Grace Kelly – We Are Movie Geeks

Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER Screening at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville August 17th

“People don’t commit murder on credit.”

Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland is one of the most suspenseful films of the 1950’s . Those thrills will be on the big screen when it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL (252 N Main St, Edwardsville, IL 62025) at 7:00pm Tuesday August 17th. $3 Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. (cash, credit cards accepted for concessions) Lobby opens at 6pm.

In London, wealthy Margot Mary Wendice had a brief love affair with the American writer Mark Halliday while her husband and professional tennis player Tony Wendice was on a tennis tour. Tony quits playing to dedicate to his wife and finds a regular job. She decides to give him a second chance for their marriage. When Mark arrives from America to visit the couple, Margot tells him that she had destroyed all his letters but one that was stolen. Subsequently she was blackmailed, but she had never retrieved the stolen letter. Tony arrives home, claims that he needs to work and asks Margot to go with Mark to the theater. Meanwhile Tony calls Captain Lesgate (aka Charles Alexander Swann who studied with him at college) and blackmails him to murder his wife, so that he can inherit her fortune. But there is no perfect crime, and things do not work as planned.

Check out this great classic trailer:

VERTIGO Screens at The Hi-Pointe Saturday Morning – Here are Alfred Hitchcock’s Ten Best Movies

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

Alfred Hitchcock’s VERTIGO screens at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, March 11th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117. The film will be introduced by Harry Hamm, movie reviewer for KMOX. Admission is only $5

This gives us a perfect excuse to re-run this top ten list so here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are Alfred Hitchcock’s ten best films:

FRENZY

FRENZY, Hitchcock’s next to last feature film from 1972, represented a homecoming of sorts since it was the first film completely shot in his native England since his silents and early ” talkies ” in the 1930’s. By dipping into the then somewhat new territory of serial killers, he took full advantage of the new cinema freedoms and truly earned his ‘ R ‘ MPAA rating. Perhaps ole’ ” Hitch ” wanted to give those young up-and-coming film makers a run for their thriller movie money ( take that Brian DePalma! ). Anthony ( SLEUTH ) Schaffer’s screenplay told of an innocent man ( Jon Finch ) on the run ( ala NORTH BY NORTHWEST ) after police believe him to be the notorious necktie rapist/strangler. Seems this fellow’s buddy ( Barry Foster ) made his pal’s ex-wife the latest victim in a very graphic murder in a horrific sequence early in the film ( supposedly Michael Caine passed on the role because of the extreme brutality ). But later in the story ” Hitch ” shows surprising discretion. The killer enters an apartment with another woman and the camera stays in the hallway as they close the door. Slowly the camera begins a long tracking shot down the hall ( we hear no sounds from the closed room ) and out into the busy, bustling street ( perhaps showing that life goes on). Very stylish, you old sneak! Later we get a taste of the master’s sense of humor as the police inspector talks about the case to his gourmet-wannabe’ wife ( her dishes just sound awful!) in a series of running gags ( literally ). Even more hilarious ( and gruesome ) is when the killer realizes that his latest victim grabbed his very personal lapel pin. He’s got to track down the produce truck that carries her corpse ( shades of THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY ) stuffed in a sack of potatoes! Though he neared the end of his career Hitchcock proved he could still leave movie audiences gasping! Look for him in an early scene amongst a crowd who spot a body floating in the Thames ( such a proper Englishman-he’s wearing his bowler ).

SABOTEUR

Though not his first movie in Hollywood, SABOTEUR (1942) was Hitchcock’s first fully American film (REBECCA and SUSPICION both took place in England), one that took its lead characters on a coast-to-coast trek, ending up at one of the most American sites of all: the Statue of Liberty. Robert Cummings is wrongly suspected of being the saboteur who blew up the plant where he worked. He then goes on a cross-country run from his enemies, encountering a beautiful girl, a traveling circus (the unforgettable bearded-lady), etc. The real Saboteur is Nazi spy Norman Lloyd (still with us at 97!) who has since disappeared from the factory. Going on the run Cummings follows a lead concerning Fry which leads him to the ranch of wealthy Otto Kruger who is mixed up with a bigger plot of Sabotage. SABOTEUR introduced many elements that would become Hitchcock staples: the “wrongly-accused man” theme; the innocent hero in pursuit of the real villain with the police on his heels; the cultured villain whose outward respectability masks evil; the reluctant or hostile blonde heroine; the use of important sites (the Statue of Liberty climax, the shoot-out at Radio City) for spectacular set pieces; and, of course, the dark humor. While history hasn’t revealed SABOTEUR to be among Hitchcock’s most popular films, it certainly belongs on this list and is the one most deserving of rediscovery.

VERTIGO

Let’s state this right from the top: VERTIGO is one of the greatest films ever made. It’s not simply hyperbole that notables such as Leonard Maltin and Martin Scorsese have called the film Hitchcock’s masterpiece.Â To paraphrase Scorsese, rarely have we seen the complexity of a man’s thoughts and feelings portrayed so beautifully and compellingly onscreen.Â Everything in VERTIGO – from the costumes to the location scenery to the performances of its lead actors is quite simply, perfect. Hitchcock had long wanted to film a story in the City by the Bay, and with the French novel FROM AMONG THE DEAD, he had the framework for his most personal and revealing film. The San Francisco backdrops contribute greatly to the overall dreamlike quality of much of the film, with the Spanish architecture, redwood forests, and of course, the Golden Gate. The plot of VERTIGO is famously convoluted, but suffice to say that Hitch had yet another morally ambiguous lead character in Scottie (the always solid Jimmy Stewart, here playing against his all-American every guy type), and a plethora of dualities in almost every character – and then some. Madeleine (the wonderful Kim Novak) is not really Madeleine, but Judy. And Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) wants to be Madeleine, but paints a portrait of herself as Carlotta. The old college buddy is really a calculating murderer. Hitchcock uses paintings, reflections, mirrors, and shadows to show us these dual personas constantly throughout the film. On its surface, VERTIGO is about trying to change someone you love. Haven’t we all tried this to some extent at some point in our lives? The danger, as it is here, is that it can become an obsession – this power we have to transform someone. To take the point even further, isn’t it the movies themselves which transform reality for us? It would also be easy to dismiss VERTIGO as one of the darkest and most cynical portrayals of romantic love ever filmed. But Hitchcock actually has a genuine affinity for romance. Look at the scene where Scottie finally molds Judy into the Madeleine he loves. As she enters the room, bathed in an ethereal light, Bernard Herrmann’s lush romantic score swells to a crescendo, and Scottie’s face transforms as he embraces her as Hitch shoots in a full 360 dolly (Notice how the background changes, reflecting Scottie’s memories.) Has there ever been a more beautifully rendered sequence showing a man and woman in love? Many directors would have ended the film right there, but of course, Hitch is not most directors. With its themes of the conflicts inherent in romantic love, its obsessive power to transform reality, and its dark impulses that we both fear and are drawn to, VERTIGO abides as a unique look into the mind of one very special genius.

