tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post7031216075962083650..comments2023-04-22T15:15:21.275-07:00Comments on Hitchcock's World: The Pressure of CriticismJohn Hitchcockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-92126206925620617112014-09-13T11:46:44.428-07:002014-09-13T11:46:44.428-07:00That's probably it. I think a lot of the class...That's probably it. I think a lot of the classics that get me nervous are the ones that I might have completely avoided if not for their extremely high reputation. The ones that get me excited are the ones that actually have something else that appeals to me, if only in terms of actors or genres.John Hitchcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-62725441651459532342014-09-13T11:43:13.571-07:002014-09-13T11:43:13.571-07:00One of the reasons why I watch movies that have go...One of the reasons why I watch movies that have gotten incredibly positive reputation is that I want to know what the big deal is and to know if I'd like it, and usually it's not the story that made me want to check it out. With black and white classics, I almost expect not to like. They were made for a difference audience, with decades separating us, the language is not the same as it is now, and culturally too...I am just not the audience they were ever selling to. Honestly I usually find the actors in black and white films over acting which I can't get past. So yeah I often find myself against popular opinion. But then I watch classic that I surprising like, where I agree with it's reputation... it's one of those that really does transcends time/language/culture...to me at least.<br /><a href="http://wanderingthroughtheshelves.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Wandering through the Shelves</a>Wandererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02942463921185187112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-1595291553878458832014-09-11T14:05:35.603-07:002014-09-11T14:05:35.603-07:00Precisely. Sometimes when that happens the movie t...Precisely. Sometimes when that happens the movie turns out to be pretty good, as was the case for Casablanca or The African Queen. Other times the movie just doesn't work, as with Sunset Boulevard. There's never any way to be sure beforehand, and that uncertainty adds to the uneasiness.<br /><br />It seems to be a surprisingly rare occasion that I buy an old movie because I am legitimately interested in its content (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Big Sleep were among those exceptions). Half the time it's because that movie is really popular and I should see it to understand what people are talking about. It's ridiculous really.John Hitchcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-33909562716260012942014-09-11T14:02:48.050-07:002014-09-11T14:02:48.050-07:00I've had a few experiences like that. So many ...I've had a few experiences like that. So many people say Inglorious Basterds is the greatest war film ever, and yet I found that while impressive on a technical level, it never seemed to be sure what kind of film it was trying to be and kept defeating its own purposes. <br /><br />Same deal with The Godfather. The period detail is incredible, but every time I've tried to watch it I kept getting lost trying to keep track of a million different characters who each had a million different plot threads. I only got about half-way through the sequel.John Hitchcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-91149094008138142942014-09-11T13:59:12.892-07:002014-09-11T13:59:12.892-07:00And to be fair some of the movies you mentioned (B...And to be fair some of the movies you mentioned (Black Swan and Gravity) were both ones I really liked. Another film I had the same problem with was Raging Bull. A lot of people say it's this incredible masterpiece but when I had to watch it for a film class it turned out to be a disaster that I couldn't even sit through. The only thing that finally forced me to watch it from start to finish was when I learned it was going to pop up on a quiz, and even then it was still an excruciating experience. I even did a once-controversial article where I accused it of stealing Oscars that should have gone to The Elephant Man.<br /><br />I've had a few people who have reacted like I am crazy for saying certain things. I know a guy who can't for the life of him understand how I can claim that Solaris was too slow. I've also known people who try to justify the things I've criticized about Jean-Luc Godard (including some who think Alphaville was a masterpiece and not a pathetic waste of time). That's not even getting into the thousands of angry Bond fans who keep throwing the same arguments at me to justify their opinions that my criticisms of the franchise's treatment of women are invalid.John Hitchcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-8300298440934903112014-09-11T09:22:25.051-07:002014-09-11T09:22:25.051-07:00You're not the only one who feels the same. Wh...You're not the only one who feels the same. What makes classic movies scary to watch is the expectation that you must like it (or not) - it even applies to recent movies. We all have our own thoughts, and while it's hard to stray away from the common consensus, what matters is that it's your own opinion (and no one could say otherwise).