THE WORLD-CINEMA ORGY

Over the last five days, I happened to see quite a few movies — 11 to be precise. At the end of the week I surprised myself… I had actually spent close to 25 of the last 120 hours in watching movies.
This entire experience left me wanting for more — for more such world-class movies! Because I’ve never seen such great films — each one better than the other — in a long, long time. If I hadn’t watched those, I would have surely missed out on something.
Once the ‘movie orgy’ — as I would like to call it — was over, I decided to devote some time to review each film. And guess what… I surprised myself with the reviews I wrote. I say ‘surprised’ because I’ve never ever written a review before this. So I didn’t know where and how to start. But eventually the brilliance of each movie made it a roller-coaster ride for me — and the reviews turned out quite good… yes, for someone writing a review for the first time, it was indeed a satisfying and enriching experience…

Over the next few blogs, all that I’ve decided to do is publish those reviews one by one.
Here they go… starting with five films of Alfred Hitchcock — the undisputed king of mystery and mayhem.

Of thrills and chills

Mistaken identity, innocents falsely accused, betrayal, hair-raising escapes, double-crosses etc., are some of the recurring themes in Alfred Hitchcock’s movies.
As a tribute to the film-maker, Palador recently launched a collector’s edition boxset of five DVDs containing some of his earliest works. The movies include The Manxman (1929), Blackmail (1929), Murder (1930), The Skin Game (1931) and Rich And Strange (1931).

 The Manxman – Hitchcock’s last silent film – is the story of two friends in love with the same woman. Rejected by the girl's father when one of them goes to a foreign land to seek his fortune, the other sees his chance with the girl. The Manxman is remembered for its stunning scenery, shot on location in Cornwall.
 Hitchcock made the transition to sound film with Blackmail. Here, a woman accidentally murders a man. She is seen by a criminal. When the woman’s policeman boyfriend is assigned the case, the criminal blackmails them. Hitchcock shot almost the entire film in sound, back-to-back with a silent version for distribution to the many cinemas not equipped for sound. The result was a critical and commercial triumph and confirmed Hitchcock as an acclaimed director.
 In Murder, an actor is found standing over the body of a murdered colleague and has no memory of what happened. The jury sentences her to death. One juror disagrees and, using his theatrical skills, probes into the case only to discover the real murderer in a thrilling climax. Hitchcock has a cameo role near the midpoint of the film, as a passerby in front of the house where the murder took place. The film contains a number of innovations, including what some believe to be the first use of a voice-over.
 The Skin Game revolves around two rival families. When the aristocratic patriarch of one of families resorts to blackmail to settle a dispute over land rights, it leads to disastrous results. Hitchcock was, reportedly, bored by the project, but entertained himself with one particular shot – the climactic scene – which, however, didn’t even make it into the completed film.
 Rich and Strange is about a married couple who go on a world cruise to escape their humdrum lives. But their relationship begins to fall apart when they both become attracted to other people. The film is notable for the techniques utilised by Hitchcock that would reappear later in his career. Most notable are the sets, including a recreation of a full-sized ship in a water tank.