REBECCA

Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, REBECCA was Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film and won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1940, the only Hitchcock film to ever do so (though Best Director went to John Ford that year for GRAPES OF WRATH). We never see the title character in REBECCA, but we constantly feel her presence. Joan Fontaine stars as an unnamed woman who is the “companion” of a spoiled rich woman – Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates). She meets Rebecca’s widower: the rich but brooding Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). The two marry and he takes her to Manderley, his palatial estate in the English countryside. There, the second Mrs. de Winter must compete with the memory of Rebecca’s perfection, and cope with the menacing housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson). REBECCA is an eerie exercise in suspense, one of the more gothic and strange of Hitchcock’s films, as it deals more with psychological terror than the espionage thrillers he’d been making in England. REBECCA proved that a skilled director accustomed to making small pictures in England could embrace the Hollywood system and develop a big movie that would find favor with critics and audiences alike. Yet Hitchcock once told Francois Truffaut that his first American film,”is not a Hitchcock picture.” Apparently producer David O. Selznick, a legendary micromanager, insisted on being closely involved with the movie and producing a faithful adaptation of the book forcing Hitchcock to deliver a film that broke the mold of his British thrillers.

THE BIRDS

Hitchcock’s vision of the end of the world, or at least the end of humanity as its master, was a brilliant stamp on perhaps the single greatest decade of filmmaking by any one person in the history of cinema. Think about it – nearly every film on this Top 10 Tuesday list was made during the period from the early 1950s to 1963, when THE BIRDS was released. Tippi Hedren portrays Melanie Daniels, a Paris Hilton-like jetsetter who’s really a good girl at heart, if somewhat used to getting what she wants. And what she wants is Rod Taylor, in his best debonair yet macho guise, as Mitch. Melanie impulsively follows Mitch to his homestead of Bodega Bay, bringing along some caged songbirds, and coincidentally bringing on some wild bird attacks.(Mention should be made here of the Bernard Herrmann “score” for THE BIRDS – there are few actual bird sounds, only the electronic renderings of Herrmann, and no music.) You may provide your own interpretation of these events (Are the birds drawn to light? Are they some psychological manifestation of a mother’s jealousy? A romantic rival’s jealousy?= Or just some damn crazy birds?), or you can just enjoy the visceral ride of admiring a master craftsman. The famous setpieces in THE BIRDS – the schoolyard suspense, the attack at the party, the siege in the farmhouse, etc. are all prime examples of Hitchcock’s techniques for heightened suspense and making the macabre out of the mundane.Perhaps the best scene in the movie is the gas station sequence, where Melanie is trapped in a phonebooth (ah, the good old days of land lines!) and looks on helplessly as the birds begin their onslaught. When the inevitable explosion occurs, Hitch immediately cuts to a skyview, and we see the world as the birds see us – tiny, insignificant creatures amid burning petroleum that they have drained from the earth – a brilliant microcosm of the futility of human enterprise when faced with the forces of nature.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

In NORTH BY NORTHWEST Hitchcock once again explored the theme of an innocent man on the run. Unlike his recent THE WRONG MAN, this reluctant hero was not trying to escape the police ( they don’t believe him ), but a group of ruthless spies! Making this film compelling ( and very entertaining ) is Cary Grant at his most charming as Roger O. Thornhill ( the O stands for nothing ), terrific location work, and Bernard Herriman’s pulse pounding score. Early on the baddies led by the sinister James Mason and his aide Martin Landau (something…odd…is going on between those two! ) force bourbon down Grant’s throat and put him behind the wheel of a car. The camera assumes the driver’s view as it careens down a dark country road. Later Grant’s framed for a killing as news cameras capture the murder ( look for the kid in the background plugging his ears before the gunshot ). Grant gets a brief rest as he boards a train and encounters Eva Marie Saint as a cool sexy blonde ( ” Hitch ” had a thing for that type..and locomotives! ). Later we see one of the most famous film images as Grant runs down a deserted field to escape a swooping crop dusting bi-plane. The thrill ride concludes with an incredible chase on Mount Rushmore! Hitchcock went all out to give movie audiences their money’s worth! Look for him just missing a bus right after the great Saul Bass opening titles.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Hitchcock indulges his penchant for locomotives once again in the 1951 classic STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. One of his greatest thrillers begins innocently enough on board said train when tennis player Guy Haines ( Farley Granger ) has a casual conversation with one of cinema’s creepiest villains Bruno Anthony ( Robert Walker ). Both have people in their lives causing them problems. Bruno has a mean, tight-fisted father while Guy has a loose, shrewish wife who won’t grant him a divorce so he may marry a gorgeous US senator’s daughter Anne Morton ( Ruth Roman ). Hmmm, what if they did murders for each other? The police would never suspect. Guy light-heartedly agrees, but Bruno believes that it’s real and binding. He tracks down Mrs. Haines to a carnival and strangles her ( in a low angle shot we observe the killing through the woman’s discarded spectacles-this party gal wore glasses! ). Soon Bruno calls on Guy to keep his end of the deal or he’ll alert the authorities. What to do? Walker gives a mesmerizing performance as the dead-eyed murderer with serious parental issues ( foreshadowing Norman Bates? ). Strolling through the carnival he barely breaks his stride to pop the balloon of a passing youngster. Later Bruno attends Guy’s big tennis match. All eyes in the stands are on the back-and-forth moving tennis ball except Bruno. He fixes his steady, unmoving, unblinking stare on Guy. The suspense doesn’t let up through the wild climax as both men fight aboard a whirling, spinning out-of-control merry-go-round. The influence of this masterwork continues to this day in films ( the comedy THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN ) to a recent episode of TV’s ” Modern Family “. Watch for Hitchcock attempting to board the train toting a cumbersome double bass case ( ya’ know, a body could fit in that! ).

