When Kim Novak's pointing at the marking on the Red Wood tree and says "I was born here, and then I died. It was only a moment for you, you took no notice ...." I think that might be the best line in movie history. Beautifully poetic, and the way she says it.
"This is a freakin' masterpiece." Yes, it certainly is. And the more times you watch it, chances are you will be even more impressed. It just gets better and better with repeat viewings.
You seem to understand both the meanings of different aspects of the movie and also the awesomeness of Hitchcock's work better than most people who see this movie. You're right about the music. At this stage in his career, Hitchcock always used the composer Bernard Hermann, who was a genius. In fact, Hitchcock's movies are never supernatural no matter what it may temporarily seem like. I've seen dozens of his movies and they're all great.
Scottie's nightmare could be seen as supernatural. I personally think it's a "scream" from his subconscious, but I've heard others argue that it's a prophetic fever dream
Hitch was famous for storyboarding his films so tightly, eg., no "cover" shots, etc., so that the studios wouldn't be able to re-edit his work, a built-in sort of final cut. 'Rear Window" is excellent as is "North by Northwest" (some say a prototype of later Bond films), but there are so many others worth watching. "Rope" was experimental, seeming as if it was a single shot, one take for 40 minutes & dealing with a subtle gay premise. ETA: I've always wondered about Midge in" Vertigo", it seems as if part of her story is missing.
I LOVE YOUR REACTIONS ALL ALONG THE MOVIE! ESPECIALLY IF WHAT YOU SAY (YOU NEVER SAW IT, HERD OF IT (ONLY THE NAME I GUESS) AND I FEEL LIKE YOU WERE MYSELF IN 1959 (IN PARIS, FRANCE, I WAS 15) WHEN VERTIGO WAS ON AND I SAW IT WITH MY PARENTS (FATHER AND STEP MOTHER, MOVIE GOERS !) WE ARE IN 2024 AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO GLUE ME TO THE VIDEO !@@shandoratthecinema4098
It IS a fantastic music score -- Bernard Hermann was the composer (as he was for other Hitchcock scores). And his score for Vertigo is the most mesmerizing and beautiful - adding to the mood of the film perfectly.
Rear Window is extremely entertaining; if you enjoy it, you probably will likewise enjoy North by Northwest. My personal favorite is Notorious (1946.) Some of his other films that are a bit darker in tone and very suspenseful - Shadow of a Doubt and Strangers on a Train. You can’t go wrong with most Hitchcock films; all offer innovations in some way.
The score for Vertigo, and Psycho, and several other Hitchcock films was Bernard Herrmann, considered a genius composer. He has scored other films that became famous for their score- Taxi Driver, On Dangerous Ground, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. His music adds an extra dimension that the visuals or dialogue cannot convey.
The original “Cape Fear”, and “Obsession” , two other almost Hitchcockian thrillers. His first film score was for “Citizen Kane” and his last was for, as you indicated, “Taxi Driver”. He came in and went out with a bang. 🙂
Vertigo can be found on lists compiled of the best films ever made, despite a plot that makes no real sense, and a big reveal given way too early; There are much easier ways to murder someone than the ridiculously complicated scheme employed by the husband. Despite this, the film is a psychological masterpiece operating below the surface plot, and that deals with themes of obsession, longing, and especially the desire to overcome death itself. The sequence in the Empire Hotel where Judy walks out of the bathroom to be revealed as Madeline is one of the most powerful in all of film because Scotty feels like he himself has defeated death. In addition, the score and cinematography are among the best ever put on film. Rear Window is Hitchcock's 2nd best film, in my opinion.
The most intelligent film ever made Hitchcock was extremely clever and a master of his art, I love everything about this film I remember the first I watched it, it totally shell-shocked me like no other movie, I'm in San Francisco now whilst visiting the US been to most of Film locations aswell as visiting Bodega Bay in northern california where the Birds was filmed another favourite Hitchcock of mine, I suggest you watch North by Northwest next , the first James bond film some suggest wonderful film, no-one comes close to Hitch a true genius and a native of my own country Endland , Bernard Herman deserves a big mention another genius, the score really is wonderful so haunting and mesmerising is this greatest film ever I think so❤
Rear Window is hitch's love letter to new york living, but Vertigo shows his true love was San Francisco . I'm glad you could appreciate all the amazing content in the film, it took me a couple of viewings to get past the clunky plot and jarring ending to see it is one of my favorite films ever. You should read up about how he used color in this movie to show emotions of various scenes.
