The Internet Movie Database usually lists a number of genre keywords for each film, and I thought it would be interesting to use those to find out which Hitchcock films are similar. So, for each Hitchcock film, I’ve listed the top five other films that have the most keywords in common with that film. For example, the most similar film to “Psycho” is “Frenzy”, and the most similar to “Spellbound” is “Vertigo”. What do you… (read more)
The Telegraph newspaper is reporting that Alfred Hitchcock’s former country retreat in Shamley Green, Surrey is up for sale. Alfred Hitchcock: A long way from the Bates Motel The asking price? A cool £2,500,000. Here are 3 more images that aren’t included in the article on the Telegraph site:
Via Google News, I found this wonderful piece of “The Birds” memorabilia for sale on the Movie Poster Studio web site… An article on the CinemaRetro web site goes into more details… The concept behind this particular bird-brained scheme was to allow members of the public free entry to screenings, as long as they were wearing the mask, and as long as they could match a number printed on the back of the mask with… (read more)
In November 1914, a 15 year old Alfred Hitchcock joined W.T Henley Telegraph Works as a junior technician. According to McGilligan’s biography, Hitchcock moved to the advertising department in 1917… His new job was more picture-oriented: designing, laying out, and pasting up the advertisments and brochures for Henley’s products. The following are adverts for Henley’s that appeared in The Times newspaper in October and November 1917 — I wonder if the 18 year old Hitchcock… (read more)
I think Nat King Cole’s “Marnie” is mentioned in the DVD documentary for the film, but it wasn’t until I recently read “Hitchcock’s Music” by Jack Sullivan that I finally got around to tracking the song down… A few years earlier, “Que Sera Sera” (from the 1956 remake of “The Man Who Knew Too Much“) had been a huge hit and Hollywood studios were always on the prowl for hit songs that could be used… (read more)
The Internet Movie Database has a list of genre keywords for most films, so I thought it’d be fun to grab together all of the ones from the Hitchcock films and turn them into a cloud. The keyword lists aren’t exhaustive and are incomplete for some films, but here’s what came out…
In the modern world of CGI, some of the special effects and rear projection techniques in Hitchcock’s films can seem a little dated and crude. One of the sequences that I think has stood the test of time well is from near the end of “Foreign Correspondent (1940)” when the clipper plane is shelled, one of its engines destroyed, and it nose-dives into the sea. As the passengers brace themselves for impact, the two pilots… (read more)
In early 2006, Tom Sutpen started posting parts of the famous Hitchcock and Truffaut interviews from 1962 on his “if charlie parker was a gunslinger…” blog. All in all, Hitchcock and Truffaut recorded over 50 26 hours of interviews (with the help of translator Helen Scott), and these were eventually edited down into the “Hitchcock/Truffaut” book (released in 1967). Approximately 12 hours of the interviews were broadcast a few years ago on French radio as… (read more)
News is starting to spread that actress Suzanne Pleshette, who played the role of Annie Hayworth in “The Birds“, died yesterday (19/Jan/2008). US actress Suzanne Pleshette dies (BBC News) Actress Suzanne Pleshette Dies (Time) Suzanne Pleshette, Co-Star of TV’s `Newhart Show,’ Dies at 70 (Bloomberg) Suzanne Pleshette dies at 70 (CNN) Suzanne Pleshette in “The Birds”…
Thanks to John Hodson for spotting that Network have added details of the upcoming 10 disc “Hitchcock: The British Years” to their web site. Looks like they’re pulling out the stops to include some great extras… Digitally restored versions of “The Lodger“, “The 39 Steps“, “Sabotage“, “Young and Innocent“, “The Lady Vanishes” and “Jamaica Inn“ “Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock” – unseen for forty years, Mike Scott interviews Hitchcock about his life and career “Aquarius: Alfred the… (read more)