SHADOW OF A DOUBT

In SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) Teresa Wright plays Charlie, a small-town high-schooler in the sleepy burb of Santa Rose who enjoys an extended visit from her favorite uncle, also named Charlie (Joseph Cotten). The horrified Charlie eventually discovers that her beloved Uncle is a mass murderer, preying upon and killing wealthy old women. Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville (Mrs. Hitchcock) based their screenplay on a story by Gordon McDowell, who in turn was inspired by the real-life serial killer Earle Leonard Nelson, known as the “Merry Widow Murderer”. Joseph Cotten was deftly cast against type by Hitchcock, bringing a superficial cheerfulness to Uncle Charlie, which can turn on a dime to efficient cruelty. The structure of SHADOW OF A DOUBT is perfectly calculated, letting the viewer know early on just what kind of man Uncle Charlie really is, but providing tension through his devious charade as a gentle, kind man deserving of his family’s love, an unease which fuels the chilling cat-and-mouse game between Cotten and Wright that provides the film’s tense center. SHADOW OF A DOUBT is said to be Hitchcock’s personal favorite and it’s not difficult to see why: much like BLUE VELVET, it’s about the menace that lurks below every picturesque small town or, as Hitchcock himself claimed, “It brought murder and violence back into the house where it rightfully belongs.” Look for the master’s cameo playing poker on a train.

PSYCHO

Everyone remembers the film’s most famous scene: the oft-copied but seldom equaled artistry of the shower murder, with its nerve-wracking staccato string music, its implied nudity and stabbing, and its 78 separate edits. But what everyone does not realize is that this iconic sequence – one of the most famous in film history – was actually a creative response thought up by Saul Bass and Alfred Hitchcock to avoid censorship. In 1959, censorship (the Code) was still alive and well in Hollywood, movie ratings were still years away, and Alfred Hitchcock was at a crossroads in his career. With a string of box office hits and a popular hit TV show, Hitch was one of Hollywood’s most bankable and recognizable directors. But Hitch was also troubled by the critical and box office failure of VERTIGO, one of his most personal films. He felt that his next project should be something different other than the same big studio crowd-pleasers he had built his reputation on, so when he read a review of a new novel by Robert Bloch inspired by the real-life serial killer Ed Gein , Hitch was immediately attracted to the lurid subject matter, with its themes of transvestism, incest, necrophilia, and a dose of taxidermy. Hitch began story conferences with screenwriter Joseph Stefano (later to produce TV’s OUTER LIMITS), getting more and more excited at the prospect of filming cheaply, dealing with taboo subject matter, and – most importantly – killing off his leading lady in the first act. He decided to forgo the usual studio crew for one made up primarily from his TV show, which could shoot quickly and economically. With a few exceptions, such as visual consultant Bass and composer Bernard Herrmann, Hitch kept the production low-budget and under the radar. At a time when Technicolor had become almost commonplace, PSYCHO was shot in black and white for both artistic and cost-saving reasons. (Hitch once responded to a question of why he didn’t film in color with, – That would have been in bad taste.) In today’s horror climate of “torture porn” and overblown SAW-like deaths, it’s easy to forget how difficult it was to make a film like PSYCHO, breaking new ground in telling an adult story in adult terms. The problem of how to film a brutal murder without actually showing anything was just one of many hurdles Hitch had to solve. Setting the tone with its opening voyeuristic shot of a barely-clad couple in the throes of a passionate affair, PSYCHO portrayed an openness about sex that only foreign films at that time had shown.Hitch tread carefully with the censors, often asking for more than he actually wanted, but Stefano remembers that even such a mundane item as a toilet had never been shown onscreen in a major studio film, let alone a toilet flushing! Made at the peak of his genius, Hitchcock’s PSYCHO has rightly claimed its throne as Father (or Mother) of the modern horror film, influencing thrillers for decades and creating a new sense of realism that continues through the slasher films of today. Stripping the bleak essence of human nature to austere, colorless banality, PSYCHO would have assured Hitchcock’s reputation even if it were his only film.

REAR WINDOW

Only a master of suspense like Alfred Hitchcock could produce such a quintessential film on the subject of paranoia. There is no shortage of films about conspiracy theories and government coverups, but what of the paranoia that comes from us fearing the worst in each other? James Stewart delivers an uncharacteristically neurotic performance as a wheelchair bound photojournalist who believes he has witnessed a murder while spying on his neighbors from his apartment window. Hitchcock sets up a thrilling story with two distinct and opposing characters, but creates within the viewer uncertainty regarding who is right and who is wrong. REAR WINDOW pits the aggressive, short-tempered bully against the helpless, voyeuristic interloper. Shot almost entirely in one location, as only Hitchcock could do, the film maintains a level of excitement that seethes the potential danger of the story’s protagonist. REAR WINDOW would later inspire a television remake in 1998 starring Christopher Reeves and a modern retelling in 2007 called DISTURBIA.

Alfred Hitchcock’s REAR WINDOW – Midnights This Weekend at The Tivoli

“A murderer would never parade his crime in front of an open window”.

REAR WINDOW plays this weekend (July 15th and 16th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.

