BLACHEFAN

Be sure to watch Bela Lugosi in the Universal Studio production of Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). A pre-code classic that is based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe.

For those of you who have not been watching Svengoolie they were playing the hit song that made its debut last year with the airing of The Frozen Ghost (1946) starring Lon Chaney Jr., The Svengoolie Stomp. The video is right below if you want to watch it. https://youtu.be/sQ5gxAtXU-Q Hope you enjoy The Svengoolie Stomp.

What are some of the films that you might be interested in watching that you have not seen from this list for the first time? Please write down your response with an explanation as to why you would see this film.

This is outside of animated films, but the one cartoon series that I always had a hankering to as a fan was the Terrytoon cartoons from the 1930s to the 1960s they were funny, smart, and inventive in brilliant ways to tell stories and introduce their characters to the audience at the time.

I also have to point out that I watched The Way We Were (1973) on dvd for the first time, I thought it was a terrific film to watch with two of my favorite stars in the picture Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford with a winning combo directed by Sydney Pollack and written by Arthur Laurents for his beautiful screenplay and songs by composer Marvin Hamlisch.

Exciting News: Horror Fans! Svengoolie is moving his time from 10:00 to 8:00 on Saturday September 9 on MeTV. And be sure to watch Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in their final pairing at Universal: The Invisible Ray (1936), it's a must-see for those that are into sic-fi horror.

One of my favorite films on the TCM Spotlight for September is Victor/Victoria (1982). Julie Andrews is terrific in the film and Blake Edwards did an amazing job in directing this comedy with brilliant timing/pace and bringing a social commentary in the forefront that was completely unexpected for the time.

His new Bernard Herrmann would be: Alexandre Desplat. His new Edith Head would be: Lindy Hemming. His new writer would be: Mark Boal.

Films directed by Brian De Palma are very influenced by Alfred Hitchcock. Sisters (1973) The Phantom of the Paradise (1974) Carrie (1976) Obsession (1976) The Fury (1978) Dressed to Kill (1980) Blow Out (1981) Body Double (1984) Wise Guys (1986) Raising Cain (1992) Carlito's Way (1993) Femme Fatale (2002) The Black Dahlia (2006)

A film that I believe is the mature version of a Hitchcockian thriller is Fatal Attraction (1987) by Adrian Lyne. The director is English. Involves eroticism to full extreme. A blonde as the main antagonist of the story. Infidelity also plays a major role in the film, as well as the torture and torment of the main character's life. The climax that takes place in the bathroom, not only lifted from Psycho, but also Les Diaboliques (1955). Also, providing some tongue-in-cheek humor.

How does the opening of Frenzy differ from the opening of The Lodger? Feel free to rewatch the clip from The Lodger (Daily Dose #2) for comparison. The opening of Frenzy starts off with a politician who addresses to the crowd about the removal of pollution in the Thames river for a cleaner atmosphere and a cleaner water area for the tourists, while The Lodger starts off with a murder and a woman that shouts and is later murdered. The standby is the first person to spot the dead woman in the water in Frenzy, In The Lodger, the crowd witnesses the dead woman after the murderer has killed the blond-haired woman with curls. What are some of the common Hitchcock touches that you see in this opening scene? Be specific. The touches include: POV (point-of-view) shots, the use of a beautiful landscape in a panoramic view, the involvement of the large crowd, and his cameo in the crowd. Using Frenzy as an example, what thoughts do you have about the various purposes Hitchcock had in mind when he created his opening scenes? In the Daily Doses, we have focused on opening scenes, so there should be patterns or strategies you have noticed over the course of opening scenes spanning Hitchcock's 50 year career. ​What I have noticed in this pattern is the involvement of large crowds that are engaged in an activity or witnessing a murder that might be a clue to the case, and the involvement of having the characters going to a famous landscape or a famous attraction in the U.S. or in Europe.

