Well, Hitchcock, as of late, as been going a bit down in my estimations, and I think its because I most recently rewatched North by Northwest and Family Plot. Would it be too much of an assumption to label these movies his "action" movie and compare them to such films as Vertigo and Rear Window, which are more "psychological" in nature? No, I don't think so. I've noticed that Hitchcock definately has an entire slew of movies which tend to be be about a man proving his innocence through a series of adventures, and most of these are with leading man Cary Grant.



I found myself very bored by North by Northwest, there are several character turn-abouts which I always kind of find a cheap copout to character development and overcoming complications in the script. "Oops, I was just acting, I'm actually on your side but couldn't let you know." I also found the female role in that film very problematic. The same can be said for To Catch a Thief. which I liked better, but is just really not Hitchcocks forte IMO. I will place Stewart's 1956 Man who Knew Too Much in here as well. Pretty much all of his movies about a man clearing his name.

His best is still the films that aren't really about murder at all. My favorite Rear window, is about voyeurism and for being about a murder I had to watch it three times before I even remembered if the wife was killed or not, and that's saying something since I still remembered the ballet dancer's lover comig home and being this tiny dork, and I still remember Mrs. Lonely Hearts trying to kill herself and hearing the piano. I still remember the couple with the matress on their porth for chrissake. The movie really just used a murder to push forward other dieas, and that's wy it was much richer. Vertigo is the same way. since the orginal death happens quite early on, and then the movie proceeds to explore hiw obsession, how he forces a woman to assume the same aspects, etc. Much more intense and probably my second favorite movie of his. Rope? Excellent film and mostly about the showmanship of murder and the desire to flaunt, etc.



Not to say Hitchcock doesn't have some pretty weak crossovers such as Frenzy which I guess is just adventure based, but since he had to go off and introduce the killer's mother, the movie still has the trappings of something bigger.

But honestly, does anyone else notice Hitchcock's diffent styles. I used to really place him on a pedestal with 39 Steps, Vertigo, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, Rope, Rebecca, etc. Then I started watching some movies I'm not so sure about Marnie, Man who knew Too Much, To Catch a Thief, Family Plot, and Family Plot. Sadly its brought down my interest in him a bit. It seems like for every good movie he directed (and i mean conceptually, not necessarily unproblematic on screen) he also just made a mindless dud.

what do you guys think of his movies?

I always thought he is overrated. :wink: