Sunday Night Series: “Hitchcock Classics from the ’40s”

Mellwood Screening Room

“Shadow… Sunday Night Series: “Hitchcock Classics from the ’40s”

Mellwood Screening Room

“Shadow of a Doubt” – June 10

“Notorious” – June 17

“Rope” – June 24 682-4111

Alfred Hitchcock was an innovative film genius and master of suspense long before he went on to the string of hits in the 1950s and early ’60s that would catapult him to legendary status as a director.

His films made overseas in Great Britain during the ’30s and in America during the ’40s displayed his uncanny knack for building up and knocking down tension as if it were a roller coaster ride.

Three of Hitchcock’s films from the ’40s, “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943), “Notorious” (1946) and “Rope” (1948), are the subject of the Sunday Night Series at the Mellwood Theater, located on the second floor of Pittsburgh Filmmakers. The films run in chronological order, with one shown every Sunday from June 10 to the 24.

“Shadow of a Doubt” deals with a young woman who thinks her uncle may be a serial killer. Joseph Cotton, who plays the role of Uncle Charlie, gives a flawless and multidimensional performance. Hitchcock sets the story up to keep the audience guessing throughout the film whether Uncle Charlie is in fact the elusive serial killer on the run from the law. It is a shame this movie is barely known because Uncle Charlie is one of Hitchcock’s most memorable characters.

“Notorious” is a story about a woman (Ingrid Bergman) who is asked to spy on a Nazi regime in South America. Along the way she falls in love with CIA contact T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant). However, the conflict arises when she must marry a Nazi in order to keep her cover. The film takes off from there, with many twists and turns that later became staples of all Hitchcock films.

“Rope” is based on the true story of two young men who commit a murder just to see what it’s like. This film stands out not so much because of the story but rather because of the experimental fashion in which it was made. Hitchcock used only 10 takes for the film, which clocks in at just under 90 minutes. Indiana, Pa,. native, Jimmy Stewart delivers an all-star performance as a college professor who grows suspicious of murder.

Starting in the ’50s Hitchcock went on to create such remarkable films as “North by Northwest,” “Vertigo,” “The Birds,” and of course, “Psycho.” It wasn’t until then that audiences seemed to discover the visual thrillers that Hitchcock was capable of making. But judging from the quality of work of his films in the ’30s and ’40s, how can we argue with the cliche – that Hitchcock was ahead of his time?