Foreign Correspondents: Deeper into Hitchcock

An odd entry in Alfred Hitchcock's 1950s canon, "The Trouble with Harry" continues to puzzle and amuse - well, at least it amuses some of us... Join us as we explore this quirky, old-fashioned, lovingly crafted black comedy with our special guest, translator and cinephile Jan Dzierzgowski.

Shot in glorious Technicolor and in panoramic VistaVision, "To Catch a Thief" remains one of Hitchcock's most elegantly crafted cosmopolitan delights. Côte d'Azur gets the full "touristy" treatment in the story of John Robie "The Cat" (Cary Grant): an ex-thief who needs to find a real jewelry thief prowling on the rooftops of Southern France. Featuring two of the director's favorite actresses, Grace Kelly and Jessie Royce Landis, "To Catch a Thief" is Hitchcock at his most escapist. Join us as we explore both the film's pleasures and its maddening incongruities.

One courtyard to rule them all: join us for the robust discussion of "Rear Window" with our very, very special guest. Professor Sidney Gottlieb from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut is the editor of celebrated volumes "Hitchcock on Hitchcock" and the editor of "Hitchcock Annual" published by Columbia University Press. He is also a wonderful conversationalist and a generous supporter of our podcast. We simply adore "Rear Window" so our talk drifts from its form to themes, from ideas to small moments and to the pleasures we are constantly finding in this masterful comic thriller.

1954 was one of Hitchcock's best years: he released two films, "Dial M for Murder" and "Rear Window". Both were shot in color and both focused on husbands attempting to murder their wives and go unpunished. "Dial M for Murder" introduced Grace Kelly to the Hitchcock universe, boldly experimented with 3D photography and seamlessly translated the play to the screen without putting the camera outside of the couple's apartment. Join us as we explore this nasty and highly enjoyable gem with Joel Gunz, the inimitable Alfred Hitchcock Geek and the president of HitchCon Annual International Alfred Hitchcock Conference. Note: the YouTube version features additional visual material discussed by Joel in this episode!

Hitchcock in Quebec! "I Confess" stars Method actor Montgomery Clift in one of his most restrained performances as a handsome, innocent priest accused of murder. The most overtly "Catholic" of Hitch's movies, "I Confess" is also one of the lesser appreciated gems in the director's stellar 1950s output. Join us as we explore the movie and its Holocaust undertones with our special guest James Bogdanski who teaches film at Long Beach City College and El Camino College in southern California.

Patricia Highsmith, Raymond Chandler, Robert Walker and Robert Burks: these are only several of the extremely talented people who contributed to Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train," a film which officially opens the master's most glorious and successful decade. At once taut and dreamlike, cruel and perversely sensual, the movie begins with a chance encounter that leads to nightmarish consequences. Join us as we explore one of the most famous and cherished of Hitchcock's films: a genuine cult classic, and a queer one at that.

Both breezy and unexpectedly weird, "Stage Fright" features the famous "false flashback" sequence and takes us on a ride through post-war London. Jane Wyman stars as a naive young actress who spies on a diva (Marlene Dietrich at her juiciest) to clear her friend's name. We explore this underappreciated gem directed by Alfred Hitchcock with our special guest, Darragh O'Donoghue – an archivist at Tate and a contributing writer for "Cineaste".

"Under Capricorn" is a true oddity: an old-fashioned Gothic melodrama which experiments with long takes; a movie set in Australia but visibly shot in a studio; a financial failure that is claimed by some to be one of the master's greatest works. Join us as we explore the film with our special guest Andrei Gorzo - one of Romania's most brilliant film critics and scholars, and a professor at the University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. His newest book, co-authored with Veronica Lazăr and titled "Beyond the New Romanian Cinema: Romanian Culture, History, and the Films of Radu Jude", will be released this year.

Hitchcock's singular achievement – his first film in color, his first independently produced Hollywood picture and a narrative composed exclusively of long takes – is also his boldest adventure with homosexual themes (which appear, as is obvious for 1948, in a coded form). “Rope” continues to be a fascinating, taut thriller with many secrets, unforgettable lines and an atmosphere of postwar nihilism. It also features James Stewart in what was his debut in a Hitchcock film. Join us as we explore “Rope” and ask ourselves if we would rather live in Brandon & Philip's apartment or in the studio from “Rear Window”?