I really love the haunting soundtrack. A lot of times I'll put this movie on as I'm working around the house just to listen to it. Yeah you will enjoy Rear Window. My personal favorite Hitchcock film is The 39 steps.
The 39 Steps is a classic, most Americans don't seem to know the earlier films. Hitchcock was great before Hollywood, you get different locales and character.
Dead Ringer with Bette Davis playing a twin; The Post Man Also rings twice Lana Turner and Dial M for Murder Alfred Hitchcock movie; What Ever Happened To Baby Jane Bette Davis and Joan Crawford; I love old movies and suspense 😁
There are so many great Hitchcock films to watch. Rope is a great movie and is notable for taking place in real time and being edited so as to appear as four long shots through the use of stitched-together long takes. Dial M For Murder is another favorite of mine. I've watched it every time it's been on TV since I was a little kid. Lifeboat is another good one. It's like Rope, Dial M For Murder, and Rear Window in that it all takes place in one setting. I also really love seeing San Francisco in movies. I live just outside of the city and it's really so beautiful. There have been lots of great movies filmed there.
Shandor, the restaurant (Ernie's) is not a set. My mom lived in San Francisco when this movie was made and she used to eat there. It's a fancy Italian steakhouse. It closed in the 80s. The McKitrick hotel also closed in the 80s but every other location in this movie is real so far as I know. The old tree is in Big Basin southwest of San Jose and sadly much of the forest burned down recently. This is truly Hitchcock's masterpiece. Everything about it felt really well executed, and the score by Bernard Herman was on another level. Some people get a bit freaked out by how much Scottie tries to mold Judy back into the person he fell in love with (even though she IS the person he fell in love with). I agree to our modern sensibilities it is sketchy, but keep in mind this movie is from 1958 when most (after they got married) never worked a day in their lives.
@Ceractucus, Ernie's was a real restaurant. However 'Ernie's' in this movie was recreated on a soundstage on stage 5 at Paramount. And to add the last gesture of realism, Hitch also had the owners of Ernie's to appear in the scene as well. Its all mention in the book, 'Vertigo The Making of A Hitchcock Classic' on page 107.
Ohhh, I love to find new (to me) reactors that appreciate and love the art of film! Yes, Hitchcock was well-known for storyboarding his films... in fact, he indicated that he liked it more than the actual process of filming, because in his head the film had already been done. Vertigo is generally acknowledged to be one of the greatest films of all time, though it's too dark for some tastes. It's my favorite Hitchcock film, but even his weakest films have gifts to offer. Rear Window is also excellent and very different. You'll get a lot of recommendations for many other well-known films from this director, but a couple of less-popular films I love of his are Marnie and The Trouble with Harry. Looking forward to more!
You are right. They storyboarded many of those scenes. Even Hitch made some drawings as well. At 24:25 not really a lie, Judy was an accessory to the murder of the real Madeleine Elster. People give Scottie such a hard time because of his obsession when he try to change Judy into Madeleine. While nobody ever think of how she was responsible for changing him, as she triggered his obsession of his loss of “Madeleine”. She destoyed Scotties life, hence his nervous breakdown for almost a year. Love can’t conquer here ‘cus that would mean that Scottie, a former detective, has to conceal her crime making him an accomplice to her and Gavins dreadful scheme as well. Judy and Gavin are the only one to blame for how it all turned out. Had they not intervene in his life none of this would have happened. They destroyed 3 lives. Madeleine’, Scottie’ and turn Midges life upside down as well. Judy was heading for trouble and found it. Too bad Gavin got away though.
I’ve watched this film at least 75 times. After ‘Vertigo’ was restored and re-released in the 1980’s, I read a film critic who said that ‘Vertigo’ was not only one of the greatest films ever made, but one of the greatest pieces of art in the 20th century. The film itself is about art, about the process of making art, about how we obsess over, remake and destroy things.
He fell in love, thus he was relieved of the pain of having to turn her in, the ending is perfect, it encapsulates the whole movies Melancholy feel, if the alternative ending with hm ending up at Midges would have been used it would have destroyed the ending.
