Othello *
Orson Welles, 1952
US/Italy
@ SIFF Cinema

Lots of quick cuts; couldn't tell what might have been due to the age of the film. Very cinematic retelling of a play. Some parts were almost too fast for someone unfamiliar with the material.

See also: IMDb

To Catch a Thief *
Alfred Hitchcock, 1955
US/France
@ Egyptian Theater

Fun but ever so slight. I kept thinking of early Bond films with the seaside location and chase through the mountains. A few charming scenes but other times Grant's repartee with Kelly or Brigitte Auber feels tossed off. Of course everyone looks excellent.

See also: IMDb | TCMDb

Vertigo ***
Alfred Hitchcock, 1958
US
@ The Grand Illusion

Excellent. These relationships are all so convoluted and inappropriate that anyone involved on any end of them must be guilty of something. This struck me because so many of Hitchcock's films involve a man wrongly accused, but here even though Scottie is exploited, he exploits others just as much.

Almost every location is memorable (at least that's how it seemed to me seeing this again after five years or so) and the filmmaking pretty fluid. I wonder how red Ernie's restaurant actually is where Scottie first lays eyes on Madeleine. There's a fair amount of color manipulation throughout, but general it looks like the full frame has been processed rather than a single element like the walls around the bar.

At least as suspenseful the second time around, and the end is terrifically climactic.

Particularly during the scene where Madeleine wakes up in Scottie's apartment, I noticed how uncannily some of Terry O'Quinn's mannerisms as Locke on Lost match up with many things James Stewart does here.

See also: IMDb | TCMDb

Night of the Hunter *
Charles Laughton, 1955
US
@ SIFF Cinema

I didn't quite get what the fuss is about here. It seemed more like a cult item than any sort of confirmed classic: ie it's more memorable for it's oddness than any simple measure of excellence.

See also: IMDb | Metacritic

Strangers on a Train *
Alfred Hitchcock, 1951
US
@ Central Cinema

Less contrived than I remember. This time I had to wonder why we're interested in Guy Haines, though. He never really does anything nice for anyone, and he gets what he wants in the end via Bruno's insane plan, but doesn't seem to acknowledge that. Shouldn't Bruno actually be the tragic protagonist?

See also: IMDb | TCMDb

Anatomy of a Murder ***
Otto Preminger, 1959
US
@ Film Forum

I was kind of reminded of the critical conversation around Zodiac (see, for example, this year's version of Slate's Movie Club), that it pays very close attention to the details of the investigative process that sort of evaporates at the end. The climax here seems to really take place off-screen in the jury room while Paul Biegler and co. try to relax in his "law office."

I was also reminded of Fincher's film in the impressively large cast and, more impressive, how each tidbit was interesting and/or funny. I finally felt a little bored during the last few witness testimonies, but the film mostly steams forward for over 2.5 hours. The judge's early morning walk up to the courthouse was a noticeable break in the action.

The three films I've seen in this series have all had amazing scripts, and I may need to see a few more. I may try to catch Bunny Lake Is Missing or Advise & Consent, though mostly I'd like to see the Preminger/George Sanders double feature, since that sounds like a match made in heaven--Clifton Webb in Laura got me thinking about George Sanders' critic in All About Even, a role I adore (if that's an admissible verb in this case).

See also: TCMdb | Movie Club 2007 | Dave Kehr on Preminger | Film Forum page