spent watching television. It's a tour-de-force in acting and directing, since almost the entire thing is a series of static shots of Joseph Cotten lying paralyzed, and the plot really only moves forward through his voiced-over thoughts.
The plot seems really simple.. Joseph Cotton is a business executive with ice-water in his veins. But after a freak-accident leaves him completely immobilized and trapped in his car, he finally becomes human. Appears simple, but it's really a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat suspenseful drama that will stick with you forever.
The plot probably wouldn't have worked as a two hour long movie, but the caliber of the story, acting, direction and writing are definitely the same as any of Hitchcock's feature length films. In fact, they are so superior that I'd say this television episode lands in my top five Hitchcock favorites. And in a portfolio that includes North by Northwest, Vertigo, The 39 Steps, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window I think that speaks volumes about how extraordinary this little mini movie really is!
It's Hitchcock in one of my favorite forms-- experimental. His forays into the avant-garde are always a delightful treat.. whether it's the Dali dream sequence in Spellbound, the shower scene in Psycho or his documentary-style "The Wrong Man," Hitchcock-as-artist is always a joy to behold. The man was a genius, and this episode is just further proof.
Well, it's about time you quit reading me blabber on about how great it is, and just watch it for yourself! It's available in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 1 box set, or, more conveniently (and immediately), on Hulu and YouTube .
Ok, what are you doing still reading this?? Did you not read the last paragraph? GO! Watch it! I am virtually holding you at gunpoint. Now scram!!
Thanks so much, dahling! This post is beyond Wowzie Kazam!
The Visit was beyond brilliant. I mean, It's difficult to explain that level of brilliance.
First of all, thank you so much Auntie Casey for sending me a copy! That was exciting.
So, The Visit came in the mail a couple days ago. I wandered into the kitchen to show my mother the movies Casey has sent me. Then my mum COMPLETELY FREAKED ME OUT! She was standing by the counter making dinner-- with a very large knife in her hand. I mentioned The Visit and my mum turned around and stared straight at me, saying angrily...."The visit is OVER."
(I was ready to run for my life at that point.)
Turns out The Visit is a movie my mother has loved forever, but hasn't been able to see in years! She was super-excited about the copy I had and we decided to watch it today.
It was amazing.
I would say that Ingy stole the whole thing, but really, it was all her's to begin with...
AND she gets to model the most awesomely amazing 60's wardrobe, hair, and make-up.
AND she gets to take sweet revenge!
I mean, I THINK THIS MOVIE WAS MADE FOR ME. *sigh*
Oh, yeah, there were also Anthony Quinn, and some other people, and a plot, and such....but those things don't really matter.
In conclusion: I would recommend this movie to absolutely anyone. It's just brilliant.
Oh, and here is a tribute to Ingy in The Visit video I made. It was GOING to be a tribute to the movie itself, but uh, Ingy sorta took over! ;-D
Thanks for reading!
-Millie
P.S. Check out this jaw-droppingly amazingly brilliant, probably the best actor tribute video I have ever seen! Just made by Kate-Gabrielle:
So, today I was avoiding cleaning my room and trying not to get sucked into spending hours trying to stump Akinator, the Web Genius (IT KNOWS EVERYTHING). Instead, I was doing something useful-- like scrolling through my personalized recommendations on Hulu.
On about the 7th page it popped up with the message: You watched Alias Smith and Jones so you might like Duel At Diablo. I was quite excited. I have been wanting to see this FOREVER! I mean: it's 60's, it's a western, it has two brilliant actors I utterly adore. How can it go wrong?!
It can't.
Well, first of all, it becomes immediately apparent that this film is going to be highly awesome when a blood-soaked knife rips through the United Artists credit:
The first scene seemed to be progressing along in a normal western way (which is NOT in any way a bad thing...KATE!) when suddenly James Garner was riding away from the Apache with Bibi Andersson on the back of his horse. They're riding through this gorgeous Utah desert (filmed on location) and this amazing 60ish score starts playing. I think my jaw literally dropped. (I had actually been worried that I might fall asleep (I was already quite tired)....NOT ANYMORE.)
This (written by Neal Hefti) is already in my top ten movie scores. I can't stop listening to it.
The score runs through the entire film. In that first scene it seems almost jarringly out-of-place, but it really fits the movie perfectly. It's a song played in every mood. It's played in victory and played in death; it just keeps playing. Completely captivating!