As with so many of Alfred’s Hitchcock’s films, REAR WINDOW (1954) is a wonderful example of how to take an almost absurdly simple idea and spin out the maximum tension, character, humor and drama from it. It should be boring (a movie set in one room with a guy who can’t move) and ludicrous (a killer who murders his wife and chops her up in front of his neighbors) but it’s quite the opposite – riveting and eerily plausible. If ever there was a film about voyeurism and its relationship to cinema, this is it; Hitchcock tells engrossing little silent movies of the tenants (the newlyweds, the sculptress, Miss Torso, the dog-owners, the killer, the songwriter, Miss Lonelyhearts) without ever cheating and cutting to close-ups of them – we see them all remotely, from Stewart’s detached and aloof point of view. It’s a masterpiece of editing, which builds and builds into a nail-biting final reel, with our hero sitting helplessly alone in the dark while the killer closes in. Jimmy Stewart is wonderful as always as the sardonic prisoner, and is the only leading man not to fawn over costar Grace Kelly, resulting in her best performance, while Thelma Ritter steals the show as Stewart’s wisecracking nurse. Equally fabulous is the production design – contrary to appearances, the whole backyard neighborhood was a very elaborate set on the Paramount backlot, one of the most memorable in any movie. An extremely influential picture, particularly on the career of Brian DePalma (see BODY DOUBLE), with the helpless-witness motif appearing in many fine subsequent thrillers (WAIT UNTIL DARK, THE BIRD WITH THE CRSYTAL PLUMAGE, etc), and a watershed of stylish, intelligent direction. Based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich and deftly scripted by John Michael Hayes, who wrote Hitch’s three subsequent films (notably the sublime THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY). Hitchcock appears in his standard cameo as the guy winding the clock in the songwriter’s loft.

REAR WINDOW plays this weekend (July 15th and 16th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.

The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/501750386687277/

The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE

Here’s the midnight for the next weekend:

July 22nd and 23rd Akira

There will be a new list of midnight movies announced at We Are Movie Geeks later this week!

Top Ten Tuesday – THE TOP TEN BLACK DRESSES IN THE MOVIES

The Little Black Dress—From Mourning to Night is a free exhibit currently at The Missouri History Museum (Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri). The exhibit runs through September 5th.

The Little Black Dress – a simple, short cocktail dress—is a sartorial staple for most contemporary women. Prior to the early 20th century, simple, unadorned black garments were limited to mourning, and strict social rules regarding mourning dress were rigidly observed.Featuring over 60 dresses from the Missouri History Museum’s world-renowned textile collection, this fun yet thought-provoking exhibit explores the subject of mourning, as well as the transition of black from a symbol of grief to a symbol of high fashion. You’ll also see fascinating artifacts—from hair jewelry to tear catchers—that were once a regular part of the mourning process. Plus, you’ll have the chance to share your own memories of your favorite little black dress and even get the opportunity to design your own dress! (details on the exhibit can be found HERE)

A good dress does more than look pretty on screen. It creates some of cinema’s best moments.The movies have always influenced style and fashion, so we decided, to tie into the exhibit, that it would be fun to list the ten most iconic black dresses in film history (and the actresses who rocked them).

10. Clara Bow in IT (1927)

Coco Chanel introduced her famous ‘Little Black Dress’ in the mid-1920’s. Before then, women only wore black for mourning. It was after the premiere of the 1927 silent hit IT, that the black dress became acceptable evening wear. IT is beloved by silent movie fans, but remains popular with a wider audience and continues to be culturally relevant because of costume design that was influential both then and now. IT helped pave the way for black to become the beauty basic it is today. The film starred Clara Bow as a shop girl who is asked out by the store’s wealthy owner. As you watch the silent film you can see the excitement as she prepared for her date with the boss, her girlfriend trying hard to assist her. She was trying to use a pair of scissors to modify her dress in order to look more “sexy”. This movie did a lot to change society’s mores as there was only a few years between World War I and Clara Bow, but this movie went a long way in how society looked at itself. Clara was flaming youth in rebellion. the personification of the flaming Roaring Twenties, and the title “IT” was as a euphemism for “sex appeal”. Travis Banton was the star costume designer at Paramount during the studio’s heyday of glamour and sophistication in the 1930’s and was well-known for designing costumes for Mae West and Marlene Dietrich.

9.Marilyn Monroe in THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950)

Not an iconic dress (in fact, no costumer designer is even listed in the credits), but THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is notable in that it’s the film that introduced audiences to Marilyn Monroe (not her first film appearance but her first substantial part). She played Angela Phinlay, a “keptie” (kept woman) who appears in a this sexy black dress. Marilyn stole every scene she was in despite not even being listed on most opening night posters. Marilyn didn’t like wearing black in films, and later in her career, when she had more control over her wardrobe, she was rarely seen in it.

8. Liza Minnelli in CABARET (1972)

Okay, Liza does not wear a black dress in CABARET – but she did rock this iconic black ensemble. The outfit — a bowler hat and vest (with no shirt) atop hot pants, garters, stockings and boots — was heightened by its blackness against Minnelli’s ultra-white skin and siren-red lipstick. To achieve the authentic look of pre-Hitler Berlin’s “divine decadence,” director-choreographer Bob Fosse chose a German production designer and costumer. Charlotte Flemming had grown up in the Weimer Berlin of the movie’s setting and spent her entire career in the German film industry. She never “went Hollywood.” Minnelli, of course, was born there, the daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli.

