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For Hitchcock Fans

 A new book on Hitchcock, "The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock," points out a problem in current critical writing. There's a habit of calling any suspense film "Hitchcockian." So SPLIT can be called "Hitchcockian." THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN can be called "Hitchcockian."

The new book argues that something is very wrong here. SPLIT is *not* Hitchcockian because it's not funny. If you take away the humor, you lose the comparison. "Hitchcockian" must mean BOTH suspenseful AND funny.

I think it's this unique blend that makes Hitchcock special; it's why viewers today will happily watch a Hitchock film, while rolling their eyes at many other proposed classics (according to Roger Ebert).

Yesterday, Marc and I watched DIAL M FOR MURDER--not in Hitchcock's top tier, but still so much fun. The story is gripping. A sociopath worries his wife will leave him--and take her money--so he arranges for a killing. He finds a thug and blackmails him. ("Kill my wife, or I'll reveal your secrets.") But the attempted killing goes wrong, and, for an hour, we watch uncomfortably as our sociopath attempts to outwit the police at his doorstep. Another murder almost occurs; one formerly-free character ends up in chains (I think forever).

All of this is pretty exciting and unnerving, but then there are the jokes. A man at a club can't stop ranting about "agriculture today," even as his guests are visibly uninterested. A detective--pleased with his triumph--begins absentmindedly smoothing his mustache with the handle of his pipe; he has forgotten he isn't alone at the crime scene. When caught, a killer shrugs and makes himself a stiff drink; he doesn't think to feign concern for his victims, but instead finds a way to be a hedonist in his last few seconds of liberty.

After this movie, Hitchcock found himself re-charged, and he made REAR WINDOW, one of his immortal classics. You can't top REAR WINDOW (in my view, though others would make arguments about VERTIGO). 

Anyway, I love top-tier Hitchcock, but I'll also take Hitchcock-running-on-empty. I'll happily rewatch, and re-rewatch, DIAL M.
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