Alfred Hitchcock: Film Analysis
I've never watched an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I've heard of him throughout my life. I know he is the go-to example for classic "horror" movies, but I've just never had the desire to watch his movies. His style of suspense would've been perfect for the days following World War I, but were they still relevant today? I went to Vintage Hitchcock a little bit cautious. I wasn't sure what to expect. The idea of watching a live radio play fascinated me, but I wasn't sure about the element of horror involved. Turns out, I was to be pleasantly surprised and find a new genre of movies to watch.
The play was set up in a blackbox room. This means that they can design the set in specific ways that a typical theater can't be arranged in. This set was in the corner with two rows of seats facing it. The set was completely black and there was nothing …show more content…
but a counter, small props, and three vintage looking microphones.
There were even prop girls behind a counter to make the appropriate sound effects. The actors startled me at first. They didn't appears as I expected. They were dressed in black and grays, their visible bodies covered in gray makeup, and had a variety of accents. Not too sure of my expectations, I sat back and watched the show.
The only act I'm going to fully comment on is "The Lodger," the first act. To do this, I have to tell you a personal story. When I was eight, my mother and I found a movie at Dollar Tree with Aunt Bee in it. We are huge Andy Griffin fans, so we were very excited to take this movie home and watch it. Turns out, watching a movie named "Man in the Attic" might not be the best idea for an eight year old. It's was about a serial killer in London who was killing girls on the streets at night. This man showed up at Aunt Bee's (not her real name or her character's name-but that's who she was to us)
boarding house and rented a room. The room was filled with actresses' pictures and eventually we see he turned every single picture around so he couldn't see them. As the movie progresses, the owner of the boarding house's actress niece comes home. As you can imagine, she matched his type. You can picture the rest, so I won't go there. Needless to say, it really wasn't the best movie for eight year old me to watch. I had nightmares for days afterward. That day I decided that I would never again watch a movie that would give me nightmares. Twelve years later, I still haven't. I love suspense and cop shows, but I never watch anything if I realize it's just too much for my active imagination. The first act, the VERY first act, was the original version of that movie. The eight year old in me was HORRIFIED (what are the chances?!?). I didn't need to be worried though, this version was so much better. The actors, accents, and 'on-air' experience made it a wonderful story of intrigue. The story was changed so that it was the boarder's daughter and that the man was killing girls on the way home from music halls. Other than that it was exactly the same as the movie. It was perfect for a twenty year old me to be thoroughly entertained.
The next two stories were spy stories and therefore my favorite. "Sabotage" was about a spy trying to wreak havoc in London. Posing as a Theatre owner, he covers up his misdeeds until Scotland Yard smartens up and sends Ted to watch over the family. It's a great story with a sad (but just) ending. The third act was "The 39 Steps." This was probably my favorite of the three. A man becomes an unwilling spy after a meeting with a pretty girl turns his life upside down and inside out. On the run for her murder (of which he is innocent), charged with preventing state secrets from leaving London, a little confused about his mission, and (for part of the act) handcuffed to the most aggravating woman he's ever met, this poor man runs around in circles until brilliance finally strikes. He triumphs and evil is defeated- classic happily ever after. These were superb stories that were voiced very well by the student actors.
I loved Vintage Hitchcock. It was hilarious. It was suspenseful and thrilling. It was a throwback/learning experience to the way radio plays used to be done. It was everything Hitchcock wrote it to be. If they did this production again, I would probably go back. Next on my movie list, Secret Agent.
The play was set up in a blackbox room. This means that they can design the set in specific ways that a typical theater can't be arranged in. This set was in the corner with two rows of seats facing it. The set was completely black and there was nothing …show more content…
but a counter, small props, and three vintage looking microphones.
There were even prop girls behind a counter to make the appropriate sound effects. The actors startled me at first. They didn't appears as I expected. They were dressed in black and grays, their visible bodies covered in gray makeup, and had a variety of accents. Not too sure of my expectations, I sat back and watched the show.
The only act I'm going to fully comment on is "The Lodger," the first act. To do this, I have to tell you a personal story. When I was eight, my mother and I found a movie at Dollar Tree with Aunt Bee in it. We are huge Andy Griffin fans, so we were very excited to take this movie home and watch it. Turns out, watching a movie named "Man in the Attic" might not be the best idea for an eight year old. It's was about a serial killer in London who was killing girls on the streets at night. This man showed up at Aunt Bee's (not her real name or her character's name-but that's who she was to us)
boarding house and rented a room. The room was filled with actresses' pictures and eventually we see he turned every single picture around so he couldn't see them. As the movie progresses, the owner of the boarding house's actress niece comes home. As you can imagine, she matched his type. You can picture the rest, so I won't go there. Needless to say, it really wasn't the best movie for eight year old me to watch. I had nightmares for days afterward. That day I decided that I would never again watch a movie that would give me nightmares. Twelve years later, I still haven't. I love suspense and cop shows, but I never watch anything if I realize it's just too much for my active imagination. The first act, the VERY first act, was the original version of that movie. The eight year old in me was HORRIFIED (what are the chances?!?). I didn't need to be worried though, this version was so much better. The actors, accents, and 'on-air' experience made it a wonderful story of intrigue. The story was changed so that it was the boarder's daughter and that the man was killing girls on the way home from music halls. Other than that it was exactly the same as the movie. It was perfect for a twenty year old me to be thoroughly entertained.
The next two stories were spy stories and therefore my favorite. "Sabotage" was about a spy trying to wreak havoc in London. Posing as a Theatre owner, he covers up his misdeeds until Scotland Yard smartens up and sends Ted to watch over the family. It's a great story with a sad (but just) ending. The third act was "The 39 Steps." This was probably my favorite of the three. A man becomes an unwilling spy after a meeting with a pretty girl turns his life upside down and inside out. On the run for her murder (of which he is innocent), charged with preventing state secrets from leaving London, a little confused about his mission, and (for part of the act) handcuffed to the most aggravating woman he's ever met, this poor man runs around in circles until brilliance finally strikes. He triumphs and evil is defeated- classic happily ever after. These were superb stories that were voiced very well by the student actors.
I loved Vintage Hitchcock. It was hilarious. It was suspenseful and thrilling. It was a throwback/learning experience to the way radio plays used to be done. It was everything Hitchcock wrote it to be. If they did this production again, I would probably go back. Next on my movie list, Secret Agent.