Hitchcock storyboarded EVERYTHING in his movies. He said that drawing all of the shots beforehand was his true creative process, and he found the process of actually filming the movie to be boring. He wished that he had a machine into which he could feed his storyboards, and they would be instantly transferred to film.
Rear Window is a much better and more suspenseful film IMO. I have trouble with Vertigo being so highly rated by modern critics and film buffs. I wouldn't put it in the top five Hitchcocks, much less as the best-ever film, as some critics polls suggest.
I don't agree at all. Rear Window has little surprise, tired of people reacting to it. Hitchcock did way more good films that the few that seem known in the US. Even some of his better Hollywood films like Shadow of a Doubt largely get ignored.
@@joebloggs396 Shadow of a Doubt is one of my favorite films. Hope Shandor gets to it, too. Vertigo is not in my top five Hitchcock favorites but I enjoy it because I lived 2 of the best decades of my life in San Francisco. We can all agree that Hitchcock was a master of film even if we don't share the same order of favorites.
@@flarrfanI agree. Rear Window isn't a bad film but I wouldn't even rank it in Hitch's top 10. It's screenplay is too silly and gimmicky to be considered a great thriller in the same ranks as Vertigo, Strangers On A Train, Shadow of A Doubt, Notorious, Psycho and Rebecca...and to an extent North By Northwest.
Many "reactors" seem to concentrate on a film's plot/story while virtually ignoring other important aspects of filmmaking: cinematography, music, editing, the director's style, and so much more. So I'm glad you took notice of those elements as well. Hitchcock knew that film was artifice; he was more concerned with visual symbolism and emotion than with logic and literalism. ("Logic is dull," he said.) He was a manipulative man; he manipulated his actresses the way Scottie manipulates Judy--but more than that, he manipulated the audience. In a way, the "vertigo" (i.e., disorientation) in this film is the viewer's as much as it is Scottie's. Incidentally, composer Bernard Hermann consciously modeled the Scottie-Madeleine love theme ("Scene d'Amour") on the Liebestod (Love-Death) in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. Other great Hitchcock films that can be regarded as precursors to Vertigo, with similarly tense and dangerous male-female relationships, include Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Notorious.
Although all of Hitchcock's movies bear his unmistakable touch, they all vary a lot in type of story, etc. On many, he will try some new technique (in vertigo, it is the camera angle that changes looking down the stairs), but once he does, he seems to like to try something different in his next film, not stay stuck in a wining formula. So one movie will be a thriller, another a horror comedy, another an action-thriller, and so. My favorite Hitchcocks are The Lady Vanishes (very early) and Dial M for Murder. The second one was based on a play and other versions have been done by other directors, using the same script. The Lady Vanishes also has been done again, based closer to the original book, but far inferior to the Hitchcock version. My two favorite non-Hitchcock Hitchcock movies are the 1957 Witness for the Prosecution (from mystery queen author Agatha Christie) and Charade. Witness for the Prosecution had the script written by Billy Wilder, and the same script was used, I think for a tv version. Also a horrible version taken from the book. If you get around to it, watch the '57 version.
Yes, Rear Window, also with the always wonderful Jimmy Stewart (Hitchcock’s favorite lead actor, in 4 of his films) & the iconic Princess Grace Kelly. Very different than this one. 👌
After viewing many reaction videos from various discerning film analyzers on UA-cam I have concluded that it takes a willingness to expose one's vulnerability to what Mr Hitchcock can do to a viewer. Why? Because with this film we do not SEE a story about a man with disabling vertigo, as much as we are forced to EXPERIENCE vertigo directly through the magic of Hitchcock's art. From the comfort of my room I get to see first hand the look on people's faces as the rug is pulled out from under them and they are left suspended and confused as the world momentarily whirls around them(the 'vertigo metaphor'). This always happens when suddenly we are left alone with Judy and she starts to remember things that she couldn't possibly be remembering (What's happening?). Later, that feeling of being cheated out of the delicious, lyrical mystery that should have come at the end of the film is, I think, the risk that Hitchcock was more than willing to take in order to drag his audience out of their carefully constructed, beautiful nightmare into the 3rd act which will take them further into the depths of certain psychological frailties built-in to the human mind. The bravery of Hitchcock's approach to what was, in it's French novel's origin, much more of a traditional mystery with a big twist, has turned this material into a masterwork of psychological manipulation. Thanks for letting us watch your honest experience with this unique work of art.
