Jump to: navigation, search

Talk:Transatlantic Pictures

Transatlantic productions

Rope (1948)

Under Capricorn (1949)

Under Capricorn (1949)

In 1944, Selznick's People had got hold of a novel by Helen Simpson called Under Capricorn, which Ingrid told them would make a fine film and which contained a superb dramatic role for her. By early 1947, Hitchcock had purchased rights to the novel from Selznick and planned it as the first production of his own company - Transatlantic Pictures, which he set up with his old friend, the English producer and media mogul Sidney Bernstein. But as it turned out, the job of transforming the novel into a screenplay took rather longer than anyone expected, and Hitchcock decided to do a film of Patrick Hamilton's play Rope.

According to the Book "Its only a movie", Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted Arthur Laurents to do the screenplay for Under Capricorn. After reading Helen Simpson's novel Under Capricorn, Arthur Laurents told Hitchcock that he was the wrong writer for Under Capricorn. So Alfred Hitchcock hired James Bridie to do the screenplay for Under Capricorn. Burt Lancaster was the original choice to play Sam Flusky in “Under Capricorn”, but the role went to Joseph Cotton instead because Lancaster was deemed too expensive.

In Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview, Alfred Hitchcock agreed with Francois Truffaut that Milly's character was great. When Under Capricorn was released in 1949, Hitchcock got complaints from English Critics about the character Milly. Hitchcock said like this in Francois Truffaut/Hitchcock Interview "English Critics said it was terrible to take a lovely actress like Margaret Leighton and make her into an unsympathetic character."

Peggy Singer did "Continuity" for the film. And this was Peggy Singer's first film with Hitchcock. Peggy Singer married Canadian film editor Douglas Robertson. And Peggy Singer became Peggy Robertson. Peggy Robertson came back to Hitchcock as the script supervisor and personal assistant on Vertigo. She worked with Hitchcock till Family Plot (1976). Margaret Leighton appeared with her future husband Michael Wilding in this film. After their marriage in 1964, they worked together several more times, but, by his own admission, Wilding preferred retirement and was happy just to be a supportive audience member for his wife. In this film, Michael Wilding played Charles Adare and Margaret Leighton played Milly.

In Book "Style and Meaning: Studies in the Detailed Analysis of Film", Ed Gallafent's article "The Dandy and Magdalene: Interpreting the Long Take in Hitchcock’s Under Capricorn (1949)" says:

"The use of the long take in Under Capricorn relates to three elements of film's meaning.
  1. Ideas of accessible and inaccessible space as expressed in the gothic house.
  2. The form in which character inhabit their past.
  3. The divergence or convergence of eyelines – the gaze that cannot, or must meet another’s.

All of these three elements can be linked to concepts of Guilt and Shame. In 1 and 2, the question is how something is felt to be present. In 3, it is difference between representation or sharing, of the past as flashback, and of the past as spoken narrative, where part of what is being articulated is precisely the inaccessibility of the past, its experience being locked inside the speaker. As for 3, the avoided gaze is determining physical sign of shame."

Gallafent, professor of film at University of Warwick, also explains these aspects of Under Capricorn:

The inscription on Flusky's house -- Minyago Yugilla –- means "Why weepest thou?"

St. Mary Magdalene (the patron saint of penitent sinners) in religious iconography: the bare feet, skull, the flail, the looking glass in which beholder’s is not always reflected, the jewels cast down to floor. All of these images are in the film. Sources for the imagery that Hitchcock might have had in mind are the paintings St. Mary Magdalene With a Candle (1630-1635) and St. Mary Magdalene With a Mirror (1635-1645), both by Georges de la Tour.

In Book "Style and Meaning: Studies in the Detailed Analysis of Film", Ed Gallafent also wrote this "it is striking that every one of the elements of their imagery occurs in Under Capricorn in various places and guises. By this point in the film we will have already have seen feet, flail and - a neat adjustment appropriate to the Australian setting of the film - skull, here in form of the shrunken head."

Under Capricorn was a box office failure. But many French critics consider Under Capricorn as one of Hitchcock's finest films. This was mentioned in Hitchcock/Peter Bogdanovich Interview in 1963. In 1958, Cahiers Du Cinema editors selected Under Capricorn as Hitchcock's best film. "1958 Cahiers Du Cinema Editors Poll" is available in this link.

Rope (1948)

This was Alfred Hitchcock's first film in color. This was James Stewart's first film with Hitchcock. Like Under Capricorn, Rope was done in long takes. Cinematography was done by Joseph A. Valentine and William V. Skall. Joseph A. Valentine also did the cinematography for Alfred Hitchcock's films Shadow of A Doubt (1943) and Saboteur (1942).

Cary Grant was original choice to play the role of the teacher, Rupert Cadell. And Montgomery Clift was original choice to play Brandon Shaw. The role of Rupert Cadell went to James Stewart and the role of Brandon Shaw went to John Dall. Arthur Laurents did the screenplay for Rope. Hume Cronyn did the adaptation for Rope (1948).

Suggestions have been made that Crime and Punishment and its hero Raskolnikov form a subtext to the film. And "Crime and Punishment" is mentioned in Rope. While playing piano, Philip says this "Stop playing Crime and Punishment, Rupert." This was Farley Granger's first film with Hitchcock. Farley Granger worked with Hitchcock again in Strangers on a Train (1951).

Many People believe that James Stewart's character Rupert Cadell is very similar to the character "Porfiry Petrovich" in Crime and Punishment. At one point in Rope, they go into a discussion about how rules and laws are more for common people, and that those who are extraordinary and brilliant must be free to do bend or break the laws. That whole discussion is lifted straight from a discussion in Crime and Punishment.

After Rope (1948), James Stewart worked with Alfred Hitchcock in Rear Window (1954), The man who knew too much (1956), and Vertigo (1958). Rope (1948) was Sir Cedric Hardwicke's second and last film with Alfred Hitchcock. Sir Cedrick Hardwicke's first film with Hitchcock was Suspicion (1941). David Buttolph did the music score for the film. There are 2 Hitchcock cameos in Rope (1948) and Under Capricorn (1949). In Rope (1948), Hitchcock as a man crossing the street in the opening credits. As for the Second Cameo, Hitchcock's profile appears on a neon sign visible through the apartment window approximately 55 minutes into the movie. In Under Capricorn, Hitchcock wearing a blue coat and brown hat in Sydney's town square during a parade. This happens in the beginning of the film. As for the Second Cameo, Hitchcock as one of three men on the steps of Government House.

This was Hume Cronyn's first film as a writer for Alfred Hitchcock. Hume Cronyn also did the adaptation for Alfred Hitchcock's Under Capricorn. Hume Cronyn worked with Alfred Hitchcock as an actor in Alfred Hitchcock's films Shadow of A Doubt (1943) and Lifeboat (1944). Hume Cronyn's wife Jessica Tandy worked with Alfred Hitchcock in The Birds (1963). Jessica Tandy played Lydia Brenner in The Birds (1963).

Rope (1948) wasn't successful at box office. But today, Rope (1948) is considered by many people as one of Hitchcock's best films.

Retrieved from ‘http://the.hitchcock.zone/w/index.php?title=Talk:Transatlantic_Pictures&oldid=132519’