After watching Torn Curtain a couple of years back I was affraid to watch Frenzy and Family Plot as I knew they where his last 2 films and I didnt want to tarnish my memory if his films.
But I really enjoyed both. Much, much better than I thought they'd be.
Now I'm ready to watch Topaz
It was once said of a former world chess champion: "It is no easy matter to respond to Lasker's bad moves." Likewise, there are many directors working today who, on their best day, could not hope to equal a "bad" Hitchcock movie.
Here's a nice, old Hitch double feature: "The Lodger" and "Blackmail".
I liked Family Plot and Torn Curtain better than Frenzy, but I think Topaz has to be the worst movie Hitchcock made after The Birds. You may be disappointed-I sure was.
shareSince Topaz, Torn Curtain, and Family Plot are low on so many people's lists then why were they included in Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection. I think people should think again about what they're saying about these three movies. Has anyone seen Under Capricorn?
shareWell, they're in the "Masterpiece Collection" because it is from Universal, and contains ALL Universal Hitchcock movies, including ones bought from Paramount that Hitchcock owned, and "Rope," a Warner Brothers movie that ended up in Universal ownership.
I guess Universal is justified calling it the Masterpiece Collection because there certainly are some masterpieces in it: Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo.
Personally, I like Hitchcock's final films very much. They reflect his ever-changing attempt to "keep up with the times," work with new stars (Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Julie Andrews), and above all, to KEEP WORKING, even as age, health and competition came at him. These are all good movies, if not great ones.
Oh, wait: "Frenzy" (1972) IS a great one.
P.S. All of Hitchcock's WARNER BROTHERS movies (including "Dial M for Murder," "Strangers on a Train" and others) are in "the Signature Collection," which also includes movies Warners bought from RKO ("Suspicion," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith") and one they bought from M-G-M ("North by Northwest," Hitchcock's only movie for M-G-M.)
...Under Capricorn is not bad.
Oh, I'm no help. I like them all for different reasons...
I was also surprised by it. I disliked Topaz and Frenzy and thought this is going to be even worse, but it turned out to be a cleverly written and well directed movie. I liked both pairs of actors, especially Bruce Dern and Harris who were really funny. I think it's the only Hitchcock movie where comedy works.
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