The Genius - Hitchcock...

I was watching this movie by Hitchcock “I Confess” – and as I watched the movie I realized what a genius AH was. He was a perfectionist when it came to direction and storytelling. I have watched his other movies as well, but I it was never as apparent as this one…the way he uses the landscapes, streets, church bells and any inanimate object is just remarkable…all of it contribute to taking the story forward…you get a feeling that not even a leaf is wasted…everything making any frame of the movie is there for a purpose… and I do think that when it comes to basic storytelling, its best done in black & white…color brings in distractions…and AH is a whiz at story telling…a movie where you know from the first shot who the murderer is can still give you goose bumps and keep you glued to the screen…another thing that I noticed is that he had the right perspective while shooting..he right lengths and close ups for the right emphasis…I was watching this movie “good night and good luck” by George Clooney…the movie was not bad but what I found very irritating was that the director tried to emphasize every shot…all were extreme close-ups and that just did not work for the film…adding mystery and seriousness when there is none…

One needs to see “Rebbecca” and “Spellbound” to know what I mean…if you read the really long book you will never think that it can be made into such a gripping movie…its sheer genius the way the movie is made…

The only other director that I have seen using the landscapes and settings to move the story forward is Ingmar Bergman…but then in his movies you are so involved in deciphering the complexities of human mind and emotions that you don’t really notice the settings…

Leonard-esque...

I just find this concept so irritating...the other day i bought a biography of Leonardo da Vinci... never having heard of the author before i decided to do some googling to see any reviews...and there it was - the comment - "the book is definitely leonardesque"...how can a book be that....how can anything and everything be "esque"...i can understand "picturesque" but leonardoesque ??? exaggeration and pseudo intellectualism at its best...now i don't want to be judgemental...people do have right of expression...but do we have to say things even when we don't have anything to say...