Based on the opening sequence alone, what do you feel you already know about Marnie as a character? In what ways does Hitchcock visually reveal her character through her interaction with objects. I feel that Marnie is a woman who struggles with her identity, but that she is also a criminal from her deceptive and hidden charm that one fails to even notice when they read her facial and body expressions. How does Hitchcock use Bernard Herrmann's score in this scene? To give us a sense of mystery and suspense, as well as a revelation as to who this person is since she is a criminal who has washed away the evidence that nobody will know who she really is. Did you see any variation in what Hitchcock is doing with his cameo in this film, and what do you think that variation means? No, I did not see any variation of Hitchcock's cameo in this film. I do not believe that it means anything, except that he came out of his room.

In what ways does this opening scene seem more appropriate to a romantic comedy than a "horror of the apocalypse" film? What do we learn about Melanie (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch (Rod Taylor) in this scene? The unique conversation about what type of birds that Mitch would love to buy from the store. Then there's that moment where she forgets the name of the Strawberry Finches and she calls them Red Birds. It has elements of boy meets girl scenario as well as the awkward first meeting of mistaken identity and getting the idea of what birds are doing in a cage than just be free and about. We learn that Mitch is a bird lover and that Melanie is just working at the bird store. And the fact that they represent the upper-class persona in 1960's America. How does Hitchcock use sound design in this opening sequence? For example, how are the birds used to create a particular mood and atmosphere? He creates the ambient tension, that something foreboding is awaiting our main characters in the city of San Francisco. In the sequence where Melanie is in the pet shop and Mitch is shopping for the love birds, the birds in the store create a loud and chaotic environment that makes it discerning for the audience and the characters in the store. The opening scene contains a famous Hitchcock cameo. Describe the cameo and if you think it has any particular meaning in relation to this scene. It's the director walking his two terriers outside of the store. I think what the scene symbolizes is that he is the puppet master behind our two characters that will have an encounter in the store later on in this sequence.

Psycho opens with title design by Saul Bass and music by Bernard Herrmann. This is their third collaboration for Hitchcock, including Vertigo and North by Northwest. How does the graphic design and score introduce the main themes of the film? It gives the audience an uneasy and frigid feeling of the unstable and the erratic behavior that will later be seen throughout the film. The score gives us that erratic and out of control instability, while the graphic design gives the audience a breaking point in different patterns of human psychology. As the titles end, we have three shots of Phoenix, Arizona, and a very specific day, date and time: "FRIDAY, DECEMBER THE ELEVENTH" and "TWO FORTY-THREE P.M." What is Hitchcock trying to establish with such specificity. Also, why do you think Hitchcock elects to enter the hotel room through the semi-closed blinds from the outside? Does this shot remind of any other Daily Doses we have watched? Hitchcock is trying to specify the location and time for the setting to give us an idea of the background of when the story takes place and what time it occurs, in a film-noir fashion. To make us feel like we are birds, since that was a bird's eye view shot from that sequence. It feels as an extensive sequence from Shadow of a Doubt (1943), which does have some of the same elements that were used in Psycho (1960). In the remainder of this sequence, we are introduced to Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and Sam Loomis (John Gavin). The scene pushed the boundaries of censorship, especially considering our last Daily Dose for North by Northwest was edited for a line of risqué dialogue. Since this is the opening scene of Psycho, how does the hotel room scene function as a way to establish Marion Crane as a character? Defend your answer. Marion Crane is an unmarried woman who keeps seeing her boyfriend, but she can't have sex with him in the hotel, because, she wants to get into the action until she is married. She starts off later in the sequence that she comes from a respectable household and that she never would do something that would prove to be immoral and unethical for their standards.

