That's always a favourite of mine. I don't claim to understand the entire plot, and that's true of most of the Hitchcocks I've seen, but I do love the story anyway. I wish they had retained the title from the novel it was based on (well, the English translation): "From Among the Dead". I guess that doesn't sound very Hitchcock-esque, though.
I've been watching two different versions of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" this week: the new one from last year, and one that was produced by the BBC that was done a while ago. I love kid's stories more than anything else. Especially fantasy stuff. I also tried to watch the newest Peter Pan (2003), but I got bored with it.
J Ed wrote:Vertigo
which Ive seen before, definitely rewards rewatching
the redwood forest scene always trips me out
"...I was born here..., ...and I died here..."
you notice Jimmy Stewart takes on the characteristics of crazy Kim novak as the movie progresses?
Yes, famous 'last words' - "Midge, I'm not gonna crack up..." That is such a great movie, and homage to San Francisco (the Elsters' apartment building is right down the street from where I used to live). There's about 5 minutes (or more, when he first goes on the job) with no dialogue, just music by maestro Bernard Herrmann--he also scored Citizen Kane, Psycho, and Taxi Driver ...
Last edited by lovescene4 on Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Location: in a midwestern-type autoplant town, waiting for the autopocalypse to come
Postby J Ed »
I dont understand all the plot either
in fact I feel the "logical" explanation that comes near the end undermines the spell thatd been cast up til that point
I like to ask what is the sense of Vertigo the title refers to
cuz Jimmy Stewarts fear of heights barely enters the plot
for me, I get the Vertigo during the Redwood forest scene
its a sense of losing ones identity, any grounding in the here-and-now, and plunging helplessly into the ghosts of the past, the baggage of history, allowing ones own subjective memories to warp ones choices...
but I read another interpretation (in the Wikipedia page) saying the Vertigo refers to the sense of helplessness as ones identity is manipulated by someone else, which does happen in several configurations throughout the film - this argument is supposedly supported by all the shots where characters realise things by looking in mirrors or paintings
also theres the scenes where he first starts tailing her in his car, she keeps going round and round in cirlces through the streets of San Francisco, yet the cars always seem to be plunging downhill, never climbing...
definitely a movie to dwell on for days and ask "whu'happened?"
and I suspect David Lynch was influenced by it, with his womenfolk often changing character midmovie for no logical reason
Mr. H. was definitely fond of employing many different plot devices, so I'm sure there isn't one that is any more correct than the other. Everything you mentioned makes sense to me.
"Rear Window" is good, too. I was given a Hitchcock DVD boxed set a while ago, and I finally watched a couple of the movies included in it. I've actually seen a number of them previously.
I saw Borat a couple of days ago, and I'd definitely recommend that you go to see it. It's so ridiculously over the top, Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius!
I watched Borat on Thursday just gone. Rubbish story line and bad cinematography in many places but very... very funny in places!! Recommended. That bit on the bed when fatty was caught with the magazine!!! Frightening!!!!!
I just watched "Dead Man's Shoes" and was a pretty good gritty FilmFour film. I feel it could have been more graphic and violent!!!
A classic war movie from the 1967, the year i was born, with a stellar cast: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Trini Lopez and Telly Savalas.
Aparently this movie would have won the 1967 Acadamy Award for best picture had it not been for the scene where Jim Brown (a real life African American football player) Throws some grenades into a celler full of Nazi officers and women.
The battle scenes are what you'd come to expect post-Private Ryan, and are quite grisly on occasion. A lot of it is told in out-of-order flashback, so it could be easy for people to get a bit befuddled as to where the story is heading.
Basically, the film is the story of the surviving 3 men, who with 3 others planted the (second) flag on Mt. Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 - it distinguishes itself with the telling of their stories upon their return home. Brought home specifically by the War Dept. to help sell war bonds (they eventually helped raise over $7 billion) it shows their experiences in the spotlight and dealing with public adulation.
A couple of great performances from Ryan Phillippe - the Navy Corpsman whose son co-wrote the book upon which the film is based, and particularly Adam Beach (Windtalkers) as the native American Marine reluctantly dragged into national prominence. The central themes of the film are about the very subjective use of the term "hero", and the power of imagery and propaganda to influence the hearts and minds of millions - points that Eastwood has deliberately raised as a yardstick for recent current events.
A companion piece - "Letters from Iwo Jima" showing the same battle viewed from the Japanese perspective is due out next March.
to tell you the truth i found it boring as fcuk!! although keith leger deserves all accolades for his performance, i found the pace tedious and the story, well, its not anything new is it? a love that cannot happen because of societies bigotry, basically a 'romeo and juliette' for the naughties.....
...
Frightening!!!!!