7. Bette Davis in NOW VOYAGER (1942)

NOW VOYAGER (1942) was a fashion film if ever there was one, and one which emphasized the power of clothes. After all, the sack-like dresses that the troubled Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) wears reflect her psychological state, and as she is transformed from browbeaten nervous wreck into a worldly woman with a newfound confidence. Her outfits – designed by the great Orry-Kelly (who was the head costume designer at The Muny Opera in St. Louis in the early 1930’s) goes from dowdy spinster to chic fashion-plate. So much so that she attracts a suave man on her maiden voyage as a new woman. In NOW VOYAGER , Davis played Charlotte Vale, a frumpy spinster who lives under the control of her cantankerous mother. With the help of a kindly psychiatrist, she has a mental and physical makeover and becomes a glamorous woman who is able to help out the similarly oppressed young daughter of the man she loves. Davis led the way for actresses who “ugly up” as a fast track to Oscar nomination, starting the film in sensible lace-ups, glasses and beetle-brows. Her transformation resulted in stunning chiffon gowns and glittering capes which prove that nobody needs to show a lot of flesh when a 1940s number with a gathered waist and shoulder pads will do the job. To play Charlotte before her transformation, Davis asked Orry-Kelly to pad her figure to suggest extra weight, then she had makeup artist Percy Westmore give her thicker eyebrows. Her look in the film was a compromise. Originally she had wanted a more extreme look, but Wallis considered it too grotesque. Orry-Kelly was the chief costume designer for Warner Bros. Studios from 1932 to 1944. He worked on more than 300 films during his career.

6. Joan Crawford in MILDRED PIERCE (1943)

Joan Crawford was always known for her broad shoulders, a style that was displayed to perfection in MILDRED PIERCE, the 1943 film that won the actress her only Oscar. Housewife Mildred Pierce moves from aprons to fur coats after her husband leaves her and she opens a successful restaurant. Joan played the title character, a selfless mother who does everything she can to provide for her two kids, but her oldest daughter Veda (Ann Blyth) is an ungrateful brat who looks down on Mildred for making her way up in the world through simple hard work and dedication. She doesn’t, however have any problem spending mom’s money, and after a while starts smoking and speaking in pretentious French phrases. Everybody sees that the daughter is bad news, but Mildred assures them: “You don’t know what it’s like being a mother. Veda’s a part of me. Maybe she didn’t turn out as well as I hoped she would when she was born, but she’s still my daughter and I can’t forget that.” During filming, director Michael Curtiz fought with the actress over her wardrobe. She was told to buy clothes “off the rack” to look like the working mother the film was about. But Joan refused to look dowdy, and had Warner Bros. costumer Milo Anderson fit the waists and pad out the shoulders. Anderson was a top wardrobe designer at Warner Brothers from 1933 to 1952 and worked on costumes for such classics as ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938), TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944), and YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942).

5. Grace Kelly in REAR WINDOW (1954)

Alfred Hitchcock’s REAR WINDOW (1954) is not only a masterpiece of suspense; it’s also something of a fashion show with Grace Kelly’s Lisa Freemont trotting out one gorgeous summer ensemble after another for both our and James Stewart’s delight. After all, as James Stewart’s character Jeff Jefferies points out – this is the Lisa Freemont “who never wears the same dress twice”. The costumes in REAR WINDOW were designed by that doyenne of movie designers, Edith Head, who was nominated for 28 Oscars and won 8 times. According to Jay Jorgensen’s book, Edith Head – The Fifty Year Career of Hollywood’s Greatest Costume Designer, Hitchcock’s directive to Ms. Head was that Grace “was to look like a piece of Dresden china, nearly untouchable”. And yet, for most of the movie, it’s Lisa who is trying to seduce the incapacitated (with broken his leg) Jeff … For her second seduction scene – where she’s thwarted by Stewart’s obsession with his neighbors and the possibility that one of them has bumped off his wife – Lisa is a vision of sophistication in a black chiffon dress and ever-present pearls, a triple strand necklace.

4. Anita Ekberg in LA DOLCE VITA (1960)

There is sexy, and then there is Anita Eckberg, whose voluptuous figure splashing around the Trevi Fountain in Rome in Federico Fellini’s 1960 masterpiece LA DOLCE VITA, while wearing that bellissima black dress, was the ultimate symbol of male fantasy. The film won the Academy Award in 1960 for Best Costumes, thanks in large part to the black sleeveless gown that Miss Eckberg displayed in that famous scene. Costume designer Piero Gherardi worked in neo-realist Italian cinema from 1954 to 1971, notably on four key films by Federico Fellini. LA DOLCE VITA, 8 ½ (1963 – which also won him the Oscar), NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (1957), and JULIET OF THE SPIRIT (1965).

3. Rita Hayworth in GILDA (1946)

Before there was bad girl nightclub singer Jessica Rabbit there was Gilda, a bad girl nightclub singer played by Rita Hayworth in the 1946 film of the same name. Wearing a black strapless dress, Gilda ends her marriage to casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready) with a striptease to the song “Put the Blame on Mame.” That little number was so explosively sexual that the name Gilda was written on the first nuclear bomb tested after World War II. In GILDA, Hayworth was the ultimate femme fatale, the woman every man wanted to have. The role sealed Hayworth’s status in Hollywood, and gave her an unforgettable movie legacy. According to the posters, ‘There never was a woman like Gilda’, and clearly, there was never a wardrobe like hers either. Designed by Jean Louis, her costumes cost $60,000 dollars, and it was money well spent. The movie was a critical and commercial success, no doubt thanks to Gilda and her perpetual near nakedness – for despite that pricy wardrobe, a surprising amount of Gilda was on show. Jean Louis designed a wardrobe that allowed Gilda to flash her shoulders, and hinted at her bosom through translucent tops. Hayworth’s beauty was the stuff of pin-up legend and in 1949 her lips were voted the best in the business by the Artist’s league of America. Asked what held up the famous black satin dress, Hayworth answered “two things”.

2. Audrey Hepburn in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961)

There’s almost no black dress more iconic than the French designer Hubert De Givenchy’s sheath that Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn, wore to go window shopping at her favorite jewelry store in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961). Paired with a pearl necklace, long black gloves, a tiara, a pair of dark sunglasses and a cup of deli coffee, Hepburn’s look continues to define New York (and Hollywood) chic. Givenchy made two versions of the famous black gown gown: one which was completely straight and was for the actress to wear as she stood still outside Tiffany’s, and one which had a slit so she could walk in it. She’s glimpsed wearing the same dress again a few scenes later. Indeed, one of the surprises about BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S is that there aren’t that many different dresses – the same ones pop up more than once, but with different accessories. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S is undoubtedly the film which cemented Audrey Hepburn’s status as a style icon and linked her forever more in the fashion-conscious public’s mind thanks to De Givenchy, who had previously dressed her for SABRINA and FUNNY FACE.

