MovieChat Forums > Torn Curtain (1966) Discussion > Not very special effects.

Not very special effects.

posted 12 years ago by starmarker
4 replies | jump to latest

Wow. This was a bit of a stinker. No chemistry btwn Newman and Andrews. The Soviets seem about as competent as Keystone cops most of the time. How about Newman's contact at the University tripping him so he falls down a flight of stairs! Great way to make contact--too bad if you break his neck!
The coupe de grace is the fakey, shakey rear-projection work. Almost funny.
Here's a pretty spot on review from that time:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/072866hitch-curtain-review.html

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ThreeSadTigers 10 years ago

The coupe de grace is the fakey, shakey rear-projection work. Almost funny.

Yes, because Hitchcock had obviously never used rear-projection, matte paintings, miniatures and forced-perspective shots in any of his previous work. Oh wait, yes he did, including all the films considered to be among his greatest achievements.

If Hitchcock had wanted realism he'd have gone out into the streets with a bolex camera and shot the movie guerrilla style, but that wasn't his intention. His conception of cinema was that it should revel in artifice; that it should be stylised and theatrical.

[–] udippel 9 years ago

If Hitchcock had wanted realism he'd have gone out into the streets with a bolex camera and shot the movie guerrilla style, but that wasn't his intention. His conception of cinema was that it should revel in artifice; that it should be stylised and theatrical.

it could be that way, true. And yet, I am not totally convinced, it is just too good to be so bad. In some early Hitchcocks, like 'The Lady Vanishes', this is obvious. Though in between, his backgrounds were somewhat believable.
In Dial M For Murder, the cinematography is excellent, for example. The views and shots in the room especially though. In this one, with some exceptions, they are staple diet. Except, I think, when they were important for him, like the killing scene, the one in front of the blackboard, and maybe with the Polish countess.

[–] ewaf58 9 years ago

I liked all the rear projection and matte shots as it highlighted what the Iron curtain really was - completely artificial.