Fans of classic crime fiction – and I count these among the majority of my visitors – are unlikely to make a favorite double bill out of today’s two Alfred Hitchcock films. Yes, both are adapted from mystery novels by Golden Age writers: Spellbound from Francis Beeding’s The House of Dr. Edwardes and Suspicion from Before the Fact by Francis Iles, pseudonym for … Continue reading READING BETWEEN THE LINES: Spellbound and Suspicion
Alfred Hitchcock
MAGUFFIN AT SEA: Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat
During the 1940’s, Alfred Hitchcock did his bit to help the war effort by filming several propaganda films, two of them – Aventure Malgache and Bon Voyage - at the behest of the British War Ministry. In addition, four of the dozen feature films were connected in some way with the war. Of these, only one, Notorious (1946) can be called … Continue reading MAGUFFIN AT SEA: Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat
CLAP HANDS, HERE COMES CHARLIE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
Alfred Hitchcock arrived in Hollywood in 1939 under most auspicious circumstances. Fifteen years of work in his native England had produced over two dozen films, including future classics such as The Lodger (1927), The 39 Steps (1935), and The Lady Vanishes (1938), establishing the 40-year old as Europe’s premiere director. The three films mentioned, along with Blackmail (1929), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) … Continue reading CLAP HANDS, HERE COMES CHARLIE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
WEDNESDAYS AT THE MOVIES: Murders and Maguffins from the Master of Suspense
I’m a mystery book blogger by trade, but I warned you in my very first post that, from time to time, I would also talk about films – mystery films in particular. And who epitomizes such a film better than the Master of Suspense, and my favorite film director – Alfred Hitchcock? I often tell … Continue reading WEDNESDAYS AT THE MOVIES: Murders and Maguffins from the Master of Suspense
FAST FORWARDING INTO ‘21
“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.” (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) Does anybody want to hear me vent about 2020? Because, you know, I can do it, and I will . . . that is, if anyone wants to listen. To be honest, however, … Continue reading FAST FORWARDING INTO ‘21
MAY I SUGGEST YOU READ A MURDER MYSTERY?
I have to admit I’ve been stressed for about . . . three and a half years. Bernie Sanders said recently that the current health crisis is “on the scale of major war,” but I’ve felt battle-scarred, mostly by tweet, for some time now. And now, thanks to COVID-19, I’m in exile: our schools have … Continue reading MAY I SUGGEST YOU READ A MURDER MYSTERY?
THE EYES HAVE IT: Christie and Hitchcock and the Point of View
So much has been written about my favorite filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock – more than any other director, living or dead – that I would be hard-pressed to come up with any original thoughts about his life or work. That's because the French, including fellow auteur Francois Truffaut, elevated Hitchcock’s oeuvre from “mere” entertainment to art. … Continue reading THE EYES HAVE IT: Christie and Hitchcock and the Point of View
SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
Considering Sunday is a day of rest, this lazy cuss managed to get a lot done! I had a nice walk along the shore under a bright Indian Summer sky. I replaced all my decrepit plastic storage containers with spiffy new Pyrex bowls. I met the new lady Doctor. I like her, but her debut … Continue reading SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
UNRELIABLE ME: The Woman in the Window
As mysteries go, you may know that I'm an "old soul." The unfortunate side effect of this is that my relationship to modern crime novels is . . . er, problematic. I get especially angry when today's writers create or seek comparisons with past greats. Only today, I picked up the latest Ruth Ware novel … Continue reading UNRELIABLE ME: The Woman in the Window
GENRE TRANSCENDANT: A Quartet of Great Films
Christmas is just around the corner (he said two days before Thanksgiving!), and that means movie studios are about to inundate the theatres with their “prestige” films, hoping these will receive consideration for the big awards (the Golden Globes, the Oscars, and the Independent Spirit). Every year, this period where good movies are released shrinks … Continue reading GENRE TRANSCENDANT: A Quartet of Great Films
Ah Sweet Mystery! 