moviemaniac2002

So far, I've heard excerpts from "Psycho", "Vertigo", "Cape Fear", "Marnie" and "North By Northwest".......if the Herrmann estate isn't getting a credit, there should be a major lawsuit coming. Plagarism.

I've always had great affection for this film, ever since seeing it in a theatre as a teenager.

First, a major innovation in thrillers - flashbacks done as direct jump-cuts into the actual flow of the film (no wavy lines or warped visuals to announce to the audience that they're seeing a flashback) This movie demanded that you keep up with what was unfolding and trusted you to figure out what was past and present.

Peter Stone's script - sharp, thrilling and funny, very much like Ernest Lehman's work on "North By Northwest" and Stone's own work on "Charade" and "Arabesque".

The villains...priceless...the grumpy, elderly hit-man who accosts Peck in Central Park...brilliant idea. Jack Weston's wisecracking hit-man..(a seemingly jolly joker, who lets his mask drop briefly in a pivotal scene with Peck) And of course, George Kennedy as Willard, a rampaging psycho who nurses grudges against victims who dare to defend themselves. I almost forgot Kevin McCarthy as the quintessential sniveling corporate toady.

A true classic....and a total crime and injustice that it's not on DVD yet.

Have always loved this movie - an almost perfect combination of Victorian Toy-Store sets and costumes, dry, black humor with witty priceless dialog ("You're not an assassin, you're a critic!") Add the perfect cast..well, I personally think it's a minor classic. I could be wrong, but I think this the only time Oliver Reed had anything close to a traditional, dashing-leading-man role. Awesome Diana Rigg seemed to be channeling both Glynis Johns and Julie Andrews roles in "Mary Poppins" at the same time.

Best of all, Michael Relph's production design...take a second and remember his incredible designs...the French bordello, the assassination bureau's meeting hall, the Zeppelin interiors...and I couldn't even stop humming the idiotic Faux-Henry Mancini theme song ("Life Is A Precious Thing") This may have been one of the last movies that you could apply the adjective "frothy fun" to.