Hitch appears to be carrying a trumpet!
James Stewart (the performance of his career), Kim Novak (the performance of her career).
And: Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Ellen Corby.
Written for Hitchcock especially by people who realised then how great he was: namely, the French. Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac's novel "D'Entre les Morts" was then adapted by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor (who wrote both play and screen play of Sabrina and Avanti and therefore is a thoroughly good chap).
The A Team of Bernard Herrmann (composer), Robert Burks (camera) and George Tomasini (editor).
Reviews are as follows:
8 August 2010.
Some of the shots are so interesting. Noticed as Stewart first sees her, in profile, the shot warms up (in fact what's happening is the fill light behind her gets brighter - a subtle and amazing trick). Also there's a strange scene with a historian that gets increasingly darker.
Familiar expert handling of POV / reaction.
People try and make films like Hitch, but fail.
Novak is great. The story is a load of nonsense and the ending is still funny.
One of the most staggeringly beautiful film scores ever.
30 January 2011.
I underestimated Kim's performance in the past.
After the incredible darker-and-darker scene, it brightens up again outside on the pavement.
Where she appears remodelled as the woman it's as though she's through a fog.
A very cleverly made film by a director at the height of his powers. Ending with nun still funny. Can finally see why critics rated it so highly.
Amazingly, neither Burks nor Herrmann were even nominated, and nor was Hitch.
George Dutton won for Best Sound (it's extremely naturalistic with traffic noise etc. Clearly a lot of thought goes into Hitch's sound design as much as any other department) and four gentlemen whose names I can't be bothered to type for Art Direction.
Some lovely over-exposed exteriors too.
Is theme really based on Tristan and Isolde?
25 March 2012.
Hitch is really playing us here as we start out fully sympathetic to Scottie, only for him to become a controlling obsessive.
28 October 2012.
The constantly changing camera positions are extremely interesting. And the profile shots (even Jimmy ends up thus). The gradual darkening happens later too.
It's a film you can get lost in.
The red and green theme (notice not in Scottie's flat).
The POV / reaction thing is at its most sublime, if any instruction was ever needed.
Again, often like a silent film. Which is why directors who started in silent were the best?
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