1…….And Your Little Dog Too !!!!!

Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in HIGH NOON – This Weekend at Webster University

HIGH NOON (1952) is considered a classic for good reason. It’s about a man not too different from us, who faces an enemy from his past alone precisely because no one else will if he doesn’t. HIGH NOON gets me just with the cast alone. Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lee Van Cleef, and Lon Chaney. I mean come on, that’s a fantastic cast. They all add to the movie in one way or another. Cooper is absolutely superb as Will Kane – the weary marshal who’s reluctant to give up his star. He anchors the movie. It’s his journey as high noon approaches quickly and we’re spellbound by his plight. Kelly plays his newlywed wife and is less naive than you’d think. Thomas Mitchell is the mayor of this small town and his scene at church is a highlight of the film. Then you’ve got Lon Chaney as the honest former marshal who recruited Kane. His one meaningful scene with Kane is a somber moment with implications far beyond what may or may not happen at noon.

HIGH NOON won four Oscars including Best Actor for Cooper and Best Song for Tex Ritter.

See HIGH NOON on the big screen this Saturday and Sunday evenings (June 13th and 14th) at 7:30pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium.

The Webster University Film Series, housed in the School of Communications, is the Midwest’s premier hosting venue for American and foreign films. The Series is host to speakers and visiting artists who address the pertinent issues in films presented. In an effort to further integrate film with education, the Film Series provides workshops with artists and experts.

Unless otherwise noted, admission is:

$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

Winifred Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119) :

Directions: Taking Highway 44 East, exit left on Elm Ave. Make a right on East Lockwood Ave. Immediately after passing Plymouth Ave., there will be a parking lot entrance to your right (lot B). Winifred Moore Auditorium is behind Webster Hall

THE BIRDS Screens at Schlafly Thursday – Here are Alfred Hitchcock’s Ten Best Movies

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

THE BIRDS screens at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143) Thursday, April 2nd at 7pm. It is a benefit for Helping Kids Together (more details about this event can be found HERE)

This gives us a perfect excuse to re-run this top ten list from March of 2012. Alfred Hitchcock directed 54 feature films between 1925 and 1976, and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best:

FRENZY

SABOTEUR

VERTIGO

REBECCA

THE BIRDS

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

SHADOW OF A DOUBT

PSYCHO

REAR WINDOW

Alfred Hitchcock’s REAR WINDOW Screens This Saturday Morning at The Hi-Pointe

“A murderer would never parade his crime in front of an open window”.

REAR WINDOW Screens at The Hi-Pointe Theater in St. Louis Saturday morning January 31st at 10:30am

Now you have the opportunity to see REAR WINDOW on the big screen this Saturday (Jan. 31st) at 10:30am at St. Louis’ best theater: The Hi-Pointe (1005 McCausland Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63117)

Admission is $10

This is a fundraiser for the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society Alliance to benefit the Medical Scholars at 5 Missouri Medical schools and the Voices of Excellence at Loyola Academy in St. Louis

Doors open at 10am and there will be a silent auction.

The Hi-Pointe’s site can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

TO CATCH A THIEF Saturday Morning at The Hi-Pointe

“Do you want a leg or a breast?”

TO CATCH A THIEF Screens Saturday November 15th at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO) at 10:30am. This is a fundraiser for the Philanthropic Educational Organization (“P.E.O.”) which focuses its efforts on raising money for women’s education and supports an all-female college in Nevada, Missouri called Cottey College.

You can read more about the organization at their website: http://peointernational.org/

admission is $10.00

Squeezed in the middle of Hitchcock’s filmography, TO CATCH A THIEF, is many times forgotten since it came out the year after REAR WINDOW. Hitchcock also had greater success with his later films, PSYCHO, THE BIRDS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and VERTIGO so this film is easily discarded when we compare it to his other works which is a shame because TO CATCH A THIEF has many great things going for it which we now take for granted. For instance the love story mixed right in the middle of the mystery is captivating. Perhaps for modern audiences the mystery involving this copycat thief, known as the cat, may be way to easy to solve, but the heart of the story lies in the fantastic chemistry between Cary Grant’s John Robie and Grace Kelly’s Frances Stevens. The sparks fly between these two characters and their intense chemistry on screen is rarely equaled. The cinematography here is gorgeous and perhaps one of the best coming from Hitchcock. Deciding to film this on location in the French Riviera was the best idea Hitchcock had and it really paid off. His cameo at the beginning of the movie just might be my favorite of his as well. There is also a spectacular car chase scene that is the highlight of the film. TO CATCH A THIEF might not be as artistic as some of his greater work, but this light weight romantic thriller shouldn’t be disregarded when we consider Hitchcock’s films because it showed his versatility as a director and his capability of directing less serious films and making them better than the actual material really was.

TO CATCH A THIEF screens Saturday morning (November 15th) at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO). The movie starts at 10:30am and admission is only $10.

WAMG Interview – Susan Claassen: A Conversation with EDITH HEAD – SLIFF 2013

ALL ABOUT EVE, ROMAN HOLIDAY, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, A PLACE IN THE SUN, THE STING. These great films and hundreds more have one thing in common: costume designer Edith Head (1897–1981). The small woman with the familiar straight bangs, black-rimmed saucer glasses, and unsmiling countenance racked up an unprecedented 35 Oscar nods and 400 film credits over the course of a sixty-year career. The golden age of Hollywood sparkled with extravagant cinematic productions and stars such as Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, Mae West, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Barbara Stanwyck, and Robert Redford were made even more glamorous by donning the costumes designed by the incredibly talented Mrs. Head.

