Pulsing Bernard Hermann scores push the flow of words from my fingers. Writing a paper about Nietzschian trends in Alfred Hitchcock films has become much more vehement than I had anticipated.
I love this summer class. Waking up at 8am and sitting in a really uncomfortable chair for 3 hours is not my favorite aspect of the course. BUT I'm not complaining. The torrential downpour of Hitchcock I get during that class has been invigorating. Even outside of class I rewatch old favorites we don't have time to cover over the 3 weeks.
Uncle Charlie inches towards young Charlie, his secret about to burst from her naive lips. She knows too much. Uncle Charlie slowly turns around and walks back up the staircase, a threatening ferocity in his eyes as he turns around to see her still standing.
I slowly divert my eyes from the screen to notice a girl sitting on the opposite side of the room, her glance completely transfixed on this classic Hitchcock climax. As the music began to pulse she smiled with awe, utterly taken by the scene. My heart begins to beat faster and I let the scene take me as she has, the suspense pushing me towards the edge.
I notice these instances throughout the films we watch. The Hitchcock climax starts its slow descent. Grace Kelly breaks into the house of the suspect, Mr. Thorwald, to grab the evidence only to be met by the man himself. Jimmy Stewart, restricted to a wheelchair can only watch through the window as Thorwald violently grabs her and throws her across the room.
I see a man sitting in the front row, discontent tugging at the edges of his face. He winces when Thorwald begins to shake Kelly, there is nothing he can do either but watch helplessly.
I love this.
Never have I noticed more audience identification with whats transpiring on screen than I have in a room full of people watching a Hitchcock film.
Film is so beautiful. Everything about it. Its power to control emotions, persuade, among other human qualities is so sincere.
It helps when you have a master like Hitchcock at the reigns too.
Showing posts with label hitchcock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hitchcock. Show all posts
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Grocery
this is a monologue I wrote for Creative Writing...
it will eventually be performed by Brandon Hite in front of the class
keep in mind that this will be more spaced out-longer pauses. He's not just going to read it, he's going to act it out...
It seems like every time I set foot in a grocery store, I’m forced to reckon with an 80s pop rock anthem by Bruce Springsteen or Cher. Cher is just...Cher. And Springsteen I’ve always thought was overrated. I mean really he’s just this average Joe with an average voice, average appearance, average songs, all topped off with a wife-beater. I don’t understand how he...wait, is soup in isle 7 or 8?
Oh yeah, it’s 7. Because last time I was here that old lady lectured me on how Campbells soup destroyed her liver.
Next up is...isle 10 for...oh! Cheap DVD bin! Ok lets see what we have here. Oh, A History of Violence for $9.99. That movie was terrible. David Cronenberg is a sadist. Ok well I guess I’ll be going with Dr. Strangelove then. “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.” Ah its such a good movie.
Ohhhhh wow. There’s Morgan. Just walk by casually and say you’re “hello’s” and then move on.
“H...Hi...”
Ah well that wasn’t awkward at all. Why did I ever break up with her? I mean I know why I broke up with her - it wasn’t working out. But why do I always pick the wrong ones? I think of myself as a nice person, but look what I did to her. I just left, left her alone. I didn’t even try to be a friend after it was over. She must think I’m such a jerk. God, I am a jerk. I need to eliminate “it’s not you it’s me” from my vocabulary. Why am I so irresponsible in relationships? I just wish they had never happened. Well no, I learned from them. So I guess it’s for the better in the long run.
I need to slow down. I need to put more though into these relationships before I get involved.
*brrrinnnggg*
“Hello? Oh hi mom. What else? Chicken balls? Ohhh...you mean the chicken nugget things. The red bag...yeah. O...O...Ok I’ll be home soon...love you...bye.”
*sighs*
*walks for some time to get the chicken balls*
*picks up the bag to read the front*
* in a southern accent*
“Tyson’s 100% white meat Chicken Balls”
*stares at girl down the isle*
Oh wow. She is attractive. It’s not everyday that you see a girl with a blazer and oh it’s...she has a Alfred Hitchcock t-shirt on! I didn’t even know those existed! Oh wow, ok just act cool. Well not cool like you’re trying to be. Cool like, you come to the chicken balls isle all the time. Noooo that’s weird. Who’s interested in a guy who hangs out in the chicken balls isle. Ok, ok just act normal.
I wonder if she would notice if I glanced at her again. Wow, she is the one. I know it. I mean Alfred Hitchcock shirt my god...it’s just...ok ok I need to calm down. She’s probably like 24 or something. But wow she is stunning.