Also, it's perfectly written so that during the climax of the song you can ride off into battle and say awesome stuff like: "Men, here we go to gory death...or victory" without even changing the tone of your voice. The score does it all for you. ;-D
A synopsis of the film is a bit difficult! In short terms: Bill Travers is Lt. McAllister. He needs to get wagons full of ammunition across the desert (also across all the Apaches on the war-path; they aren't liking the reservation too much) to Fort Concho. He needs James Garner to be his scout (all the others keep dying off...). Sidney's just along for the ride because he's a former Army Sergeant turned horse dealer person, who may have sold the Army a few horses still unbroken and bucking everyone. (now he has to break them in during the journey, in order to get paid). Of course McAllister has only a few men...who ALL have never been in battle before. His own second-in-command has never been west of St. Louis. There's also Dennis Weaver (henceforth he will be referred to as the racist, chauvinistic, selfish, annoying jerk) who's trying to get merchandise across the desert or something. And his wife (Bibi) who recently returned from having been in captivity by the Apache. Oh, and there's this awesome Army private who wears his hat sideways...always...
Anyway, moving on to the brilliant cast:
I don't think any movie with Garner + Poitier can fail to be awesome! I just don't think the world works that way! The sun rises in the East, sets in the West; bananas are yellow, oranges are orange; Garner + Poitier are always stupendously amazingly cool.
James Garner was perfect, of course. I love him in every genre, but I always seem to think he belongs in the western. I mean, HE IS BRET MAVERICK. And he is "basically on his way to Australia"! ;-D
James Garner is one of those people who never give a bad performance. No matter what. They may have the worst role in the universe...but it still turns out awesome. In this he's just stupendously amazingly cool.
And Sidney Poitier. Well, he obviously could never be uncool! I really particularly loved the role he had in Duel At Diablo. In the 60's, Poitier so often played the role of the "strong, moral black man fighting against racism and prejudice". This was obviously huge, important and necessary-- and he was ALWAYS great-- but I so enjoy seeing him in a film where he gets to just be cool; actually, his character was written in a way that it could have been played by anyone (except not really...because WHO could be as cool as Sidney Poitier?!).
He's definitely the best-dressed man in the middle of any crazy battle against the Apaches. He can calm down babies instantly by just looking at them. AND HE PULLS AN ARROW (SHAFT AND THEN HEAD) OUT OF HIS OWN ARM WHILE STILL SHOOTING AND GIVING ORDERS. ---Guide to coolness.
And there was the racist, chauvinistic, selfish, annoying jerk. (Sorry Dennis!)
TCMDb wrongly wrote their synopsis, or at least mislead readers. (This has happened SO MANY TIMES, I almost wrote a post about it once.) It says:
Racial tensions flair when a black officer joins a Cavalry troop fighting the Indians.
Uh. No. There are some racial tensions, but they have NOTHING to do with Poitier. These are COMPLETELY confined to the racist, chauvinistic, selfish, annoying jerk who tells his wife (after she was rescued from the Apaches):
"Lots of white women have been grabbed off by an Indian, and many a decent one of them would have killed herself before she let them turn her into an Indian squaw."
Also:
"My horse is dead and you're back - shoulda been the other way around."
When he wasn't dead and there was only 20 minutes left to the movie, I began to get worried, but, no, there was no redemption for him. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
SPOILER ALERT: I'm not necessarily blood-thirsty or anything, but I actually went "hehehehe" out-loud when he was dying! END SPOILER ALERT!
Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about Bill Travers as Lt. Scotty McAllister. He was really a stand-out. So often in westerns, it's the big stars who also happen to be the "outsider", "loner" characters who get all the coolness. And the Army guys are "old-fashioned" and DUMB. Not at all with this character!
SPOILER ALERT: In fact, I was quite sad to see him go! By the end though, he had so many broken limbs, bullet holes, and arrows in him-- it was getting PRETTY IMPRESSIVE! I have this theory that, in westerns, any character who bravely rides ahead in battle, shouting victoriously, maybe with lance upheld...well, he's going to be either dead or insane by the end of the movie. Poor Scotty. He went insane and then died. Very sad indeed. END SPOILER ALERT!
But really, that guy who played the second-in-command Apache-- well I simply CAN'T take him seriously. He's played a dumb headhunter on Gilligan's Island TOO many times.
Well, I don't know what else to write! I had so much to say about this film in my mind as I watched it...but now it's all forgotten (the stunning score is till running in my head though). Also, I've been drinking Mango Lemonade the ENTIRE time while writing this...and well I told you about the evilness of mangoes just a few posts ago. SERIOUSLY! ;-D
In conclusion, I just want to recommend this movie to EVERYONE. It's brilliance comes from the fact that it's not a normal good guy vs. bad guy western, but neither is it a "we must deconstruct/ruin everyone amazing about westerns" western. It's just cool.