Alfred Hitchcock's last collaboration with David O. Selznick was not fondly remembered by the most important parties involved (Gregory Peck reportedly hated the film), but it is still a fascinating example of the power dynamics in classical Hollywood, embodying the tensions between the director and the producer. "The Paradine Case" was an absurdly expensive venture with a budget which rivaled that of Selznick's epic "Gone with the Wind". Will we defend this troubled production? Tune in to find out!

One of Hitchcock's finest and most beloved works, "Notorious" has a timeless appeal and is undoubtedly one of the best – and most disturbing – classical Hollywood movies ever made. Cary Grant, Claude Rains and an utterly brilliant Ingrid Bergman star in this mature Gothic noir about Americans spying on Nazis in Brazil. Professor Patrick Keating, author of "The Dynamic Frame: Camera Movement in Classical Hollywood", is joining us for the discussion of the film.

You may be surprised but our podcast is not always simply Alfred Hitchcock Appreciation Society. We shower "Spellbound" with a fair share of criticism but we also tell stories of our first encounter with the movie and its famous dream sequence designed by Salvador Dalí. Hitch's bold venture into the secret world of Freudian psychoanalysis stars Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. It also features a delirious score by Miklós Rózsa and is imbued with a mid-1940s zeitgeist: shades of noir, cryptic war traumas and empowered women all appear in this lavish David O. Selznick production. Join us as we explore this classic – and just a bit crazy! – Hitchcock thriller.

Rarely seen and underappreciated, the two French-language short films that Hitchcock made during World War II, "Bon Voyage" and "Aventure Malgache", are among his most interesting and exciting works of the 1940s. We are delighted to be able to discuss them with Professor Charles Barr, author of "English Hitchcock" and a monograph of "Vertigo" published by the British Film Institute. Join us as we explore Hitchcock's propaganda shorts with our eminent guest. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Alain Kerzoncuf, the co-author (with Charles Barr) of "Hitchcock Lost and Found: The Forgotten Films".

Hitchcock's most important cinematic contribution to the war effort and a considerable technical achievement, "Lifeboat" stars the inimitable Tallulah Bankhead who, along with a bunch of other characters, is left stranded in the middle of the ocean after the Nazi's attack on their ship. Based on a story by John Steinbeck, the film mixes propaganda with thrills, violence and surprising sexual subtexts. Join us as we explore this ambitious and politically charged Hitchcock classic.

Small-town America turns sinister in this unforgettable gem co-scripted by the esteemed playwright Thornton Wilder. The film stars Joseph Cotten as Uncle Charlie, one of the most complex Hitchcock villains, and Teresa Wright as his initially unsuspecting niece. Listen to the episode in which we take a closer look at "Shadow of a Doubt" and later on discuss the film with the fantastic Hitchcock scholar Philip J. Skerry, author of "Psycho in the Shower: The History of Cinema's Most Famous Scene" and "Dark Energy: Hitchcock's Absolute Camera and the Physics of Cinematic Spacetime".

Considered to be the first Hitchcock film which makes significant use of American landscapes and places, "Saboteur" is an exemplary wartime thriller: a slick piece of propaganda turned into a curious and not necessarily reassuring vision of American society. Join us as we explore this entertaining gem starring Norman Lloyd as the villain and featuring the famous finale at the Statue of Liberty.

Hitchcock's first film with Cary Grant and one of his strangest works, "Suspicion" features an Oscar-winning performance of Joan Fontaine and still remains a puzzle for viewers. Is Grant's character a killer? Or are we just getting paranoid? Join us as we explore the meanings and production history of this Gothic thriller which is also, suprisingly, an uncovential comedy of manners.

Hitchcock's only screwball comedy is a treat for those who like to see the director doing something unexpected and slightly beyond his comfort zone. Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery play a New York couple who suddenly discovers that their marriage is actually not valid. Will they decide to remarry? We are joined by Olympia Kiriakou, the author of "Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy" (published in 2020), the very first book devoted entirely to this wonderful actress and star of the classical Hollywood cinema.

Finally Foreign Correspondents are discussing... Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent", starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall and George Sanders. This spectacular and big-budget spy story, made in 1940, competed with "Rebecca" at the Oscars. Join us as we explore the first film in which Hitch tackled the topic of WWII.

Hitchcock's first American picture and one of the most gorgeous Gothic thrillers ever to come out of Hollywood, "Rebecca" remains as fascinating and seductive as more than 80 years ago. Join us as we explore the film with Patricia White, author of the recent BFI Film Classics book on "Rebecca".

