I'm a bit of a movie leech

[Red Celt]

This is mainly a follow-on from a conversation with Bella, but I thought it worth sharing. I need to re-watch Rear Window (which is in my own Top 10 list) in order to write an essay for Film Studies. I smiled to myself when I opened my Hitchcock folder.

This is a screen-dump of one folder on one drive. I tend to keep films after I've watched them... because some films are worth watching more than once.

[Bella Fortuna]

And you'll be sharing these gems with me when?

[tattuchu]

You know, I don't believe I've ever seen a Hitchcock film

Also, I had no idea his filmography started in the 20s

[Bella Fortuna]

You know, I don't believe I've ever seen a Hitchcock film

Also, I had no idea his filmography started in the 20s

[Red Celt]

And you'll be sharing these gems with me when?

I'd happily burn them to a disc for you, Bella, but look at the file sizes. I'd get 5 or 6 movies onto a single DVD.

What broadband package do you have? Is it download-limited? If you're familiar with torrent files, I can help you find one for Hitchcock. Although not all of those were downloaded. I bought a Hitchcock boxset and ripped them to disk, for easier viewing. The rest, I think I searched for using iMDB as a guide for dating.

[Red Celt]

You know, I don't believe I've ever seen a Hitchcock film

Also, I had no idea his filmography started in the 20s

That is quite incredible (to me). Well, I would obviously recommend Rear Window as an introduction. However, Citizen Kane has just lost its position of "Best film of all time" (after about 4 decades) to Hitchcock's Vertigo... so that might also serve as an introduction to his work.

[orpheus]

You know, I don't believe I've ever seen a Hitchcock film

Also, I had no idea his filmography started in the 20s

You must remedy this at once. My recommendations (YMMV, but these are my opinions and I'm sticking with them):

His two greatest films:
North by Northwest
Rear Window

Great ones from his early years (not counting the silent ones, which I've not seen):
The 39 Steps
The Lady Vanishes

Others for specific reasons:
To Catch a Thief (just for the incredibly charming dialogue. They don't make 'em like this anymore)
Rope (which is a directorial and cinematic tour-de-force: the whole movie was shot in real time in one take. No editing, no cuts)

The two big ones people love, Vertigo and Psycho, I think are overrated. I know I'm going to get lambasted for that here, but I cannot tell a lie.

[Bella Fortuna]

I loved The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, and Foreign Correspondent and Shadow of a Doubt. And lots more!

[Red Celt]

Rope (which is a directorial and cinematic tour-de-force: the whole movie was shot in real time in one take. No editing, no cuts)

I enjoyed Rope, too. Just a minor quibble with what you said, though. There are edits. They are well hidden, but they are there. A camera reel isn't long enough to record an entire film, so editing had to be done to merge them together. It is, however, the equivalent of a single long-take... and, as the film-viewer, you feel like you are watching one uninterrupted play rather than a film.

[orpheus]

Rope (which is a directorial and cinematic tour-de-force: the whole movie was shot in real time in one take. No editing, no cuts)

I enjoyed Rope, too. Just a minor quibble with what you said, though. There are edits. They are well hidden, but they are there. A camera reel isn't long enough to record an entire film, so editing had to be done to merge them together. It is, however, the equivalent of a single long-take... and, as the film-viewer, you feel like you are watching one uninterrupted play rather than a film.

Ah, I stand corrected. I'd be interested to know where they are; I watched pretty closely, and it looked pretty seamless to me.

[Red Celt]

Rope (which is a directorial and cinematic tour-de-force: the whole movie was shot in real time in one take. No editing, no cuts)

I enjoyed Rope, too. Just a minor quibble with what you said, though. There are edits. They are well hidden, but they are there. A camera reel isn't long enough to record an entire film, so editing had to be done to merge them together. It is, however, the equivalent of a single long-take... and, as the film-viewer, you feel like you are watching one uninterrupted play rather than a film.

Ah, I stand corrected. I'd be interested to know where they are; I watched pretty closely, and it looked pretty seamless to me.

Well now... I was surprised to see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_(film)

There were 10 segments in total (that wiki page lists where they start). I knew there were some edits, but not as many as 10. Hitchcock was a genius film-maker, though, so the less obvious ones are well hidden.

[orpheus]

Rope (which is a directorial and cinematic tour-de-force: the whole movie was shot in real time in one take. No editing, no cuts)

I enjoyed Rope, too. Just a minor quibble with what you said, though. There are edits. They are well hidden, but they are there. A camera reel isn't long enough to record an entire film, so editing had to be done to merge them together. It is, however, the equivalent of a single long-take... and, as the film-viewer, you feel like you are watching one uninterrupted play rather than a film.

Ah, I stand corrected. I'd be interested to know where they are; I watched pretty closely, and it looked pretty seamless to me.

Well now... I was surprised to see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_(film)

There were 10 segments in total (that wiki page lists where they start). I knew there were some edits, but not as many as 10. Hitchcock was a genius film-maker, though, so the less obvious ones are well hidden.

That's really fascinating. And in a way, it makes me admire the craftsmanship all the more. It's also amazing to think how much choreography was involved - the technicians moving parts of the set around, actors hitting their marks exactly, camera moving according to a precisely timed "map" - and it's all hidden "behind the scenes". Both the planning involved and the execution of it are really impressive.

[Red Celt]

That's really fascinating. And in a way, it makes me admire the craftsmanship all the more. It's also amazing to think how much choreography was involved - the technicians moving parts of the set around, actors hitting their marks exactly, camera moving according to a precisely timed "map" - and it's all hidden "behind the scenes". Both the planning involved and the execution of it are really impressive.

Indeed. I'm going to have to watch it again, now... and I might have that table of segments to hand, so that I can actually see all the cuts.

[rasetsu]

My sister is a rabid Hitchcock fan. Me, not so much. I'm currently focused on stuff from Korea, including a new Choi Ji-Woo drama.

[Jason]

I liked Rope. It was a bold film for its day with all the homoerotic overtones. Definitely what I'd call a 'slow movie' too.