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
Alfred Hitchcock
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
GETTING CLOSER TO THE DREAM!
Almost exactly a year ago, I reported to you that I had enrolled in an evening course on Scandinavian crime fiction at Stanford University. If you follow my exploits with any regularity, you all know how that turned out! (above) The mood evoked when reading a Scandinavian crime novel. My professor was an extremely affable … Continue reading GETTING CLOSER TO THE DREAM!
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
A IS FOR ALFRED
All through April, the Tuesday Night Bloggers are on an “Anything Goes” kick: the subject can be anything beginning with the letter “A.” So far this month, I’ve focused on Agatha – Christie, that is – so I thought that, for my final TNG post of the month, I would switch it up to another … Continue reading A IS FOR ALFRED
IT’S ALL RELATIVE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
Over at Past Offenses this month, Rich Westwood is hosting a celebration of the best mysteries of 1943. Anybody who wants to can select a book or film from that year and put something together. I’m grateful to Rich for providing a forum for folks to share their views and opinions, and I’m especially glad … Continue reading IT’S ALL RELATIVE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
When Rich at Past Offenses chooses a particularly challenging year for his monthly “Crimes of the Century” invitational – where bloggers from all over send in posts of great mysteries of the time – I am grateful that he includes films as well as books. This is particularly true when we’re dealing with the late … Continue reading THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All
This month, over at Past Offenses, Rich is gathering bloggers together to celebrate the mystery fiction and cinema of 1960. It’s not a year particularly suited to my tastes, and as I trolled the lists to find something, the only title that called out to me was the Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho. I wrote briefly about … Continue reading PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All
COSTUME IN CRIME: The Cinema Version
As the Tuesday Night Bloggers devote the month of October to the subject of Costume in Crime, it would be remiss of me not to discuss some of the great costumed characters in the world of cinematic mysteries, many of them based on literary heroes and villains. I mentioned last week how unbelievable it might … Continue reading COSTUME IN CRIME: The Cinema Version
Ah Sweet Mystery! 