EDIT: Oooh, I was just reading this review on Amazon and I think it PERFECTLY expresses this film:
"One of the most unusual westerns ever filmed, Duel at Diablo deals with a number of clicheish situations in a refreshing, fascinating manner. More engrossing than entertaining, the intense emotion and delicately intertwined subplots are almost hypnotically effective in holding the viewer's attention. James Garner, Sidney Poitier and Dennis Weaver headline an excellent cast. Beautiful locations and an eerie soundtrack add to the overall power of the production. This film is probably too violent for many young viewers, but will prove a most satisfying experience for western buffs who prefer gritty realism to the more common shlocky horse operas. Duel at Diablo will never be found in a listing of top westerns, but it belongs there. In fact, it holds its own in any movie library, regardless of genre."
THAT'S RIGHT! ;-D
-Millie!
If my review doesn't make sense, do understand that it's 4:30AM and I've been up for 20hours! THE MILLIE DOESN'T NEED SLEEP! *as my eyes are twitching and foot tapping uncontrollably to the Hefti's score* ;-D
Earlier, I accidentally stabbed myself in the foot with a pitchfork thing. (Don't ask!) There is currently a hole in my toe.
Then, I got food poisoning from my dinner.
I don't even know why everything is ALWAYS STINKIN' HAPPENING TO ME!
Anyway, I did remember that I had Modesty Blaise from the extremely Wowzie Kazam Kate! She actually e-mailed me the movie! It was like my own Netflix Instant Watch...except it took my computers several hours to download, during which time I fell asleep. But, anyway, that was a couple days ago! I hadn't been able to watch it since, because my parents were both gone, and I had to "watch" my younger brothers.
BUT, tonight, I finally had nothing to do-- but feel sick and stare at the hole in my toe...so I put on Modesty Blaise.
It's complete brilliance.
COMPLETE.
The cast was AMAZING! But, Dirk Bogarde completely stole the entire thing as the awesome super-villain. He was over-the-top, hilarious, and GENIUS!
Monica Vitti (Modesty) and Terrence Stamp (Willie) were also pretty cool...mainly because they burst into off-key song right in the middle of battle.
Also, Monica had impossibly cool clothes!
Gosh, this whole movie is just too much amazingness for me to explain! Really, you must watch it. Very soon.
Most Quotable Line (as in: line I will probably begin to quote often at random times): "How can I eat lobster.....when the lobsters are eating Borg?!"
Random photos:
And if, by some chance, you're not convinced yet (I don't know WHY you wouldn't be...after this MOST thorough review! ;-D), you really should watch this video Kate made! IT WILL CONVINCE YOU! And even if it doesn't (because you are-- I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT), you'll still have the song stuck in your head for 3 days! MWAHAHAHAHA!
Well, I guess that's all.
This movie is so amazing...I just want to go watch it again!
(Also, it has inspired Kate and I to create cool spy names for ourselves...this is currently happening. We are not odd at all.)
-Millie (soon to be something much cooler)
P.S. ALL the screencaps were "borrowed" from Kate!
Oh, my goodness. I am really excited about a giveaway that Miss Kate-Gabrielle of Silents and Talkies, Flapperdoodle, Spiffy, Kate-Gabrielle Art, etc, etc...(this girl is a MULTI-TASKER) is doing.
She is offering amazing prizes consisting of her amazing art!
I have bought a couple of prints from Kate before (one during her recent buy one get one free sale) and just adore her work! She is extremely talented and anyone who is following my blog should definitely enter this contest (well, actually I'd kinda rather you didn't enter...because I want to win...;-D....JK! JK!)!
Oh, and one more thing: you should really go vote for Kate on Etsy for the Best Bicycle Art. Her's is the amazing drawing of the Flappers riding a double bike. VOTE HERE!
Anyways, that's about it. I'm gonna try and post those posts about my favorite Westerns and Screwball Comedies later (it ended up not working out on the 4th, sadly).
The results to my poll: "Who has the most genius among these".
The five candidates were five people who I personally think had the greatest genius!
I have chosen photos which I feel highlight their genius.
Coming in fifth place with 1 vote is the inimitable Bobby Darin:
(Okay, he didn't actually get a vote, but because it was impossible for me to choose the greatest from among those greats, I withheld and gave my vote to the single person on the list who received no votes...My darlin' Bobby.)
Bobby was a genius (contrary to popular opinion, I see). He tackled pretty much every single entertainment medium and conquered it. He wrote amazing music, was legendary performing, acted (Oscar nominated), and generally went through life doing great things at every turn. Read my more in depth post on him here.
Coming in fourth place with 2 votes was genius-of-the-highest-grade: Rod Serling!
Mr. Serling was too much of a genius for words. I mean, seriously, Twilight Zone...Night Gallery...no mere human could think of things like that! And his voice was pretty cool too.
Coming in third place with 4 votes is the iconic Frank Sinatra.
I really don't feel like any words are necessary for Mr. Sinatra. He was Sinatra. He is a part of America...and probably will be...forever!
In second place with 5 votes is the legendary Orson Welles.
(I chose this particular photo, because Orson is so into what he is doing...it perfectly shows off his genius.)
