Cert 12A
80 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, violence
I reckon that after more than five years of trying to watch every movie released at UK cinemas I have proved my credentials as a film geek.
If I needed reinforcement it came in how much I enjoyed Kent Jones's documentary about the relationship between French new wave director Francois Truffaut and the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.
In 1966, Truffaut wrote a book outlining Hitchcock's very precise craft in his movie-making.
This was written after long interviews with the British director which paved a way for a close friendship between the two men.
Truffaut's book is compulsory reading for some of today's great directors and many line up here to say why it has been important to them and confirm their admiration of both men.
Mathieu Amalric narrates the documentary with pithy contributions from the likes of Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson.
They dissect some of Hitchcock's most famous films such as Vertigo and Psycho, accompanied by some contemporaneous description by Hitchcock.
It is fascinating to hear movie heroes describing the man they put on the highest pedestal and to be shown a glimpse into the detail of film-making.
I have always had the impression of Hitchcock as a bit rough and ready but here it is clear he was a genius who could paint wonderful pictures in his mind and then translate them to the screen.
He made some classic movies and it is right that he should be regarded in such high esteem.
Reasons to watch: fascinating background into Hitchcock's movie-making
Reasons to avoid: one for those well into film
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10
Star tweet
Hitchcock/Truffaut "He's playing with all those things that make cinema fun and magic" - David Fincher in #HitchcockTruffaut
No comments:
Post a Comment