Even at the level of dialogue, this film is playing with the idea that two Hollywood stars are flirting with each other (e.g. the line, "I look vaguely familiar.") How does our pre-existing knowledge of these stars function to create meaning in this scene. The stars of this film are making fun of their popularity and that once a person is recognizable, they immediately try to make fun of the idea that once you are being stopped by someone that wants to be all over you, it sort of creates trust on the person that is outside of the star system that can convey the simplicity and ordinary circumstances that would feel complex and understandable. There is minimal action in this scene, so any deviation from the overall pattern of focusing on the faces of the two leads will have increased significance. In that sense, discuss how Hitchcock uses the R.O.T. matchbook as an important piece of acting business (or as a prop) in this scene. To convey a sense of trust and to provide some humor into the sequence to give it that naturalistic quality that conveys the perfect chemistry between the two main stars. Once Thornhill lights Kendell's cigarette and he tries to blow it out, he leans his hand towards her and she blows it out. Therefore the trust is accepted and Thornhill is in safe hands.​ How is Hitchcock using sound design in this scene? Consider music and other background sounds in your answer. Hitch uses sound design to convey the mood and atmosphere of the scene in a setting to give us that feeling of where the audience is at for this sequence. The music also brings that light fluttery touch between the two actors as they are talking, as well as the overall mood on the train that gives it a bustling and robust flow.

Describe what you think this film will be about simply from the sounds and images in these opening credits. Even if you have seen the film, try to focus on these sounds and images themselves and "the story" (or if not "the story", the mood and atmosphere they are establishing) that this sequence is communicating to the audience. The atmosphere and the mood of the story will focus on Scottie's obsession with a character that he would encounter with Kim Novak's character. It conveys the mystery and bizarre circumstances that will dominate the story. In your own estimation, what is the single most powerful image in this title sequence? Defend your answer. It has to be the spirals and various shapes in the title sequence. It has a hypnotic and dreamlike quality that makes the viewer entranced into some distant fairyland that shows off their innermost dreams. Almost like something out of Svengoolie. How do Saul Bass' images and Bernard Herrmann's score work together? How different would this sequence be with a different musical score? They give the viewer a dreamlike and hypnotic stance that makes the viewer look as if it was both mysterious and entrancing. If it worked with a different musical score, it would look dull and boring. Not to mention, out of context. If it was a cartoonish score, I would see this film indefinitely.

Of all the films on the list, I would have to consider the films of Ralph Bakshi from Fritz the Cat (1972), Heavy Traffic (1973), Coonskin (1975), and The Lord of the Rings (1978), I would consider his animated feature film debut as the best film of his entire work the number one on the list.

If anyone has any updates of what is going on in October, please sent me a message right away.

How would you describe the opening camera shots of this film? What is Hitchcock seeking to establish in this single shot that opens the film? Whose vantage point is being expressed in this shot, given that Jeff has his back to the window? Just an average day into the American lifestyle of different people and their rooms that represent a genre. Different people leading different lives that feel as if they contradicted each other. The audience is being expressed in this shot at the vantage point. What do we learn about Jeff in this scene without any pertinent lines of dialogue (other than what is written on Jeff's leg cast)? How does Hitchcock give us Jeff's backstory simply through visual design? We learn that he is a photographer for Life magazine and when he was reporting on a race car event, the car immediately crashed thereby damaging his camera and reducing Jeff to sit in a wheelchair. Does this opening scene make you feel like a voyeur or, at a minimum, remind you of being an immobile spectator? What feelings does Hitchcock elicit from you as his camera peers into these other people's apartments? It makes me feel like an immobile spectator, because when I am at my house all day, I barely see any action or motivation that keeps me moving or feeling interested in. Hitch would convey feelings of arousal, laughter, happiness, and tear-jerking pain and anguish. Bonus question: If you have seen this film before, do you agree with Hitchcock that this film is his most cinematic? I would have to disagree. I feel that this film was his most experimental, but I believe it is too far from left field to call it cinematic, I would think of it as pushing the limits of how far a filmmaker can go from judging distance and giving the viewer some thoughts on the process.

