Top Ten Tuesdays

[Susan Foreman]

Top ten Alfred Hitchcock films. As always, they are titles I have in my collection:

• 1: Frenzy (1972) - Probably the most violent Hitch ever got, 'Frenzy' is his latter day masterpiece. Containing 'the usual suspects' - innocent man on the run, suave murderer, delicious black humour, I don't think The Master got any better than this
• 2: North By Northwest (1957) - Highly entertaining chase caper. Again, all elements of traditional Hitchcock films are included and Cary Grant has never been better. Add to the mix a number of instantly recognizable set-pieces (crop dusting, Mount Rushmore) and you have a classic
• 3: The Lady Vanishes (1938) - Forget the re-makes, this is the bet one. A plot as old as the hills (a person disappears, but no-one seems to remember them being there, other than the hero) is made into something eminently watchable by someone who knows what they are doing! Plus, we get the typically English, cricket-loving Charters and Caldicott)
• 4: Rope (1948) - Stagey and static it might be, but as an audacious film-making experiment, it's a hit. Shot in seemingly one continuous take, the film is constantly interesting, making the film buff viewer marvel at the technical aspects that make the movie work. Maybe other directors could have done it, but possibly not as well as Hitch does
• 5: Psycho (1960) - Has to be included. No other film has been examined, parodied, re-made, ripped-off, been paid homaged to as much as this one
• 6: Rear Window (1954) - The ultimate voyeur film. Like 'Rope', it's amazing such an entertaining film could have been made, using effectively one studio set [see also 'Lifeboat']
• 7: The Birds (1963) - Although it's rarely mentioned, this film must have been an influence on Romero for 'Night Of The Living Dead'. It raises more questions than it answers (Why are the birds attacking? Why do they seem to be targeting Tippi Hedron? What actually happens when they leave the house at the end?) but you forget about these because it's such a good film
• 8: Rebecca (1940) - I went into this one expecting very little, but left being pleasantly surprised. Twisty and turny
• 9: Strangers On A Train (1951)
• 10: The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935) - Quintessential Hitchcock

Bonus 5: The best Hitchcock films that Hitchcock didn't make

• Charade (1963) - jJyfully entertaining ride with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant is not to be missed. This mysterious tale of a murdered husband, missing gold and the rogue C.I.A. agents who think Audrey Hepburn has it is as perfect a Hitchcock film as one can watch without The Master having anything to do with its creation
• Les Diabolique (1955) - It's no secret that Hitchcock was interested in gaining the rights to the novel this was based on, but he was pipped at the post by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Hitch went on to make 'Psycho' instead, but I can't help thinking that if he had got this film, it would have been his masterpiece instead
• Wait Until Dark (1967) - Most of the film is shot within this basement apartment unit. And this thriller is so great because Audrey Hepburn being blind enable the three bad guys freely walking into her unit and introducing themselves as her husband's friends, or police, or some neighbour. But they all forget one thing: She uses her ears like no regular person does, she doesn't need eyes. But that is where the thriller kicks in. Sometimes it is pretty painful for us to watch (us who can see) because she seems so vulnerable. The slow, intricate developments are fascinating to watch but most importantly, lead to a climatic ending reaching Hitchcock levels of suspense. As the title of the film suggests, you really have to wait until dark to fully appreciate how well made this film is.
• The Vanishing (1988) - The original version, of course! One of the most taut and terrifying suspense thrillers ever created which never leave the audience questioning who the kidnapper is. Right from the start, we are shown his story as well as the story of the innocent parties. The more we know about him, the more mysterious he becomes
• Peeping Tom (1960) - Again, the main themes of voyeurism, obsession, and murder would have made this a great Hitchcock film. Maybe it wouldn't have had such a sleazy atmosphere and feeling, but I don't think it would have been any glossier

[keirarts]

Tough one to narrow down. I really wanted to include Rebecca.

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[Susan Foreman]

In view of this weeks topic, this might be interesting

BBC2 - Saturday 10th March - 21:00-22.30

"Hitchcock's Shower Scene: 78/52

Director Alexandre O Philippe's gripping documentary takes an unprecedented look at Alfred Hitchcock's infamous and iconic shower scene and it's enduring legacy"

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

As of last week, I am still finalising my list because I'm watching films from the Hitchcock: Masterpiece Collection and others which are on DVD and I haven't seen for years, so it's a work in progress.

This week comes a couple of days after the 90th Academy Awards ceremony, so I thought it began to look over the 90 films which have won what many consider the most prestigious award in Hollywood and come up with your 10 favourites. To save you the trouble of looking around the Internet, I created a blog with a list of all the films.

BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS

[keirarts]

Tough one. I could do a top 20 with no problem. Sticking to best picture I've selected a few of my favourites.

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silence of the lambs.jpg no coutry for old men.jpg

[bleakshaun]

Birdman
No Country for Old Men
The Artist
The Godfather
Patton
Silence of the Lambs
Schindler's List
Lawrence of Arabia
Platoon
Unforgiven


Sent from my PRA-LX1 using Tapatalk

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS

Casablanca (1942)
Unforgiven (1992)
Gladiator (2000)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Braveheart (1995)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)*
Ben Hur (1959)
It Happened One Night (1934)
The Sound of Music (1965)

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS

1. The Godfather
2. Casablanca
3. The Apartment
4. The French Connection
5. The Silence of the Lambs
6. The Godfather Part II
7. It Happened One Night
8. All about Eve
9. The Shape of Water
10. You Can't Take It with You

Some might think it's a bit soon to have The Shape of Water in such a list already, but I've seen it twice and I'm looking forward to watching it again so much that I feel it's only right to place it ahead of other films which have won the Best Picture Oscar and are amongst my favourites. This is because I would probably choose to watch The Shape of Water instead of others I considered but didn't quite make the top 10. I don't know if that will change in five years or so and whether it would still be a film I would choose over (for example) Gladiator, Unforgiven or The Sound of Music, that's how I feel at the moment.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I should like The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The French Connection more than i should but i struggle to get enthusiastic about them at all.

@Nos i think your blog list is a year behind. Especially when you get to the 90's.

For example Dances With Wolves won in 91 not 90. It's fair enough if you are listing the years the films were made but you are a year behind when it comes to the year in which the films won.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I should like The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The French Connection more than i should but i struggle to get enthusiastic about them at all.

@Nos i think your blog list is a year behind. Especially when you get to the 90's.

For example Dances With Wolves won in 91 not 90. It's fair enough if you are listing the years the films were made but you are a year behind when it comes to the year in which the films won.

I've listed the films in the order I would like to watch them, not necessarily how good they are. I consider The Godfather Part II superior to the first instalment in the trilogy – and probably the best film to win the award – but it's (for reasons which is currently) not as enjoyable as the first film. Also, I would rather watch the ones which precede it on my list, particularly Casablanca and The Apartment because I know I don't have to give them full attention; with The Godfather Part II having sequences in Italian and subtitled, it's not a film you can 'half watch'.

With the list on my blog, I adapted it from a document I had which didn't have the last 17 winners, so it's possible I used one criteria for some of the films and a different one for the new entries, going by the year of the ceremony rather than release year. I'll have a look at it now and amend as necessary. Thanks for pointing it out.