This profile picture used to be recognizable to almost anyone who watched television or movies. He was the master of the "MacGuffin" and the king of suspense. He was a creative innovator who irrevocably changed the way people viewed the movies. When "Funeral March of a Marionette" came on TV, it was time to stop what you were doing and brace yourself. Inevitably the story that he would present would send chills down your spine or involve a plot twist that could cause you to ask someone else in the room to explain what just happened. He still claims a spot as a premier film director, Alfred Hitchcock.
March 28th of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the Hitchcock classic,
The Birds. Birds are not frightening creatures to most human beings. People who live on farms or raise poultry in their backyard may have a fracas with a fowl on occasion but those confrontations normally end with the birds coming out the loser. In Hitchcock's version, there is no explanation for the sudden appearance of an alarming number of birds in one small town. Nor is there any reason for the birds to suddenly flock together and attack. The genius of the movie is that there are no simple explanations but rather a series of strange events that become more menacing as the movie progresses. Based on a story by
Daphne du Maurier, this movie will cause you to think twice about filling up your bird feeder in the backyard.
Hitchcock had favorite actors and actresses that he preferred to use multiple times in his films. Jimmy Stewart appears in both
Vertigo and
Rear Window. In contrast to
The Birds, these films focus on the human characters and their flaws and weaknesses. In
Vertigo, Stewart's character is a pawn in another man's scheme. His physical weaknesses, vertigo and depression, are used to make him the witness (and therefore an alibi) in an apparent suicide. As his character recovers and attempts to find an explanation for the terrible events, the audience discovers that there is no happy ending for this Hitchcock classic, there is merely an end.
Rear Window, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly begins in a much lighter tone. As the story line progresses, the audience is led to contemplate the wisdom and ethics of watching one's neighbors too closely. One is inclined to tell Jimmy Stewart's character Jeff to put down the binoculars and do something useful. However, when presented with the growing pile of evidence it becomes clear that he has uncovered something nefarious. Then the fear starts to take root as the audience, who has now become attached to the various characters, watch helplessly while their danger grows. It starts as a character study in an apartment courtyard and ends with a deadly duel of wits.
Finally, there is
Psycho. If you haven't witnessed the terror that is
Psycho, you've never been frightened. This is the classic suspense/horror film that keeps other directors working on the genre until they get it just right, just like Hitchcock. On
Friday,
April 19th,
2013 there will be a Hitchcock film marathon at the Manitowoc Public Library starting in the morning. If you haven't had a good scare lately, join us for one of these movie classics.
National Library Week starts
Sunday April 14th when we offer a plethora of fun activities and events. Come celebrate with us!
This profile picture used to be recognizable to almost anyone who watched television or movies. He was the master of the "MacGuffin" and the king of suspense. He was a creative innovator who irrevocably changed the way people viewed the movies. When "Funeral March of a Marionette" came on TV, it was time to stop what you were doing and brace yourself. Inevitably the story that he would present would send chills down your spine or involve a plot twist that could cause you to ask someone else in the room to explain what just happened. He still claims a spot as a premier film director, Alfred Hitchcock.
March 28th of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the Hitchcock classic, The Birds. Birds are not frightening creatures to most human beings. People who live on farms or raise poultry in their backyard may have a fracas with a fowl on occasion but those confrontations normally end with the birds coming out the loser. In Hitchcock's version, there is no explanation for the sudden appearance of an alarming number of birds in one small town. Nor is there any reason for the birds to suddenly flock together and attack. The genius of the movie is that there are no simple explanations but rather a series of strange events that become more menacing as the movie progresses. Based on a story by Daphne du Maurier, this movie will cause you to think twice about filling up your bird feeder in the backyard. 
Hitchcock had favorite actors and actresses that he preferred to use multiple times in his films. Jimmy Stewart appears in both Vertigo and Rear Window. In contrast to The Birds, these films focus on the human characters and their flaws and weaknesses. In Vertigo, Stewart's character is a pawn in another man's scheme. His physical weaknesses, vertigo and depression, are used to make him the witness (and therefore an alibi) in an apparent suicide. As his character recovers and attempts to find an explanation for the terrible events, the audience discovers that there is no happy ending for this Hitchcock classic, there is merely an end.
Rear Window, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly begins in a much lighter tone. As the story line progresses, the audience is led to contemplate the wisdom and ethics of watching one's neighbors too closely. One is inclined to tell Jimmy Stewart's character Jeff to put down the binoculars and do something useful. However, when presented with the growing pile of evidence it becomes clear that he has uncovered something nefarious. Then the fear starts to take root as the audience, who has now become attached to the various characters, watch helplessly while their danger grows. It starts as a character study in an apartment courtyard and ends with a deadly duel of wits.
Finally, there is Psycho. If you haven't witnessed the terror that is Psycho, you've never been frightened. This is the classic suspense/horror film that keeps other directors working on the genre until they get it just right, just like Hitchcock. On Friday, April 19th, 2013 there will be a Hitchcock film marathon at the Manitowoc Public Library starting in the morning. If you haven't had a good scare lately, join us for one of these movie classics. National Library Week starts Sunday April 14th when we offer a plethora of fun activities and events. Come celebrate with us!