Love your appreciation for Hitchcock. My personal favorite Hitchcock film is Rebecca. Hope you get around to watching that one. It’s full of mystery, romance and suspense. Also, a beautiful score.
One critic referred to this movie as the closest anyone had ever came to filming a dream.or perhaps a slow nightmare! I think I would agree. Enjoy your reactions btw.
I don't think Scotty was as unstable as a lot of people seem to believe. It rather is his way to work his way quietly to a point where everything falls into place. He was never off the case even when he was still in the hospital. When he met Judy he had a notion, which turned into certainty when she put on the jewelry. He was waiting for her to make a mistake. Considering his character it is unlikely he would treat a woman in such a cruel manner if he believed her to be innocent, but the more he searched the more he saw that it was justified.
Your reaction was great as usual. Haven't been in San Francisco in many years but would like to stop at Mission Delores. We did have a customer there once who had acrophobia.
Because of the strict Hays Code censorship at the time, she couldn't be allowed to get away with a crime, so she almost HAD to die. (Hitchcock also filmed a scene which was supposed to have happened awhile after this ending, where Scott and Midge are together and they hear on the radio that the husband has been arrested. However, Hitchcock realized it would be anticlimactic, so didn't use it.)
The alternate extended ending is on youtube. I thought that reflected censorship more as we hear Elster get apprehended. Judy's death makes some sense as it was a doomed relationship and considering the parallels in the film.
3:05 back during this time, the understanding of the mind wasn’t what it is today. There were a lot of false theories about the mind such as amnesia victims needed to get hit on the head again to cure the amnesia or in this case a shock will cure his acrophobia.
It was 1958 and Judy had to either Die or go to Prison as she was a Accessory to Murder! .... My end to the story is Scotty and Midge get together and Elster is caught in England extradicted and Sentenced to the Chair!
Excellent film with, in my opinion, an unsatisfying ending that didn’t make much sense, as they never even hinted at the fact that she was such a religious nut. Should’ve ended as it did, but Hitchcock should’ve come up with a bit of a better/cleverer reason for her to be so shocked/frightened that she would back up to her death as a result.
That's a very prosaic explanation of what happened, that she's a 'religious nut'. Don't you think the themes are more important than making assumptions about her character?
Themes? I’m talking about just the ending in particular. If she was to have been driven over the edge by an over the top fear of pigeons if one was was to pass by, I would feel the same way if that fear wasn’t established earlier in the minds of the audience. Just my opinion, not something I expect everyone to agree with. Just seems like a red herring was used in a crucial spot that would have played much better with a more relatable finish.
When Kim Novak's pointing at the marking on the Red Wood tree and says
"I was born here, and then I died. It was only a moment for you, you took no notice ...."
I think that might be the best line in movie history. Beautifully poetic, and the way she says it.
"This is a freakin' masterpiece." Yes, it certainly is. And the more times you watch it, chances are you will be even more impressed. It just gets better and better with repeat viewings.
You seem to understand both the meanings of different aspects of the movie and also the awesomeness of Hitchcock's work better than most people who see this movie. You're right about the music. At this stage in his career, Hitchcock always used the composer Bernard Hermann, who was a genius.
In fact, Hitchcock's movies are never supernatural no matter what it may temporarily seem like.
I've seen dozens of his movies and they're all great.
Scottie's nightmare could be seen as supernatural. I personally think it's a "scream" from his subconscious, but I've heard others argue that it's a prophetic fever dream
Hitch was famous for storyboarding his films so tightly, eg., no "cover" shots, etc., so that the studios wouldn't be able to re-edit his work, a built-in sort of final cut. 'Rear Window" is excellent as is "North by Northwest" (some say a prototype of later Bond films), but there are so many others worth watching. "Rope" was experimental, seeming as if it was a single shot, one take for 40 minutes & dealing with a subtle gay premise.
ETA: I've always wondered about Midge in" Vertigo", it seems as if part of her story is missing.
So I guess I was right about the storyboarding aspect. Thanks!
