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Knuckleheads Return

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  1. Who would be Hitchcock's new Bernard Herrmann? Who would be his Edith Head? What contemporary writer would Hitchcock have loved to collaborate with? ​ There are so many highly talented and creative people in the current movie industry that this is a very difficult assignment. However, I have selected three candidates to be Hitchcock's modern collaborators. For music I have selected Howard Shore. He is a two time Academy Award winner. He created the music for The Hobbit​ series and all three of the Lord of the Rings​ films. He also created the music for ​Silence of the Lambs a
  2. To try and capture as many of these Hitchcock inspired films will be a herculean task. Imdb has an interesting list at: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls071418428/ which gives 97 Hitchcock films not directed by Hitchcock. One of my own favorites is Duel​ from 1971. How much more of German Expressionism can you get then a 5,000 gallon fuel tanker following you with malice and being unstoppable. Man versus machine! Can't leave out Bogart's ​Dark Passage ​from 1947. A few others from the list mentioned above are ​Play Misty For Me, Jaws, Abandon Ship (Tyrone Power 1957) , and ​
  3. Hard to believe but the term Hot Box originally was used by the railroad industry to describe a problem with overheating bearings. Wikipedia defines it as :"A hot box is the term used when an axle bearing overheats on a piece of railway rolling stock.[1] The term is derived from the journal-bearing trucks used before the mid-20th century. The axle bearings were housed in a box that used oil-soaked rags or cotton (collectively called "packing") to reduce the friction of the axle against the truck frame. When the oil leaked or dried out, the bearings overheated, often starting a fire that could
  4. My question is: Why do you think Hitchcock detested method actors? Was it a question of control or lack of control? I'd enjoy some specifics. Thanks.
  5. 1. How does the opening of Frenzy differ from the opening of The Lodger? Feel free to rewatch the clip from The Lodger (Daily Dose #2) for comparison. ​Frenzy opens almost like a travelogue. We have the initial postcard like image of the Thames flowing through London. We than see the crowd gathered on the side of the river listening to the politician. We then have the line "Look!" and the crowd diverts their attention to the dead body floating along. We see the cameo of Hitchcock very early in this film. He is even wearing a bowler hat to fit right in to the London scene. The Lodg
  6. Based on the opening sequence alone, what do you feel you already know about Marnie as a character? In what ways does Hitchcock visually reveal her character through her interaction with objects.​ ​ We learn that how she looks, how she dresses and how she appears are very important to Marnie. Her hair, makeup and color coordination must be just perfect. We see that she has good taste in her clothes and accessories. They are of very high quality and from name brand boutiques. She has a real fashion sense about her. She has plenty of cash in her possession. She is changing her iden
  7. In what ways does this opening scene seem more appropriate to a romantic comedy than a “horror of the apocalypse” film? What do we learn about Melanie (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch (Rod Taylor) in this scene?​​ ​In the opening scene we have the playful interchange between Mitch and Melanie. When mistaken for a clerk in Davidson's Pet Shop by Mitch, Melanie decides to have some fun and string him along. Instead of saying "Sorry, I don't work here" (which I am sure many of us have experienced) Melanie acts the part as a less then knowledgeable clerk. Mitch, upon realizing that he is
  8. Psycho opens with title design by Saul Bass and music by Bernard Herrmann. This is their third collaboration for Hitchcock, including Vertigo and North by Northwest. How does the graphic design and the score introduce the main themes of this film? With only Saul Bass' graphics before us for the opening and Bernard Herrmann's music we begin to experience a feeling of frenzy; a sense of fleeing with no destination in mind; a jumbled storm inside our brain and finally a sense of no peace!! 2. As the titles end, we have three shots of Phoenix, Arizona, and a very spe
  9. Even at the level of the dialogue, this film is playing with the idea that two Hollywood stars are flirting with each other (e.g. the line, "I look vaguely familiar.") How does our pre-existing knowledge of these stars function to create meaning in this scene. ​ As discussed in the class lecture, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint are perfect in being complimentary to each other. They both bring their respective images as stars into this scene and we of course build onto this with our pre-existing knowledge of who they are and how we see them. Cary Grant is the suave, handsome, elegant
  10. Describe what you think this film will be about simply from the sounds and images in these opening credits. Even if you have seen the film, try to focus on these sounds and images themselves and “the story” (or if not "the story," the mood and atmosphere they are establishing) that this sequence is communicating to the audience. Just want to interject that this is my favorite Hitchcock film. What's not to like Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart being directed by Hitchcock and oh did I fail to mention San Francisco in the 1950s! WOW!! Based on the sounds and images I thin
  11. How would you describe the opening camera shot of this film? What is Hitchcock seeking to establish in this single shot that opens the film? Whose vantage point is being expressed in this shot, given that Jeff has his back to the window? ​ I would say that Hitchcock is trying to have the POV shots explore the environs that can be seen from Jeff's apartment with each of us realizing as the shot continues that the vantage point is ours. We are the "watchers"! What do we learn about Jeff in this scene without any pertinent lines of dialogue (other than what is written on Jeff’s leg ca
  12. In how many ways does Hitchcock play with or visually manifest the metaphor of “criss cross” or “criss-crossing” in this introductory sequence. [For those who haven’t seen the film yet, the idea of “criss cross” is central idea in this film, a theme Hitch sets up from the opening frames of this film] Be specific. ​ "Criss cross" (CC) ...We see of course the CC of the railroad switching tracks as we POV shot the arrival of the train into Union Station in Washington DC; We see the diamond emblem which is sort of a CC on the cabs that Bruno and Guy arrive in; we even see that the cab doors
  13. What Hitchcock "touches" do you see in this early scene from the movie?​ ​ As pointed out in the lecture, we see Hitchcock's use of very tight close-ups particularly of Ingrid Bergman in this scene. We also see his "crazy" use of the camera in giving the upside down shot of Cary Grant. We learned from Dr. Edwards that Hitchcock had used this technic in the British film ​Downhill. He also uses some POV shots as if we are looking through Alicia's eyes to include seeing upside down. How does Hitchcock choose to light, frame, and photograph his two stars in this scene? What are some of
  14. What Hitchcock "touches" do you see in this opening sequence? Moreover, what do we learn about or know about the couple through the scene's visual design: the props, the set design or dressing, the decor, the camera angles, the lighting, etc? ​ We hear the childlike calliope style music that helps us to realize that this is a comedy. Initially, I thought that the setting was a couple on their honeymoon in a hotel but as the scene unfolds we discover that this is a married couple held up in their bedroom trying to make up for the last three days! We see that they are sloppy beyond
  15. As mentioned in the curator's note, this scene operates as a prelude to the main story. What do learn about the character of Uncle Charlie in this prelude? Be specific​ We learn that the name Uncle Charlie is using is " Mr. Spencer" (real or fake name?). Early middle age. He is a passionate smoker of cigars (he savors them), He has plenty of money and he doesn't really care about it (way it lays around the room). He is a dapper dresser, maybe even a dandy but there is something shabby about his dress too (note the hole in the back of his suitcoat). Uncle Charlie has a temper as
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