Today, my contribution to The Lady Eve’s Month of Vertigo celebration is up at TLE’s Reel Life–all about Kim Novak’s sometimes underestimated contributions to the film. Thanks again, Eve, for inviting me to participate and allowing me the chance to revisit this film! And for more things Vertigo, here are some thoughts about the film that…
This evening, TCM is featuring three films labeled “code breakers,” movies whose provocative, mature themes and scripts contributed to the breakdown of the Production Code Administration’s influence in Hollywood. I’ve made my feelings about the Production Code clear in the past; censorship may seem to be a necessary evil to some, but in my eyes,…
Most critics–most modern critics, that is–rank Vertigo (1958) as Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial masterpiece. Influential movie critic Roger Ebert called the film “one of the two or three best films Hitchcock ever made.” Subsequent directors ranging from Martin Scorsese to Brian DePalma have reported being influenced by the film. And AFI has listed it in the…
There is something about Bill Holden. It’s something that can be hard to define. Sure, he’s a handsome lad, but there were handsomer stars. And yes, he’s a talented actor, but there were those whose talents exceeded his. He excels in defying expectation on the screen. Holden is, in many respects, the very definition of…
True Classics 