I LOVE YOUR REACTIONS ALL ALONG THE MOVIE! ESPECIALLY IF WHAT YOU SAY (YOU NEVER SAW IT, HERD OF IT (ONLY THE NAME I GUESS) AND I FEEL LIKE YOU WERE MYSELF IN 1959 (IN PARIS, FRANCE, I WAS 15) WHEN VERTIGO WAS ON AND I SAW IT WITH MY PARENTS (FATHER AND STEP MOTHER, MOVIE GOERS !) WE ARE IN 2024 AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO GLUE ME TO THE VIDEO !@@shandoratthecinema4098
It IS a fantastic music score -- Bernard Hermann was the composer (as he was for other Hitchcock scores). And his score for Vertigo is the most mesmerizing and beautiful - adding to the mood of the film perfectly.
Hitchcock was famous for the icy-cold blonde leading lady in most if not all of his movies.
Rear Window is extremely entertaining; if you enjoy it, you probably will likewise enjoy North by Northwest. My personal favorite is Notorious (1946.)
Some of his other films that are a bit darker in tone and very suspenseful - Shadow of a Doubt and Strangers on a Train. You can’t go wrong with most Hitchcock films; all offer innovations in some way.
The score for Vertigo, and Psycho, and several other Hitchcock films was Bernard Herrmann, considered a genius composer. He has scored other films that became famous for their score- Taxi Driver, On Dangerous Ground, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. His music adds an extra dimension that the visuals or dialogue cannot convey.
The original “Cape Fear”, and “Obsession” , two other almost Hitchcockian thrillers. His first film score was for “Citizen Kane” and his last was for, as you indicated, “Taxi Driver”. He came in and went out with a bang. 🙂
Vertigo can be found on lists compiled of the best films ever made, despite a plot that makes no real sense, and a big reveal given way too early; There are much easier ways to murder someone than the ridiculously complicated scheme employed by the husband. Despite this, the film is a psychological masterpiece operating below the surface plot, and that deals with themes of obsession, longing, and especially the desire to overcome death itself. The sequence in the Empire Hotel where Judy walks out of the bathroom to be revealed as Madeline is one of the most powerful in all of film because Scotty feels like he himself has defeated death. In addition, the score and cinematography are among the best ever put on film. Rear Window is Hitchcock's 2nd best film, in my opinion.
You're right, Vertigo is a masterpiece. Beautiful scenes in the entire movie.
Your reactions and commentary are terrific! Keep it up!
The most intelligent film ever made Hitchcock was extremely clever and a master of his art, I love everything about this film I remember the first I watched it, it totally shell-shocked me like no other movie, I'm in San Francisco now whilst visiting the US been to most of Film locations aswell as visiting Bodega Bay in northern california where the Birds was filmed another favourite Hitchcock of mine, I suggest you watch North by Northwest next , the first James bond film some suggest wonderful film, no-one comes close to Hitch a true genius and a native of my own country Endland , Bernard Herman deserves a big mention another genius, the score really is wonderful so haunting and mesmerising is this greatest film ever I think so❤
I just love watching people's reaction @ 18:30
when we find out that she is the same person !
Rear Window is hitch's love letter to new york living, but Vertigo shows his true love was San Francisco . I'm glad you could appreciate all the amazing content in the film, it took me a couple of viewings to get past the clunky plot and jarring ending to see it is one of my favorite films ever.
You should read up about how he used color in this movie to show emotions of various scenes.
Rear Window is an excellent choice, you will love it.
I don't think the movie would have worked out that fine anywhere else but in SF. The shots are wonderful. My favourite Hitchcock.
I really love the haunting soundtrack. A lot of times I'll put this movie on as I'm working around the house just to listen to it. Yeah you will enjoy Rear Window. My personal favorite Hitchcock film is The 39 steps.
The 39 Steps is a classic, most Americans don't seem to know the earlier films. Hitchcock was great before Hollywood, you get different locales and character.
Bernard Herrmann's score is the Best Thing about the Film!
@@jamesalexander5623 amen brother preach it.
Stewart, struggling with judy and his own emotions, is the greatest acting Stewart has ever done, and he's done some great work.
