Mr. and Mrs. Smith

A Movie Review by Magdalen Aithne Arkwright

Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 film 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' is about a married couple whose marriage end up being invalid.  Mr. Smith is amused at the idea of having a "mistress" and, thinking his wife doesn't know yet, doesn't get remarried right away.  Mrs. Smith's anticipation grows as the night wears on, waiting for him to bring it up, but he doesn't, and he starts getting ready for bed.  Furious, she throws him out, renounces him, and starts going out with other men, making him insanely jealous.  Mr. Smith wants her back, but she doesn't seem sure that he really does.

Called a comedy, it is a very unusual movie for Hitchcock.  It is undoubtedly amusing as they fight over each other, try to make the other jealous, and trick each other, and it was Hitchcock's only screwball comedy.

Carole Lombard (Mrs. Smith) is said to have talked Hitchcock into directing it, and it is not terribly well done.  The man and woman do crazy things, but most of the time, you're disgusted with Mrs. Smith's attitude.  She is a self-centered, nagging - but modest - wife.  Mr. Smith is funny but overall, the movie is not a comedy.  It is more like a confused love story.  My vote: stick to thrillers, Hitchcock.

Rating: D

Points: 5

Satisfaction: 0%

~Meggy

Vertigo

A Movie Review by Magdalen Aithne Arkwright

A movie that creates incredulous excitement, Vertigo deserves mentioning.  Another Hitchcock triumph, stranger than any I've yet seen.

It does not take long for a cautious and particular viewer to fall out of love for these characters - one is a killer, one is an accessory to murder, one is adulterous.  James Stewart does not fail to impress, even if he does play one of these characters.  (As a side note, Midge disappears from the picture quite quickly.  It's interesting to note that she is given such a prominent roll to start.)

Hitchcock goes above and beyond the call of creepy with this film.  Three deaths, two dead bodies, and one girl from Kansas.  One detective, retired on account of his vertigo - detective turned lover.  James Stewart becomes a passionate psychopath.  And don't let old friends fool you.

This movie is hard to rate.  It is crazy.  It seems to end without an ending.  It is passionately insane.  The characters have no soul, living only on their instincts and adrenaline.  It psychedelic.  Vertigo is the kind of movie that I would have doubted under this description.  Maybe I ought to have.  So long as it is taken in its due season and not interpreted as theology, this is a great piece of film.

This movie has been rated, officially, as PG-13.  I agree.  While there is no rough languages, James Stewart involves himself in messing with a married woman, pitching people off of high places, and, off the scenes, undressing an unconscious woman.  The movie starts with Stewart's character's vertigo being the cause of a policeman's death.  He then falls in love with a woman, a woman whose husband was his friend in college.  He unwittingly plays his part in a murder.  He then goes crazy himself, driving himself insane with guilt and confusion, all spiraling at the high speed of passionate love.  When he gets out of the hospital, he sees her everywhere, even in a young woman from Kansas, whom he drags up the tower of the church....

It is said that this is the most infamous out of Hitchcock's films, but I believe that to be primarily for its raciness, if I may say so.  Midge appears to be either an underwear designer or just an artist for underwear.  A woman is, off the scenes, undressed by a man; passions are excited, forbidden love is entered into, and lovers drive themselves crazy for each other.

Rating: T
Points: 8
Satisfaction: 100%

~Meggy

Rebecca

A Movie Review by Magdalen Aithne Arkwright

Rebecca, Hitchcock's first American film, is incredible.  I loved it.  There is a slight difference between the book and the movie, but I think I prefer the way the movie portrayed it.  (Note: don't watch the special features; it gives an unnecessary, twisted view of the movie and the original author)

Rebecca is about a young woman, who remains unnamed, who marries a social elite: "I've a very impressive array of first names, George Fortescu Maximilian."  As the second Mrs. de Winter, the narrator finds herself constantly under the standard set by the first Mrs. de Winter, a.k.a Rebecca.  Simply everyone pities Maxim - as those close to Mr. de Winter call him - for he seems much disturbed over his former wife's drowning.  But was the marriage really as happy as it is portrayed?  Ah, and Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, was so very attached to Rebecca and resents our protagonist.  But, finally, the mysterious presence of Rebecca, haunting the earth through those she left behind, is explained and conquered.

The narrator's simplicity and honesty, and her devoted love for her husband, make the movie wholeheartedly thrilling.

Rating: T
Points: 9
Satisfation: 10

[Note: after reading the book, I am very impressed with the faithful portrayal - almost to the letter with the exception of perhaps two major details]

~Meggy