MovieChat Forums > Basic Instinct (1992) Discussion > Would Alfred Hitchcock like this movie?

Would Alfred Hitchcock like this movie?

posted 2 years ago by enriquesingh (1810)
11 replies | jump to latest

Towards the end of his career he did some more graphic movies (I don't know if he did it because it was that the film codes were changing with the MPAA ratings or because he just wanted to try to remain relevant?)... also Basic Instinct has some suspense elements that remind me of a Hitchcock film... obviously Verhoeven is no Hitchcock (I mean, who is?)

But do you think this film has a Hitchcockian influence... and do you think he would have enjoyed watching?

I would say: Yes.

[–] millsey72 (10243) 2 years ago

[–] Daf (145) a month ago

Would he think it was a good film? Probably not.
Would he have enjoyed watching it? ABSOLUTELY.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 13 days ago

Well, Hitchcock was partial to blondes!

[–] Oblivioid (1482) 13 days ago

Who cares, Hitchcock is and always has been extremely overrated.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 13 days ago

It's true there are some Hitchcock films that I don't think are as good as a lot of people seem to, but I think his best (such as Psycho, The Birds, Rebecca, Rear Window) are fantastic.

[–] Oblivioid (1482) 13 days ago

I do like Rear Window. Hitchcock gets a lot of respect for being groundbreaking, but I generally don't care to watch most of his catalogue. I also liked Lifeboat, that was pretty cool.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 12 days ago

Good call on Lifeboat. That is a good movie.

[–] TheEndIsNigh (264) 13 days ago

Considering it's a film with zero subtlety, no. Also, Hitchcock would've probably had the intelligence to end it so that it's left up to the viewer to decide if it was Catherine or Beth that is the killer.

[–] Oblivioid (1482) 13 days ago

I think you're attributing something to Hitckock which isn't really true. We find out the killer in Psycho, and Rear Window. The closest thing to your theory about him I can think right now is The Birds where we never know the origin of the strange behavior of the birds.

[–] TheEndIsNigh (264) 12 days ago

The difference is that in Psycho and Rear Window we spend the majority of the film not suspecting who the killer is.

I just think for this film, he wouldn't have done that because of Catherine being the prime suspect from the beginning. Hitchcock liked his twists and surprises and there's very little here.

Regardless of whether he would've revealed the killer or not, I still don't think he would've liked it because of the lack of subtlety.

Brian De Palma's Hitchcockian films like Blow Out would've been more his taste I think.

[–] Tam87 (1173) 13 days ago

Yes, I've read numerous times that this film was heavily inspired by Hitchcock. He would be impressed with the style in which it was filmed, it's a tremendously well shot film from start to finish.

I don't think he'd be impressed with all the gratuitousness. It's an ugly film in that respect.