I always say, "They don't make films like they used to" when
people ask me why I dislike so many of the movies made in this film age
of special effects, excess and lack of substance. I wonder why film
goers seemed to be so pleased with mindless special effect violence when
attending those films. The challenging story line itself has become
nearly extinct. Exploding heads, blood and gore are what movie audiences
define as "horror"
This month marks the mystery/horror film director Alfred Hitchcock's 113th birthday. Old Alfred's classic movies and his fantastic late 50's early 60's TV series still run today on many cable channels because they were always filled with depth and made....dare I say it in this age of fluff....they made the viewer think before and after the film concluded. Predictability was an aspect Hitchcock never displayed. Hitchcock once did a survey that concluded that according to moviegoers, the most frightening noise in films was a police car siren, followed by the crash of a road accident, cracklings of a burning forest, far galloping horses, howling dogs, the scream of a stabbed woman and the steps of a lame person in the dark. I guess today none of those things matters. Special effects have taken the place of imagination.
If one watches the classic of black and white horror films, starting with the first Frankenstein and Dracula films of the 30's the singular feature of those films is there was never any blood shown, and most violence was suggested. We would see Frankenstein, for example, place his hands on the throat of the victim but never beyond that. The camera quickly left and we were required to imagine what happened. Is there any greater fright than what an imagination brings forth? I think not. Hitchcock always used suggested horror and the result was that everyone had a differing view of just how scary was the film and each analyzed it in a personal way. Today's horror films are overt, obvious, and for me.....boring. Anyway, I salute the great Hitchcock with some of his characteristic humor, as in the quotes below.
Quotes from the Late Great Director Alfred Hitchchock
"I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle."
"Television is like the American toaster, you push the button and the same thing pops up every time."
"Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn't change people's habits. It just kept them inside the house."
"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."
"The paperback is very interesting but I find it will never replace the hardcover book -- it makes a very poor doorstop."
"I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm."
"When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?' I say, 'Your salary.'"
This month marks the mystery/horror film director Alfred Hitchcock's 113th birthday. Old Alfred's classic movies and his fantastic late 50's early 60's TV series still run today on many cable channels because they were always filled with depth and made....dare I say it in this age of fluff....they made the viewer think before and after the film concluded. Predictability was an aspect Hitchcock never displayed. Hitchcock once did a survey that concluded that according to moviegoers, the most frightening noise in films was a police car siren, followed by the crash of a road accident, cracklings of a burning forest, far galloping horses, howling dogs, the scream of a stabbed woman and the steps of a lame person in the dark. I guess today none of those things matters. Special effects have taken the place of imagination.
If one watches the classic of black and white horror films, starting with the first Frankenstein and Dracula films of the 30's the singular feature of those films is there was never any blood shown, and most violence was suggested. We would see Frankenstein, for example, place his hands on the throat of the victim but never beyond that. The camera quickly left and we were required to imagine what happened. Is there any greater fright than what an imagination brings forth? I think not. Hitchcock always used suggested horror and the result was that everyone had a differing view of just how scary was the film and each analyzed it in a personal way. Today's horror films are overt, obvious, and for me.....boring. Anyway, I salute the great Hitchcock with some of his characteristic humor, as in the quotes below.
Quotes from the Late Great Director Alfred Hitchchock
"I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle."
"Television is like the American toaster, you push the button and the same thing pops up every time."
"Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn't change people's habits. It just kept them inside the house."
"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."
"The paperback is very interesting but I find it will never replace the hardcover book -- it makes a very poor doorstop."
"I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm."
"When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?' I say, 'Your salary.'"
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