"Jamaica Inn", starring the unimitable Charles Laughton and young Maureen O'Hara, is one of the least appreciated Hitchcock films, but it is a fascinating starting point for a discussion about the director and his actors. We are joined by Dan Callahan, author of the recent book "The Camera Lies: Acting for Hitchcock", with whom we talk about the screen presence of Laughton, Barbara Stanwyck and... Hitchcock himself.

"The Lady Vanishes" is one of the most charming and beloved movies Hitchcock ever made: a spy thriller comedy with a fantastic cast, witty script and flawless mise-en-scène. Join us for this discussion of the film with our special guest: film scholar and writer J. E. Smyth.

In this episode we are joined by Alex Ramon, a film critic for the British Film Institute and Sight & Sound and our dear friend. Together we explore one of the loveliest of Hitchcock's British gems: an unassuming adaptation of a crime novel by Josephine Tey with Nova Pilbeam and Derrick De Marney in leading roles. Why the three of us like "Young and Innocent" so much? Check out the episode and let us know what you think about it.

Based on the novel by Joseph Conrad, "Sabotage" is one of the most emotionally intense among Hitchcock's British films. Join us while we explore the underworld of London saboteurs and talk about Sylvia Sidney's singular performance. The episode also features a heated discussion of the infamous "boy with a bomb scene"!

Hitchcock's follow-up to "The 39 Steps" was the first opportunity for us to finally substantially disagree with each other! Listen to our discussion of this WWI-set spy thriller starring John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll and Robert Young. Recommended for those who like Swiss chocolate - and for everybody else.

In this episode we discuss one of Hitchcock's most admired and beloved British movies, based on John Buchan's novel. We are joined by a very special guest: critic, author and video essayist based in Scotland, David Cairns, who wrote an essay about "The 39 Steps" for the Criterion Collection edition of the film.

Hitchcock's comeback and Hitchcock's breakthrough: "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is the first movie in his "thriller sextet" and one of his most exciting British gems. Join us as we explore the 1934 version of this strange and smart story starring Peter Lorre!

This episode features our discussion of "Waltzes from Vienna" - Hitch's sole foray into the land of 1930s musicals. Is this movie as bad as they say? How is it different from other musical films of the era? Check it out!

We continue our journey with an off-beat, odd and humorous crime thriller "Number Seventeen", which sees Hitch at the top of his irreverent, narratively loose game. Join us as we discuss a beloved minor gem from Hitch's filmography.

This weird, funny and adventurous movie was a flop when it premiered, but now has an almost cult status among Hitchcock's acolytes. Check out our discussion of one of Master's most unique British movies!

In this episode we discuss Hitchcock's often overlooked adaptation of John Galsworthy's play. "The Skin Game" stars Edmund Gwenn as fearless entrepreneur and features an elaborate auction scene that set the template for similar sequences in director's later movies.

Htichcock's inventive and trashy adaptation of the novel "Enter Sir John" is the subject of our discussion. Discover the world of theatre, "half-castes" and murder with Herbert Marshall as a suave and ironic amateur detective!

In the newest episode we discuss two of Hitchcock's early sound projects: his rather stagey adaptation of Sean O'Casey's play, "Juno and the Paycock", and "Elstree Calling", one of the first British musicals.

In this episode we discuss Hitchcock's breakthrough thriller "Blackmail": Britain's first talkie and director's first attempt to master the new medium of sound.

We discuss Hitchcock's last silent feature, "The Manxman".

In the seventh episode we discuss "Champagne", Hitchcock's comedy shot with a pre-screwball sensibility and telling the story of a rich American heroine and her romantic adventures in the Jazz Age.

Join us in this new episode, in which we discuss a rare comedy to be found in Hitch's filmography, as well as head to a close of his silent period.

In the fifth episode we discuss one of Hitch's key silent movies, hailed by some as his most expressionistic work. Watch the film, listen to the podcast and judge for yourself!

Fourth episode of our journey takes us to Hitch's adaptation of a Noel Coward melodrama. Enjoy!

In our third episode we discuss "Downhill", Hitchcock's second film starring Ivor Novello. It's a fascinating example of the young director doing his best and experimenting with a less-than-brilliant material.

In our second episode, we discuss what is known as "the first real Alfred Hitchcock feature", namely "The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog" (1927), starring Ivor Novello.

In our opening episode, we discuss Hitchcock's first surviving feature, "The Pleasure Garden" (1925).