Dead Ringer with Bette Davis playing a twin; The Post Man Also rings twice Lana Turner and Dial M for Murder Alfred Hitchcock movie; What Ever Happened To Baby Jane Bette Davis and Joan Crawford; I love old movies and suspense 😁
There are so many great Hitchcock films to watch. Rope is a great movie and is notable for taking place in real time and being edited so as to appear as four long shots through the use of stitched-together long takes. Dial M For Murder is another favorite of mine. I've watched it every time it's been on TV since I was a little kid. Lifeboat is another good one. It's like Rope, Dial M For Murder, and Rear Window in that it all takes place in one setting. I also really love seeing San Francisco in movies. I live just outside of the city and it's really so beautiful. There have been lots of great movies filmed there.
Of those I like Rope the most, interesting script and yet relatively neglected on youtube.
Shandor, the restaurant (Ernie's) is not a set. My mom lived in San Francisco when this movie was made and she used to eat there. It's a fancy Italian steakhouse. It closed in the 80s. The McKitrick hotel also closed in the 80s but every other location in this movie is real so far as I know. The old tree is in Big Basin southwest of San Jose and sadly much of the forest burned down recently.
This is truly Hitchcock's masterpiece. Everything about it felt really well executed, and the score by Bernard Herman was on another level. Some people get a bit freaked out by how much Scottie tries to mold Judy back into the person he fell in love with (even though she IS the person he fell in love with). I agree to our modern sensibilities it is sketchy, but keep in mind this movie is from 1958 when most (after they got married) never worked a day in their lives.
@Ceractucus, Ernie's was a real restaurant. However 'Ernie's' in this movie was recreated on a soundstage on stage 5 at Paramount. And to add the last gesture of realism, Hitch also had the owners of Ernie's to appear in the scene as well. Its all mention in the book, 'Vertigo The Making of A Hitchcock Classic' on page 107.
Ohhh, I love to find new (to me) reactors that appreciate and love the art of film! Yes, Hitchcock was well-known for storyboarding his films... in fact, he indicated that he liked it more than the actual process of filming, because in his head the film had already been done. Vertigo is generally acknowledged to be one of the greatest films of all time, though it's too dark for some tastes. It's my favorite Hitchcock film, but even his weakest films have gifts to offer. Rear Window is also excellent and very different. You'll get a lot of recommendations for many other well-known films from this director, but a couple of less-popular films I love of his are Marnie and The Trouble with Harry. Looking forward to more!
Man, this gorgeous, awsome music is by BERNARD HERMANN !!!!!!!!
You are right. They storyboarded many of those scenes. Even Hitch made some drawings as well. At 24:25 not really a lie, Judy was an accessory to the murder of the real Madeleine Elster. People give Scottie such a hard time because of his obsession when he try to change Judy into Madeleine. While nobody ever think of how she was responsible for changing him, as she triggered his obsession of his loss of “Madeleine”. She destoyed Scotties life, hence his nervous breakdown for almost a year.
Love can’t conquer here ‘cus that would mean that Scottie, a former detective, has to conceal her crime making him an accomplice to her and Gavins dreadful scheme as well. Judy and Gavin are the only one to blame for how it all turned out. Had they not intervene in his life none of this would have happened. They destroyed 3 lives. Madeleine’, Scottie’ and turn Midges life upside down as well. Judy was heading for trouble and found it. Too bad Gavin got away though.
I’ve watched this film at least 75 times. After ‘Vertigo’ was restored and re-released in the 1980’s, I read a film critic who said that ‘Vertigo’ was not only one of the greatest films ever made, but one of the greatest pieces of art in the 20th century. The film itself is about art, about the process of making art, about how we obsess over, remake and destroy things.
Great to see you enjoying this. Looking forward to you reacting to Hitchcock's Rear Window.
He fell in love, thus he was relieved of the pain of having to turn her in, the ending is perfect, it encapsulates the whole movies Melancholy feel, if the alternative ending with hm ending up at Midges would have been used it would have destroyed the ending.
Hitchcock storyboarded EVERYTHING in his movies. He said that drawing all of the shots beforehand was his true creative process, and he found the process of actually filming the movie to be boring. He wished that he had a machine into which he could feed his storyboards, and they would be instantly transferred to film.
Good reaction. You will also really enjoy REAR WINDOW. Look forward to your comments on it.
Rear Window is a much better and more suspenseful film IMO. I have trouble with Vertigo being so highly rated by modern critics and film buffs. I wouldn't put it in the top five Hitchcocks, much less as the best-ever film, as some critics polls suggest.
