Yesterday, in the trailer discussion, I mentioned an old Hitchcock/Jimmy Stewart trailer as representing the absolute worst of all pre-modern movie trailer conventions.
I went back and looked, and it's not Rope; it's The Man Who Knew Too Much (a far worse film; this is the one Hitchcock made twice, and didn't quite get right either time). Anyway I posted it here so jpx and everyone can see it. Jpx, I know you're AWOL but hopefully you'll see this.
4 comments:
it's the same sort of deal as in old radio shows in which baddies would wave guns in the face of the hero and say, "this gun will take care of you. take that! and that!"
there's more inventiveness in the average 10th grade creative writing assignment. if a high-school english teacher were grading a movie trailer that led off this way, there'd be a note written in red, right under a giant letter "C" reading, "show, don't tell."
Good point, notmarc...
Plus you have to watch the execrable Doris Day.
Oh God, Jordan, you're right, that's one of the worst trailers ever! I laughed so hard when Jimmy starts his casual-cool remarks about his "new picture". And for God's sake, did Hitchsock really need to blue screen Jimmy walking down the street? That couldn't be achieved any better?
Classic.
I like the shot after that, where the music builds and builds and finally crescendos and you see...that bus! And some people! on the street!
It's tough because I love Jimmy Stewart but he's basically doing the same thing actors do on talk shows when they've got a movie coming out, and as I've indicated many times before that kind of ho chatter drives me crazy.
Still, I'd rather be sitting in a dark theater with my hat on the seat next to me being pitched to by Jimmy Stewart than watch Tom Hanks discuss his new movie from some talk-show couch.
Doris Day, though. Yikes.
Post a Comment