Dir: Alfred Hitchcock (1945)
I'm allowing the giant picture because it takes in the great scope of Gregory Peck's attractiveness best.
Bad: Nothing bad really. It's not my favorite Hitchcock so far, I found the score was occasionally louder than the dialogue (though that could have been my tape), and it ran a wee bit longer than I liked. Also, I didn't like Ingrid Bergman in this, which makes me sad to say, as I usually like her very much. Well I envied her bathrobe at least, even if it was problematic. Who on earth wears tailored robes anymore??
Good: First and most importantly, Gregory Peck was the most mind-bogglingly attractive in this movie as I've ever seen him (second only, perhaps, to Duel in the Sun..!). I liked the ending - satisfying enough, since I wasn't bothering to think ahead and discover the murderer for myself. Many of the shots were wonderfully fun, like the suspenseful scene between J.B. and Dr. Brulov (to the doctor! back to the razor! to the kitchen! to the razor! to the doctor! to the RAZOR!!) and its culmination which drowns the viewer in a glass of milk. Honestly that was my favorite shot in the entire movie, going "Are we going to --? Yes we are! Drowned in a glass of milk!" I was expecting something like "Oh dear, the whiteness of the milk crowding his vision is going to make him crazy," and that was probably what I was meant to think, but that's what makes it so clever.
Summary: I liked this movie a good deal. There wasn't fantastic chemistry, no really great dialogue worth remembering*, the story was eh (others can explain the silliness of the old psychoanalytic school), and I may not watch it again anytime soon - but for a first-time, one-time view movie, it was engaging and excellent fun.
*except -
Ballantine: "Will you love me this much when I'm 'normal'?"
Petersen: "I'll be insane about you."
Stars: 3.5 of 5
Ahhh!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all: TACOMA! HECK YEAH!
I'm such a dork.
Second. I utterly adore this film. For pretty much the same reasons as you. ;-D
But, seriously...NO Ingy love? That's just not cool. Haha!
Great review. And I love your blog. AND I LOVE WASHINGTON!
-Millie!
Oh Jo! I'm so glad you watched this movie and thus could share in my pain/love/attraction towards Gregory Peck. It was the most pain I've felt towards a movie man since we last watched State Fair (like two weeks ago). Even my mom was impressed by Gregory's uber-hotness. She sat down before the movie being like "Yeah I know Gregory Peck is cute but I just LOVE Rock Hudson so much more." But no this movie proved her wrong.
ReplyDeleteALSO WE TALKED ABOUT HOW AWESOME HER ROBE WAS. I need someone to teach me how to sew well so I can tailor me a robe and thus be a real woman.
I hope Gregory Peck's face never leaves my mind. AAGH.