Come on you don’t even know her. She could be like this feminist neo nazi or something. Ew maybe she likes A History of Violence too. Well as long as she likes Hitchcock I can deal with that. I can just picture us spending a day watching old Hitchcock movies all cuddled up on the couch. Then we would go out for a long walk and talk about life and have long comfortable silences. It would be perfect...and I wouldn’t have to worry about ever hurting her because it would be perfect. She would be there for me and I would be there for her. It would feel so real when as I hold her while we’re people watching in the airport. We would move to Chicago and meet other people who liked Hitchcock and hated A History of Violence and we would make these raw movies about those conversations on life we had on our long walks. I would experience love for the first time.
*breathes heavily, looks at the chicken balls, and then at the girl down the isle*
*he then snaps his head away from her direction as she walks towards him*
She’s coming this way...
*she walks past him and he watches her exit the isle*
*he places the chicken balls in the basket and leaves*
it will eventually be performed by Brandon Hite in front of the class
keep in mind that this will be more spaced out-longer pauses. He's not just going to read it, he's going to act it out...
It seems like every time I set foot in a grocery store, I’m forced to reckon with an 80s pop rock anthem by Bruce Springsteen or Cher. Cher is just...Cher. And Springsteen I’ve always thought was overrated. I mean really he’s just this average Joe with an average voice, average appearance, average songs, all topped off with a wife-beater. I don’t understand how he...wait, is soup in isle 7 or 8?
Oh yeah, it’s 7. Because last time I was here that old lady lectured me on how Campbells soup destroyed her liver.
Next up is...isle 10 for...oh! Cheap DVD bin! Ok lets see what we have here. Oh, A History of Violence for $9.99. That movie was terrible. David Cronenberg is a sadist. Ok well I guess I’ll be going with Dr. Strangelove then. “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.” Ah its such a good movie.
Ohhhhh wow. There’s Morgan. Just walk by casually and say you’re “hello’s” and then move on.
“H...Hi...”
Ah well that wasn’t awkward at all. Why did I ever break up with her? I mean I know why I broke up with her - it wasn’t working out. But why do I always pick the wrong ones? I think of myself as a nice person, but look what I did to her. I just left, left her alone. I didn’t even try to be a friend after it was over. She must think I’m such a jerk. God, I am a jerk. I need to eliminate “it’s not you it’s me” from my vocabulary. Why am I so irresponsible in relationships? I just wish they had never happened. Well no, I learned from them. So I guess it’s for the better in the long run.
I need to slow down. I need to put more though into these relationships before I get involved.
*brrrinnnggg*
“Hello? Oh hi mom. What else? Chicken balls? Ohhh...you mean the chicken nugget things. The red bag...yeah. O...O...Ok I’ll be home soon...love you...bye.”
*sighs*
*walks for some time to get the chicken balls*
*picks up the bag to read the front*
* in a southern accent*
“Tyson’s 100% white meat Chicken Balls”
*stares at girl down the isle*
Oh wow. She is attractive. It’s not everyday that you see a girl with a blazer and oh it’s...she has a Alfred Hitchcock t-shirt on! I didn’t even know those existed! Oh wow, ok just act cool. Well not cool like you’re trying to be. Cool like, you come to the chicken balls isle all the time. Noooo that’s weird. Who’s interested in a guy who hangs out in the chicken balls isle. Ok, ok just act normal.
I wonder if she would notice if I glanced at her again. Wow, she is the one. I know it. I mean Alfred Hitchcock shirt my god...it’s just...ok ok I need to calm down. She’s probably like 24 or something. But wow she is stunning.
Come on you don’t even know her. She could be like this feminist neo nazi or something. Ew maybe she likes A History of Violence too. Well as long as she likes Hitchcock I can deal with that. I can just picture us spending a day watching old Hitchcock movies all cuddled up on the couch. Then we would go out for a long walk and talk about life and have long comfortable silences. It would be perfect...and I wouldn’t have to worry about ever hurting her because it would be perfect. She would be there for me and I would be there for her. It would feel so real when as I hold her while we’re people watching in the airport. We would move to Chicago and meet other people who liked Hitchcock and hated A History of Violence and we would make these raw movies about those conversations on life we had on our long walks. I would experience love for the first time.
*breathes heavily, looks at the chicken balls, and then at the girl down the isle*
*he then snaps his head away from her direction as she walks towards him*
She’s coming this way...
*she walks past him and he watches her exit the isle*
*he places the chicken balls in the basket and leaves*
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