I was just thumbing through The A-List: The National Society of Film Critics 100 Essential Films. Among the essays is one on "Vertigo," one of my favorite Hitchcock movies.
"Vertigo" was a box office failure, and nobody involved in the making of it was entirely thrilled with it. Hitchcock apparently thought Jimmy Stewart was too old. Someone else associated with the movie thought Stewart wasn't believable as the kind of guy who'd get obsessed with a girl. And Hitchcock never wanted Kim Novak in the part. He wanted Vera Miles. But she got pregnant, so Novak it was. And, oh yeah, now the movie is considered Hitchcock's crowning achievement.
At any rate, my favorite bit of movie gossip in this essay pertains to the level of detail Hitchcock attended to in making his films: He made Novak practice her movements to the ticking of a metronome. I love it.
I can't wait to re-watch it to see what scene they were working on--I think it's when she's pretending she's Carlotta....but I'm not sure (yet).
"Vertigo" was a box office failure, and nobody involved in the making of it was entirely thrilled with it. Hitchcock apparently thought Jimmy Stewart was too old. Someone else associated with the movie thought Stewart wasn't believable as the kind of guy who'd get obsessed with a girl. And Hitchcock never wanted Kim Novak in the part. He wanted Vera Miles. But she got pregnant, so Novak it was. And, oh yeah, now the movie is considered Hitchcock's crowning achievement.
At any rate, my favorite bit of movie gossip in this essay pertains to the level of detail Hitchcock attended to in making his films: He made Novak practice her movements to the ticking of a metronome. I love it.
I can't wait to re-watch it to see what scene they were working on--I think it's when she's pretending she's Carlotta....but I'm not sure (yet).
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