I confess (1953)

Languge: English

Actors: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Carl Malden

Director: Sir Alfred Hitchcock

The legend has it that it took 8 years for Sir Hitchcock to come up with the script for this film. This one is a drama involving a Christian priest. A man confesses to the priest about a murder he committed. The priest does his pastoral duties well, only to land as the suspect in the police net. He is later tried for the murder with the actual criminal testifying against him. In spite of all this the priest is acquitted for lack of evidence and then comes the mandatory Hitchcockian twist that gives an edge of the seat end to the movie.

Montgomery Clift comes across as a very serious priest, stiff, expressionless at times. I wonder if this is what they call ‘method’ acting. Makes me think, may be a James Steward would have been more enterprising.

And now for the customary Hitchcock appearence... This happens in the start, right after the credit titles. Sir Hitchcock is seen walking across the stairs.

The music director of this movie is Dimitri Tiomkin, one of the 3 music directors who did multiple films with Sir Hitchcock. Tiomkin composed for 4 of his movies.

Whatever said… This is a good movie, typical of Hitchcock.

Under Capricorn (1949)

Language: English

Actors: Michael Wilding, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten

Director: Sir Alfred Hitchcock

It is based on a novel of the same name by Helen Simpson. This is a very un-Hitchcock movie, a love triangle. Unlike the other Hitchcock movies that draw you by the edge of the seat, this one allows you to munch your popcorn seated steadily. If I were to rate this among his movies, this would be right on top… If I were to count from the bottom.

Trivia: The signature cameo of Sir Hitchcock occurs right in the beginning of the movie. As the new governor addresses the people in the town square, he is seen standing along the crowd.

He appears again in about 12 minutes into the film. This time he is seen talking to 2 men on the steps of the Governor house.

Watch it if you are a Hitchcock fan and wouldn’t want to miss any film of his !!

North by Northwest (1959)

English by Sir Alfred Hitchcock.

Lovely thriller...

Watchout for Bernard Herrmann's music, the opening credit sequence (first movie to use Kinetic Typography or moving text) & also a charming young man called Cary Grant (Men can focus on Eva Marie Saint).

If you want to see Sir Hitchcock, he appears immediately after the opening credits... The fat man who misses the bus !!