Orson Welles is legendary. He lived his whole life at full speed. And whenever he stopped to use just a little of his genius...it was a remarkable thing. His name is synonymous with genius. In fact, his nickname was boy-genius after he completed his first film, Citizen Kane at age 25.
And in first place with 9 votes is........................................
Alfred Hitchcock!
Hitchcock often spoke of "playing the audience like an organ". That is the kind of power he wielded. He deservedly got first place (although I was rooting for all of them), for there never will be another Hitchcock. A person who so easily unites critical and popular success together. Amazing! In one particular episode of his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he says, "If I won't be myself, who will?" The quote is so true. There would a great void left in the world without an Alfred Hitchcock!
Kate-Gabrielle brought to my attention that my poll was missing one of the great genius'. And she was right. Mr. Charlie Chaplin was a great genius. Although not in my personal top five (like the other gentlemen) he was still so fantastically innovative and remarkable that he MUST be mentioned. So here's to Mr. Chaplin...another great!
I chose this above photo because if any Hollywood actor (especially an actor famous for slapstick comedy) ever decided to meet and talk with Gandhi...it could most definitely only be Chaplin. ;-D
Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950) is quite frankly a masterpiece.
It's Hitchcock's tribute to his homeland (England) and it is a great suspense with a brilliant twist.
Now, before I begin this semi-semi-review I must warn you there is a large controversy surrounding part of this film. When I address it I will give you a spoiler alert, as it truly gives away the plot of the film!!!!
I was watching this movie with my mom and she saw the name Michael Wilding. I will now try to reconstruct as best as possible our conversation:
Her: Whoa, that's the husband [Elizabeth Taylor's] that died isn't it? Me: No, it was Michael Todd who died...this is Michael Wilding. *A few seconds later she sees Richard Todd's name* Her: Wow, so two of her husbands are in this movie! Me: No, one husband. Her: I thought you said she was married to Michael Wilding? Me: She was. But she was NOT married to Richard Todd...he is completely different. Her: Oh. *The movie gets paused because my dad was starting a fire and he always make A LOT of noise!* Her: So Michael Wilding was the husband that died? Me: No, Michael Todd died in a plane crash! She divorced Wilding. Her: Oh. *A little while later* Her: So, Richard Todd died in a plane crash?
And this continued on throughout the whole movie. Hahaha, she isn't normally so slow or scatter-brained, but there is something about the Mr. Elizabeth Taylors that completely confuse her...LOL!
Anyways, I will start with the film's stars:
Marlene is fantastic in this film. She gives a complex and fascinating performance. Often hiding her character's emotions from view, until they suddenly pop up again (okay, that sounded strange...hahaha). It gives her performance many layers...completely mesmerizing!
First, the good news: this is definitely my favorite Jane Wyman performance. Now, the bad news: I don't like Jane Wyman very much. This is strictly as an actress. She often drives me bezerks! Her screen persona, just annoys me. And I really don't think she was right for this role (she is supposed to be born and raised and lives in England, also her parents are both English, yet she has an American accent)! However, she did great in this role. Maybe not the best choice, but still an alright choice for the part.
Genius. Pure genius. His performance was beyond perfection. The second best in the film (the best is coming up). His portrayal was amazing. To say anymore might give something away, so I won't. But, if you have seen this film, you know what I am talking about!
Wilding was excellent in this film! It is too bad his part wasn't bigger. And plus he's just adorable with his darling British accent.
The best performance in the whole film goes to Alastair Sim, who completely walks away with the entire movie. Sadly I could not find his own credit, so this still shot will have to do. It is from an absolutely hilarious scene, where Alastair needs a little blood for something...fast! He ends up stabbing a bit at his hand to get a little blood...it sounds morbid, but really it is hilarious! I could go on about his performance in this film forever that's how brilliant he is!
And, Patricia Hitchcock is delightful...as always, playing the bit part of Chubby Bannister. She seriously lightens and brightens up absolutely anything she is in!
Also, Sybil Thorndike is fantastic as the slightly dotty mother of Jane and wife of Alastair.
Plus, Joyce Grenfell is beyond hilarious in her one scene. A definite highlight in the film.
Now, unto the controversial scene.... SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!
I personally think Hitchcock was absolutely brilliant in putting the false flashback in! Hitchcock was forever experimenting and trying new things. He gave an amazing surprise to audiences then and now!
Those who say it was an error are completely wrong! It was fascinating. It was Richard Todd's side of the story. He was mentally unstable. Hitchcock even gives hints about his sanity (or lack thereof) throughout the film. And the shrewd viewer can easily discern them.
Sadly, Hitchcock himself thought that the false flashback was his #2 career mistake (following the bomb and child in Sabotage). I think it was amazing.
I think that Hitchcock was amazing. Period. And that is what I will be saying until the day I die.