I don't agree at all. Rear Window has little surprise, tired of people reacting to it. Hitchcock did way more good films that the few that seem known in the US. Even some of his better Hollywood films like Shadow of a Doubt largely get ignored.
@@joebloggs396 Shadow of a Doubt is one of my favorite films. Hope Shandor gets to it, too. Vertigo is not in my top five Hitchcock favorites but I enjoy it because I lived 2 of the best decades of my life in San Francisco. We can all agree that Hitchcock was a master of film even if we don't share the same order of favorites.
@@flarrfanI agree. Rear Window isn't a bad film but I wouldn't even rank it in Hitch's top 10. It's screenplay is too silly and gimmicky to be considered a great thriller in the same ranks as Vertigo, Strangers On A Train, Shadow of A Doubt, Notorious, Psycho and Rebecca...and to an extent North By Northwest.
Many "reactors" seem to concentrate on a film's plot/story while virtually ignoring other important aspects of filmmaking: cinematography, music, editing, the director's style, and so much more. So I'm glad you took notice of those elements as well. Hitchcock knew that film was artifice; he was more concerned with visual symbolism and emotion than with logic and literalism. ("Logic is dull," he said.) He was a manipulative man; he manipulated his actresses the way Scottie manipulates Judy--but more than that, he manipulated the audience. In a way, the "vertigo" (i.e., disorientation) in this film is the viewer's as much as it is Scottie's.
Incidentally, composer Bernard Hermann consciously modeled the Scottie-Madeleine love theme ("Scene d'Amour") on the Liebestod (Love-Death) in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.
Other great Hitchcock films that can be regarded as precursors to Vertigo, with similarly tense and dangerous male-female relationships, include Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Notorious.
Thanks, now they're all on my list!
Master Hitchcock was the king of the storyboard! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
"Rear Window" is Outstanding as is "North by Northwest"
My friend Dorothy's father composed the music for this film. It really is an exquisite and perfect score.
Although all of Hitchcock's movies bear his unmistakable touch, they all vary a lot in type of story, etc. On many, he will try some new technique (in vertigo, it is the camera angle that changes looking down the stairs), but once he does, he seems to like to try something different in his next film, not stay stuck in a wining formula. So one movie will be a thriller, another a horror comedy, another an action-thriller, and so.
My favorite Hitchcocks are The Lady Vanishes (very early) and Dial M for Murder. The second one was based on a play and other versions have been done by other directors, using the same script. The Lady Vanishes also has been done again, based closer to the original book, but far inferior to the Hitchcock version.
My two favorite non-Hitchcock Hitchcock movies are the 1957 Witness for the Prosecution (from mystery queen author Agatha Christie) and Charade. Witness for the Prosecution had the script written by Billy Wilder, and the same script was used, I think for a tv version. Also a horrible version taken from the book. If you get around to it, watch the '57 version.
Yes, Rear Window, also with the always wonderful Jimmy Stewart (Hitchcock’s favorite lead actor, in 4 of his films) & the iconic Princess Grace Kelly. Very different than this one. 👌
I think Stewart is still right up there with Bogart, Brando, Harrison Ford, Henry Fonda as the best actors ever.
Absolutely‼️
After viewing many reaction videos from various discerning film analyzers on UA-cam I have concluded that it takes a willingness to expose one's vulnerability to what Mr Hitchcock can do to a viewer. Why? Because with this film we do not SEE a story about a man with disabling vertigo, as much as we are forced to EXPERIENCE vertigo directly through the magic of Hitchcock's art. From the comfort of my room I get to see first hand the look on people's faces as the rug is pulled out from under them and they are left suspended and confused as the world momentarily whirls around them(the 'vertigo metaphor'). This always happens when suddenly we are left alone with Judy and she starts to remember things that she couldn't possibly be remembering (What's happening?). Later, that feeling of being cheated out of the delicious, lyrical mystery that should have come at the end of the film is, I think, the risk that Hitchcock was more than willing to take in order to drag his audience out of their carefully constructed, beautiful nightmare into the 3rd act which will take them further into the depths of certain psychological frailties built-in to the human mind. The bravery of Hitchcock's approach to what was, in it's French novel's origin, much more of a traditional mystery with a big twist, has turned this material into a masterwork of psychological manipulation. Thanks for letting us watch your honest experience with this unique work of art.