Theater director Susan Claassen, a New Jersey native, got the idea for a project based on Edith Head several years ago after she watched a televised biography of the designer. She realized that her physical resemblance to the designer was uncanny, especially when she put on a pair of large dark glasses. Sharing Edith Head’s passion for fashion, she came up with the idea of a one-woman show. In A Conversation with Edith Head, Susan walks around the theatre as Edith Head. She interacts with her audience, allowing them to ask questions and even bringing one or two into the production with an improvisation that only an accomplished actress like Susan Claassen can do. She imparts many “Edith-isms”. Some of her favorites are – “Early on, I learned the most important person to please is the Hollywood director.” Or “The director I’m currently working with is always my favorite.” And “When you find a magic, stick with it and never change it.”

Susan Claassen will be bringing A Conversation with Edith Head to The Sheldon Ballroom (3648 Washington Blvd, St Louis, Missouri 63108) on December 6^th and 7^th (details and ticket info for that event can be found HERE)

http://www.sheldonconcerthall.org/showdetail.asp?showID=672

Susan Claassen will also be in town this weekend as a guest at the St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF). As part of the five-program Fashion Reels, SLIFF offers Alfred Hitchcock’s TO CATCH A THIEF (1955), one of the Master of Suspense’s most nimble-footed, lighthearted entertainments, with costumes by Edith Head and performances by Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. American expatriate John Robie (Grant), a retired cat burglar, lives in high style on the Riviera, but a wave of jewel heists forces him to catch the copy-cat thief to avoid blame. High on the list of prime victims is the bejeweled Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis), in Europe to help daughter Francie (the never-more-gorgeous Kelly) find a suitable husband. Knowing that the Stevens gems are ripe for the pilfering, Robie charms his way into the women’s lives with the intent of trapping the cat.

Susan Claassen will introduce TO CATCH A THIEF in character as Edith Head and will conduct a Q&A afterwards. The event is Sunday, November 17^th at The Plaza Frontenac Theater at 1:00pm. More information can be found at Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/catch-thief

Susan Claassen took the time to talk with We Are Movie Geeks about Edith Head and her upcoming events here in St. Louis.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman November 11th, 2013

We Are Movie Geeks: Hi Susan, are you looking forward to coming to St. Louis to talk about Edith Head?

Susan Claassen: Yes, did you see the Google doodle on October 16th?

WAMG: I did not.

SC: It was Edith Head. It was her 116th birthday – the face of costume design in film

WAMG: Neat! Have you been to St. Louis before?

SC: Not for many, many years.

WAMG: Edith Head’s mother was from St. Louis. Do you know much about her?

SC: She was born there but then moved to San Bernardino, so she didn’t really have roots there. But that’s interesting and I always adapt my show to each city. I’ll be back in December to do my show, A Conversation with Edith Head. It’s kind of a history of film. She worked for 60 years in the film industry. It’s kind of amazing.

WAMG: Tell me about what you are doing in conjunction with the TO CATCH A THIEF screening at SLIFF next Sunday?

SC: That was one of Edith Head’s favorite films. Edith designed for all of the Hitchcock blondes. She and Grace Kelly were great friends. So, as Miss Head, you won’t get to meet me next Sunday, you’ll be meeting Edith. She will intro the film from her perspective, giving some back story, things to watch for, and what it was like to work for Hitch. They were great friends. That will be kind of what will happen on Sunday. Have you seen the film?

WAMG: I have it on DVD, but have never seen it on the big screen.

SC: Exactly, that often happens when we come in to town with the show. Cinemas will show these films on the big screen. TO CATCH A THIEF was quite a sensation when it came out.

WAMG: Why TO CATCH A THIEF? Was that your choice?

SC: I think it was their (Cinema St. Louis’) choice. We considered several choices that were fashion oriented. REAR WINDOW was one of them. I Iove to introduce that one as well because that’s a fashion film.

WAMG: I think TO CATCH A THIEF is a good choice because it’s one Hitchcock film that has not shown theatrically in revivals the way something like REAR WINDOW has.

SC: Yes, and the restoration is gorgeous.

WAMG: What are special about the costumes in TO CATCH A THIEF?

SC: The thing about Hitchcock is that he was very detailed about all aspects of his films. And Grace Kelly was the ultimate Hitchcock blonde. It was very interesting because Hitch literally wanted to go on a paid vacation to the South of France. They made the film and he got Cary Grant out of retirement to do the film. And that was the last film Grace Kelly did with him so all of those are interesting factors. The costuming, especially the gowns, were proof that Edith Head really understood that costumes further the narrative and I think that’s a key point in this film. Before the film begins I’ll talk about some of the gowns and first impressions and second impressions. Regarding the color choices, you could always tell that Hitch wanted Grace Kelly, in this film as well as REAR WINDOW, to look like a piece of Dresden china. So those are the kind of interesting things throughout the film. And of course you have the chemistry onscreen between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly that rivals any in cinema history.

WAMG: So you’ll introduce the film and talk about the costumes. Will you answer questions about the film when it’s over?

SC: Yes, and whenever I portray Edith Head, it has to be time appropriate so I can’t answer questions about Edna Mode (the Edith Head-based character voiced by Brad Bird in Pixar’s THE INCREDIBLES) or the Google Doodle when I am Edith. When you see the full show (A Conversation with Edith Head) there are actual questions. I have a host who takes them to make sure they’re time appropriate but the show changes with every performance depending on the questions.

WAMG: When did you first develop an interest in Edith Head?

SC: I first became interested in Edith Head when I watched a biography of her. I’m an artistic director of a theater so I act and direct and put things together for other people but I had never put anything together for myself. I was watching Biography and I thought that I sort of look like her, and I was aware of her and I thought her story was fascinating. It was really a boy’s club when she came to Hollywood in 1923.

WAMG: So you never met or corresponded with her?