In how many ways does Hitchcock play with or visually manifest the metaphor of "criss-cross" or "criss-crossing" in this introductory sequence. (For those who haven't seen the film yet, the idea of "criss-cross"is a central idea in this film, a theme Hitch sets up from the opening frame of this film) Be specific. Hitchcock plays with this metaphor for the rest of the film. Not just the opening sequence, but also in the conversation between Guy and Bruno, using shapes like diamonds that have an X marking inside the shape, Bruno's crossing of his fingers to make the letter X, and the criss-crossing of the colors: black-and-white for example. Even in this brief scene, how does Hitchcock create a sense of contrast between Guy (Farley Granger) and Bruno (Robert Walker)? Consider everything from camera work, to clothing and shoes, to dialogue and speech, for example. Bruno's exit from the taxicab to the train station is inside a dark tunnel whereas his shoes are black and white to show a sore of duality, Guy's exit from the taxicab is in broad daylight and he wears brown shoes to symbolize his sullenness and plain attitude. Guy's camera work is coming from the left side of the screen as he is walking towards the train station and his train, while Bruno walks to the right side. Bruno is more talkative and is very conversational in his speeches, Guy is more shy and much of a bookworm, he keeps his conversations to himself. Bruno wears a striped coat with a lobster tie that shows his vivacity, Guy wears a black coat that symbolizes his mature sensibility with a checkered tie. While the visual design gets the most attention typically, how does the Dimitri Tiomkin score function as part of the mood and atmosphere of this opening sequence? It suggests that the score is playful and represents the pace and environment of the New York City lifestyle going from location to location on a train. And it also sets up a playful innocent tone between our two characters that look harmful in their simple introduction.

What Hitchcock "touches" do you see in this early scene from the movie? I noticed his use of the close-up and medium shots to frame his characters, as well as objects in the foreground. Another touch is his experimentation with camera angles that is using a shot that he used previously in the film Downhill (1927). His POV shots are another of his signature touches. The conversations between his characters of trust versus betrayal are another part of his signature. How did Hitchcock chose to light, frame, and photograph his two stars in this scene? What are some of the contrasts that Hitchcock is trying to set up between these two characters through art direction, costume, and cinematography? For the lighting of Bergman's character, Hitch decided to give her a harsh light to represent her hangover after her inebriation the other night, and as for Grant, he chose to use soft diffused lighting to go against the character archetype. The way he photographs his two stars are delicate in their pristine detail. The art direction in the film is brilliant in its decoupage setting of the bedroom. Bergman's costume features a zigzag pattern that illustrate that she is in both directions and is colorblind at the least, whereas Devlin wears a debonair tuxedo that shows he means serious business and is willing to take her along for the ride. The cinematography shows some light, then it is contrasted with darkness to show unease and pain all throughout the sequence. Based on this scene (or the entire film if you have seen it already), reflect on the casting of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Does this scene conform to or challenge their well-known personas? This scene showcases that Grant and Bergman are challenging themselves in playing the role of the party girl and the secret agent who is offering to give Bergman a chance to work as a spy against the nazis hiding in South America after the war. I think that this scene challenges their well-known personas in more than one way based on their characters rather than their actions.

What Hitchcock "touches" do you see in this opening sequence? Moreover, what do we learn about or know about the couple through the scene's visual design: the props, the set design or dressing, the decor, the camera angles, the lighting, etc? ​ Hitchcock was able to use the camera pan from the objective to the subjective as the camera glides from the deck of cards to Robert Montgomery playing solitaire, to the camera moving up-close for an extreme close-up shot as she opens her eye to show her expression of surprise. The set design of the room is of a nouveau riche style in their residence. The decor is dressed up to look very posh and pristine. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: the opening sequence of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a typical "Hitchcock opening" based on openings you have seen so far in the other Daily Doses? Why or why not? I have to disagree with this statement. Hitchcock usually opens his films with something foreboding that is willing to happen in the story or in his early British films involve a group of spectators that are witnessing or watching a special event. This opening feels quite outside of this realm, but it does give a nice approach as to how the opening sequence is structured out from the bedroom, to the kitchen, to the office, and back to the kitchen, the front door leading to the bedroom and back to the bedroom. Compared to the other daily doses, it is different. What do you think about the casting of and chemistry between Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery? Do you think both are well cast for this "comedy of remarriage"? Why or why not? I felt that Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery had excellent chemistry in this film and I felt that they were perfectly cast in their roles. Carole Lombard was no doubt the queen of Screwball Comedy and Robert Montgomery was a well-known comic of his time that was able to take on challenging roles, so I thought it was excellent to see Hitchcock casting these two in a "comedy of remarriage".

1. As mentioned in the curator's note, this scene operates as a prelude to the ​main story. What do you learn about the character of Uncle Charlie in this prelude? Be specific. Uncle Charlie lives alone in a 19th Century style Boarding House in a small neighborhood in New Jersey. He is resting in his bed as he is smoking on his cigar. A pile of cash is on the small table and some have dropped on the floor. The landlady comes to his room to inform Uncle Charlie about two men that have talked to her and said they were his friends. Even though they are not his friends, he makes a run for it and the two men follow his trail. 2. In what ways does this opening remind you of watching a film noir? If it doesn't remind you of a film noir, what makes the opening here different from the opening of a noir film like Siodmak's The Killers? (Note: If you haven't seen The Killers, it is fine to answer this question in general terms about your own personal expectations) The low camera angles that are then tilted to give the viewer an uneasy feeling of what is going to happen next in the scene. The camera moving in toward the main subject of the sequence, followed by a quick pan of the objective camera shots that are focused on the objects in the room that are central to the story. The shadows of the curtain blinds in the foreground as well as the background. The deep focus cinematography of the main characters in the foreground and background. The blind closing to reveal a darkness in both atmosphere and mood. The main character being followed by the law enforcement for a crime that the person committed that is later being tailed. 3. As we move into Hitchcock's Hollywood years, his scores will take on more importance than they did during the British years. Music will play a big role in Shadow of a Doubt. The film's score is Dimitri Tiomkin, the first of four film scores that the composer will create for Hitchcock. What effect does the Tiomkin score have on the mood, atmosphere, and even the pace for this opening scene? It surprisingly starts out as light and fluttery in the opening sequence as we move from the kids playing on the street to Uncle Charlie's room in the Boarding House in New Jersey. Then the music takes a break from the important conversational sequence between the landlady and Uncle Charlie about the two men waiting outside. Then once the landlady pulls down the curtain, the music takes a dark turn and further conveys an ominous atmosphere that is foreboding. Once Uncle Charlie is looking out the window and finds that the two men that are looking for him are not his friends. It starts to switch back and forth from light to dark as part of the duality of the doubles.

1. Describe how this opening is different from the multiple opening scenes you have seen in the Daily Doses from the British silent and/or sound period? The opening of this film feels linguistic taken from the Daphne Du Maurier novel of the same name. It's haunting, evocative, and foreboding to the viewer watching the winding road, fog, moonlight, and the castle in it's gothic structure. 2. What are the Hitchcock "touches" in this opening that help you identify this as a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock? The camera gliding among the winding road, the use of miniatures, the pan and gliding of the camera as subjective from the POV of the main character, and the use of narration to give us an idea of the background of the story. 3. How does this opening sequence use Manderley--the house itself--as a kind of character in the story? What affect does the flashback structure and the voiceover narration have on your experience of the scene? Well, I read the book by Du Maurier, and the house was a character that has its own backstory and provides some of the secret details that might be important later on in the story. It gave the main character the second Mrs. De Winter, a chilling fear, when she was going to the house of Manderley, with her husband Max. It also provides some of the gothic and atmospheric sequences that would come later in the story as it did in the novel.

Have you seen the film yet?