Alfred Hitchcock is presented as the only mid-20th-century filmmaker whose name functioned as a major public selling point, surpassing even the biggest star actors he directed. His influence is linked to multiple thriller variations, including slasher elements in Psycho, spy intrigue in North by Northwest, and odd-couple mystery in The Lady Vanishes. These classics are included in SF’s annual Hitchcock Fest at the Balboa Theater from Fri/22 through Mon/25, featuring 14 titles. The festival also includes a local premiere of Kim Novak’s Vertigo, a documentary in which Novak recalls her career. The program follows with the original 1958 Vertigo, starring James Stewart, whose reputation has grown over time and topped a 2012 Sight and Sound poll.
"Unless you count Disney as an auteur, there was no filmmaker whose name was a real selling point for the mid-20th century public beyond Alfred Hitchcock. A full half-century after his final feature was released, that status hasn't really been rivaled. Yes, directors like Tarantino or Christopher Nolan may have substantial popular followings, and myriad others their cultier ones. But the "Master of Suspense" remains a behind-the-camera star on a different level, one that was frequently a bigger lure than the biggest star actors he utilized."
"Not only is he still widely identified with the screen thriller in general, just about any extant variation on that genre can be traced back to his pioneering imprint-whether it's the slasher ( Psycho), spy intrigue ( North by Northwest), or odd-couple comedy mystery ( The Lady Vanishes). All three of those just-named classics will be among the 14 titles this year in SF's annual Hitchcock Fest, which occupies the Balboa Theater this Fri/22 through Mon/25."
"One of the movies being screened is not by Alfred Hitchcock, but is partially about him: on Monday there will be the local premiere of Kim Novak's Vertigo, a new documentary by Alexandre O. Philippe (of Psycho study 78/52 and Lynch/Oz) in which the now 93-year-old star recalls her most famous vehicle, and other aspects of a storied career. It will naturally be followed by the original Vertigo itself, the 1958 thriller in which James Stewart plays a heights-fearing former SFPD office who develops a neurotic obsession with a woman (Novak) who is eerily near-identical to a prior apparent suicide."
"The baroque, stylized psychodrama, and Novak's dual-role turn, were both somewhat coolly received upon original release. But it's become one of those movies whose reputation seems to rise with each passing year, such that in 2012, it topped the Sight and Sound poll gauging critical consensus on the "greatest films of all time." The current Balboa program runs a gamut"
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