<br /><br />Great piece! Big Screen Small Wordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15047376725272000920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-33012019758275962552014-09-11T08:43:11.363-07:002014-09-11T08:43:11.363-07:00I've experiences something similar with It'...I've experiences something similar with It's a wonderful life, everyone says how amazing it in and you must see it. I hated it from start to finish. However, I think the point of blogs is to voice your own opinion, so keep up the good work going against the crowd (when required!) :-)<br /><br />Anywho, I wanted to let you know that we at Flick Chicks have nominated you for a One Lovely Blog Award, the details are here http://goo.gl/j0rnU7. Happy nominating!<br /><br />- JennaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10938589355281359827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-44699014981742808712014-09-11T06:45:35.592-07:002014-09-11T06:45:35.592-07:00It is the case of the Emperor's New Clothes. W...It is the case of the Emperor's New Clothes. When dealing in the artistic world you have many people who dress in black, have a scarf around their neck and talk big words and state that piece of shit (sorry for the language) on the wall that has a round red dot is a masterpiece. Christo, in the art world, is considered a true artist...he draped the Reichstag in fabric and had jet propelleors facing a canvas and then he threw pain infront of the propeelors so it would splatter on the canvas...OOOOH Art! These are the same people who thought this one artist was amazing and it was in galleries all around New York. It turned out to be a chimp (I think or was it an elephant) and this was done to show how silly the art critics and the one who buy that crap are. The same holds true with film. I have never had a problem voicing something that went against the grain and often, yes, i got those looks like I was a mere pauper and didn't understand the transcendental language vomiting across the screen. I watched "Touch of Evil"-I don;t get why it is considered a masterstroke. Charlton Heston plays a Mexican for heaven's sake! I found that to be in your face pretentious. I also value Citizen Kane and understand why it is held in such high regard but it is not my favourite and I have that right to say that. "In the Bedroom" is more like In Boredom". If I want to see someone constantly smoke I would remember my grandfather smoking. "Black Swan" was another in your face artistic thing that left me wanting to just slap her silly. "Gravity" was plot-less and pointless except for special effects...big deal. I recently watch "American Hustle" and the music is good but I don;t get why it was considered great. Are these my opinions-yes. do i have a right to my opinions-yes. does someone else have to agree with me...good grief no! So to all the snobby Uber-critics (sorry can't do an umlaut) out there..ask me if i care what you think...nope:) You should continue to poke holes in this art world...it needs poking:)Birgithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09439720285857050428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-69231277954000474412014-09-10T17:07:09.412-07:002014-09-10T17:07:09.412-07:00Hey, I liked Brokeback Mountain. I thought that wa...Hey, I liked Brokeback Mountain. I thought that was a very emotional and very touching little story.<br /><br />Seriously, though, you have a point. I think I might feel about Citizen Kane the same way you do with Sunset Boulevard. It is a very well-done movie that still holds up well today, and I can respect it for its significance but I wouldn't go as far as to call it the greatest movie ever made like some do. <br /><br />On the up side of things, being a film student and having to watch all of these movies at least gives me some basis on which to comment.John Hitchcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797386216465468233.post-88822198436632669672014-09-10T17:00:30.575-07:002014-09-10T17:00:30.575-07:00You are far from the only one to experience these ...You are far from the only one to experience these feelings. Just using myself and the movie that inspired this post as an example, mentioned here that I liked Sunset Blvd. Would I call it a masterpiece? No. It's a long way from being one of my favorites. Just in recent years, I've disliked a number of so-called brilliant works of art like Into the Wild (pointless), Brokeback mountain (boring), The Tree of Life (pretentious), Dallas Buyers Club (disingenuous), and the.list goes on. Another bloggrr actually did call me an idiot in his comment on Dan the Movie Man (not Dan), because I didn't worship at the altar of Synechdoche, New York. I take that as him having the problem, not me. Like Alex says on And So It Begins... you Luke what you like. Nothing out there, certainly no movie, is so unquestionably great you're required to love it. Like someone commented here on this blog, just being able to articulate your point of view is good enough. That's what my Against the Crowd Blogathon was all about earlier this year. We all have those movies we hate even though everyone else seems to love them. This is especially true of those of us who call ourselves movie buffs. That's probably the main rwason so many bloggers participated. All of this was my long winded way of saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with disliking a "classic."Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.com