The clerk at the hotel said Madeleine/Judy wasn't there that day, which is false. What is that all about?
Love your appreciation for Hitchcock. My personal favorite Hitchcock film is Rebecca. Hope you get around to watching that one. It’s full of mystery, romance and suspense. Also, a beautiful score.
Rear Window is my favourite Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Vertigo is my 8th favourite, James Stewart is awesome in both of those movies.
Oh,so Rear Window is better? I'll have to watch it then!
@@shandoratthecinema4098
It's a great movie, I would recommend watching it.
One critic referred to this movie as the closest anyone had ever came to filming a dream.or perhaps a slow nightmare! I think I would agree. Enjoy your reactions btw.
I don't think Scotty was as unstable as a lot of people seem to believe. It rather is his way to work his way quietly to a point where everything falls into place. He was never off the case even when he was still in the hospital. When he met Judy he had a notion, which turned into certainty when she put on the jewelry. He was waiting for her to make a mistake. Considering his character it is unlikely he would treat a woman in such a cruel manner if he believed her to be innocent, but the more he searched the more he saw that it was justified.
Wow, I haven't even thought about that, that's actually a great point!
I was just on a cruise where I got to hear some Q&A's with Kim Novak. It was pretty cool.
Entertaining reaction, thank you for covering classics! New subscriber 🙂
Shandor your shock is so fun!
Just came across Friedkins comments on Vertigo. Highly rec
Your reaction was great as usual. Haven't been in San Francisco in many years but would like to stop at Mission Delores. We did have a customer there once who had acrophobia.
"The Man Who Knew Too Much" (the version with Doris Day and James Stewart) is a good Hitchcock movie nobody reacts to
P. S. I've been to the Mission .... There is no Bell Tower .... It was a Hitchcock "Addition"!
My fave vid of yours I've seen so far.
Well, one of my favourite movies I've watched on this channel so far, so... I guess it makes sense! :) Thank you so much!
Because of the strict Hays Code censorship at the time, she couldn't be allowed to get away with a crime, so she almost HAD to die. (Hitchcock also filmed a scene which was supposed to have happened awhile after this ending, where Scott and Midge are together and they hear on the radio that the husband has been arrested. However, Hitchcock realized it would be anticlimactic, so didn't use it.)
The alternate extended ending is on youtube. I thought that reflected censorship more as we hear Elster get apprehended. Judy's death makes some sense as it was a doomed relationship and considering the parallels in the film.
Elster's Arrest is almost a foregone conclusion!
ua-cam.com/video/VJBSSkn0Ldw/v-deo.html@@joebloggs396
Rear Window is my favorite Hitchcock film. Love your reactions
Kelly & Stewart & Ritter made Rear Window perfection.
3:05 back during this time, the understanding of the mind wasn’t what it is today. There were a lot of false theories about the mind such as amnesia victims needed to get hit on the head again to cure the amnesia or in this case a shock will cure his acrophobia.
You're absolutely right! But I think we still know very little about the human mind, it seems to remain a constant mystery.
The ending is so shockingly...weird.
It was 1958 and Judy had to either Die or go to Prison as she was a Accessory to Murder! .... My end to the story is Scotty and Midge get together and Elster is caught in England extradicted and Sentenced to the Chair!
The extended alternate ending follows that direction and is on youtube.
@@joebloggs396 Really? I'll have to check that out!
Love the channel try rear window
Excellent film with, in my opinion, an unsatisfying ending that didn’t make much sense, as they never even hinted at the fact that she was such a religious nut. Should’ve ended as it did, but Hitchcock should’ve come up with a bit of a better/cleverer reason for her to be so shocked/frightened that she would back up to her death as a result.
That's a very prosaic explanation of what happened, that she's a 'religious nut'. Don't you think the themes are more important than making assumptions about her character?
Themes? I’m talking about just the ending in particular. If she was to have been driven over the edge by an over the top fear of pigeons if one was was to pass by, I would feel the same way if that fear wasn’t established earlier in the minds of the audience. Just my opinion, not something I expect everyone to agree with. Just seems like a red herring was used in a crucial spot that would have played much better with a more relatable finish.
SLING BLADE is a real Sleeper film you should check out! Very low budget, but an amazing story!!
It's on my list! Billy Bob Thornton, right?
@@shandoratthecinema4098 Correct!