Rating of
3/4
Ahead of Its Time
Franz Patrick - wrote on 05/29/08
This is one of the more interesting and focused Hitchcock films concept-wise. Each scene is beautifully shot, may it comes to the way the camera is looking at a particular event, the way the characters glow when they would catch the perfect lighting, and the way the shadows seem to be alive. There were moments in this film when I wondered how Hitchcock captured some of the images without any sort of visual effects (I especially admired the murder scene that was seen through the glasses--that was inspired.). The acting is believable so I completely bought the way they would react to the developments of the story. My only problem is that the film could have increased the creepiness factor. For instance, when a particular character is stalking another, the soundtrack could have further taken advantaged of that universal fear that people have when someone is following them. Instead, it was a relaxed when it should have been kinetic. Still, there are a lot to recommend here. Even though this was made in the 1950's, it felt fresh and well ahead of its time. This is definitely one of those films that feature Hitchcock's vision and greatness.