SC: No, but my collaborator wrote the book Edith Head’s Hollywood, so we had thirteen hours of taped interviews. The Academy put a reel together that I watched and studied and what’s really so wonderful is that people who did know her all have such rich stories to tell about her. Obviously, I know I’m not Edith Head, and most people know that I’m not, but they want to share a moment, a moment of memory of a movie palace or a film that they saw or who they were with or where they were in their lifetime when they saw one of her films. And I say, as Edith after the show, to share those memories and we’ve had people attend the show that did work with her. Tippi Hedren has seen the show several times. She was very good friends with Edith Head. After Alma Hitchcock, the next person Hitch had Tippi meet was Edith Head. They did a three day screen test together, full costuming and all, and they remained very good friends.

WAMG: There were two movies made bout Hitchcock a couple of years ago, HITCHCOCK and THE GIRL. I don’t recall, but was Edith Head a character in those films?

SC: No, HITCHCOCK was about PSYCHO and she didn’t do PSYCHO. She did do both THE BIRDS and MARNIE, but she was not a character in THE GIRL.

WAMG: She should have been. You mentioned you were a theater director. Were you a budding costume designer yourself?

SC: No, I’ve always had a sense of style, and I always collaborate on the set with costumes and all so I was always certainly aware of Edith Head. People who knew her have been so generous with sharing information. Art Linkletter for example, did a show called House Party that Edith Head worked on and we interviewed him, Bob Mackie was a sketch artist for Edith. And others. Elke Sommer came to see the show and Sally Kirkland, who made her film debut as a stripper in THE STING, has seen the show as well. Everywhere I go, somebody has known Edith because she was a household name. If you think ‘Costume Designer’, who do you think of? Nobody will ever achieve what Edith Head achieved.

WAMG: Do you own any of her costumes or drawings?

SC: Yes, I own costumes and drawings. I’m going to bring a miniature of the fabulous gold dress from TO CATCH A THIEF on Sunday. But when you see A Conversation with Edith Head, there are lots of great things on the set. There’s a recreation of the dress Bette Davis wore in ALL ABOUT EVE and a dress Elizabeth Taylor wore in A PLACE IN THE SUN.

WAMG: Tell me more about the A Conversation with Edith Head show. You say there’s a moderator that interviews you?

SC: Actually, we set it as if it’s a the Sheldon, because she was everywhere. He takes questions for me, questions for Edith Head to respond to. Again, you don’t have to know anything about film to enjoy it. You really understand what drives somebody and their inner workings. She was so driven She never walked off the set in a huff in 60 years. That’s phenomenal. She died two weeks after the wrap of DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID.

WAMG: I was going to ask about that. Her final job was for DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID where they incorporating Steve Martin and other actors into old movie scenes. Was this a challenging project for Edith Head?

SC: Carl Reiner, the director, wanted Edith for that film because of her work in Film Noir, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and others. And Edith Head loved working on that. The film is dedicated to her. She worked right up until the end. She was a big animal rights activist and advocate.

WAMG: Were there any films that Edith Head was embarrassed to have worked on?

SC: Yes. The final Mae West films.

WAMG: Oh, yes, MYRA BRECKINRIDGE and SEXTETTE.

SC: Yes. Edith Head was great friends with Mae West and she did those films as a favor to her but she never saw those films.

WAMG: Vincent Price was from St. Louis. Did Edith Head ever design any costumes for him?

SC: She was with Paramount and occasionally she was lent out just like stars were lent out. In the later years she was with Universal, but she did design the costumes for THE TEN COMMANDMENTS which co-starred Vincent Price, so yes, she would have worked with him.

WAMG: Good luck with your show at the St. Louis International Film Festival this weekend and your show next month. It sounds like a pair of interesting events.

SC: Thank you.

Top Ten Tuesday – The Best of Alfred Hitchcock

It’s always a good time to read about director Alfred Hitchcock and expect a lot of attention on the Master of Suspense in the upcoming months as there are two films currently in production about him. ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO (expect a title change on that one) based in the book by Steve Rebello, is in pre-production with Sacha Gervasi (ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL) directing and an outstanding cast attached. Anthony Hopkins has signed on to play Hitch, Scarlett Johansson is cast as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel will be playing Vera Miles, British actor James D’Arcy is Tony Perkins, and Helen Mirren will play Alma Reville (Mrs Hitchcock). The other Hitchcock film in the works is THE GIRL produced by The BBC that will premiere later this year on HBO. THE GIRL focuses on the love/hate relationship between Hitchcock (played by Toby Jones) and his abused young discovery Tippi Hedren (Sienna Miller).

Wile we wait for those, Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness will be a great way to celebrate the life and films of the legendary British director. It takes place April 3rd at the Way Out Club in St. Louis (2525 Jefferson in South City). We’ll be showing condensed (18 minute) versions of several of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films on Super-8 sound film projected on a big screen. They are: 18-minute condensed versions of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, THE BIRDS, PSYCHO, FRENZY, and FAMILY PLOT, a Hitchcock Trailer Reel, a PSYCHO Promo Reel, and a THE BIRDS Promo reel. The non-Hitchcock movies we’ll be showing April 3rd are the Hammer Horror shocker LUST FOR A VAMPIRE, The Three Stooges in THREE SAPPY PEOPLE, THE GUINESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS, the 1936 Sci-Fi epic THINGS TO COME, and the 1945 horror film DEAD OF NIGHT. We’ll have Alfred Hitchcock trivia with prizes, and much more. The Way Out Club is located at 2525 Jefferson Avenue (at Gravois) in South St. Louis. Admission is only $3.00.

Alfred Hitchcock directed 54 feature films between 1925 and 1976, and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best:

10. FRENZY

An 18 minute condensed version of FRENZY will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

9. SABOTEUR

8. VERTIGO

7. REBECCA

6. THE BIRDS

An 18 minute condensed version of THE BIRDS will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

5. NORTH BY NORTHWEST

An 18 minute condensed version of NORTH BY NORTHWEST will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

4. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

3. SHADOW OF A DOUBT

2. PSYCHO

An 18 minute condensed version of PSYCHO will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

1. REAR WINDOW

REAR WINDOW will play in St. Louis as part of Landmark’s Tivoli Theater’s Reel Late Midnight Series April 27th and 28th. The Tivoli is located at 6350 Delmar in The Loop

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: