Rear Window: Unlike Jimmy Stewart, I wasn’t really spying on anything or anyone fun, just a brick exterior wall.Check out Vanity Fair’s online photography portfolio recreating classic Hitchcock scenes with current movie stars, by photographer Art Streiber.
When you click on the photo in the portfolio, the original Hitchcock scene opens in a new window.
- Charlize Theron as Margot (Grace Kelly’s role) in “Dial M for Murder.”
- Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem spying on their neighbors in “Rear Window.”
- Naomi Watts as the psychologically challenged “Marnie.” I just re-watched this. Sean Connery is great. Apparently Hitchcock was smitten with Tippi Hedren and wooed her, without success. After failing with her, he wouldn’t mention her name.
- Keira Knightley and Jennifer Jason Leigh as “Rebecca” and Mrs. Danvers. My favorite Hitchcock.
- Emile Hirsch and James McAvoy as “Strangers on a Train.” Eeww, this is a creepy, but good, movie. Robert Walker is forever a creep for me in movies after it, I can’t watch him in any other role and like him.
- Renée Zellweger in Kim Novak’s role in “Vertigo.” This one doesn’t quite do it for me, the movie or the Zellweger shot. She looks old! Not that old is bad. She just looks old for the role. But I like how she really got into this, which you can see on the video making this portfolio.
- Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in “To Catch a Thief.” I can kind of see Gwyneth as Grace, but the cliched choice for Cary would have been George Clooney I suppose.
- Jodie Foster in Tippi Hedren’s role in “The Birds.” Hmm, I don’t know about this one either. Did you know Daphne Du Maurier, author of Rebecca the book, also wrote the story for “The Birds”? Talk about two geniusly creepy minds, Du Maurier and Hitchcock.
- Seth Rogan in Cary Grant’s role in “North by Northwest.” Who is Seth Rogan? Although I love this movie, I always wondered why Cary Grant wore reddish brown shoes with a grey suit. Must be a ‘50s color scheme.
- Marion Cotillard (recent Oscar winner for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose”) in the shower scene in “Psycho.” I love this one, I think she looks pretty good screaming. But how do you replace Janet Leigh’s panicked face?
Here’s a video of the making of this cool project and here’s the background on making it, but I hope no one will ever remake these movies.
Um, I guess they already have: - “Dial M for Murder” became “A Perfect Murder” with Paltrow and Michael Douglas in 1998. It was pretty good actually.
- “Rear Window” remade with Christopher Reeve and Daryl Hannah in 1998. Um, not so much.
- “Rebecca” remade for TV. Didn’t see it, don’t know.
- “Strangers on a Train” – Hey, a remake is in production this year!
- “Psycho” – I didn’t see Gus Van Sant’s 1998 remake with Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche as the screamer.
Do you have a favorite Hitchcock movie? As you probably already know, he never won an Oscar for Best Director, although “Rebecca” won best picture in 1940.
“You thought I LOVED her!?”
By the way, I'm not quite getting why the illustrator shoved the movie poster over Joan Fontaine's head:
31 comments:
Wow what an awesome thing! I wouldn't mind if they remade some of his movies in a classy way. The shot of Strangers On A Train is my favorite. North By Northwest is pretty funny too...Seth Rogen as Carey Grants character? hmmmm
Ruth, except for Psycho i have forgotten most of them. For me 'Harriet the Spy' was better than any Hitchcock films i have seen.
Excellent post Ruth, I have always been a Hitchcock fan, love all his movies, just picked up a dvd collection of his 30 minute shows, 20 of them, for the small price of $7.99, score.
Ruth, Actually the first picture reminded me of 'Harriet the Spy'
Please watch the film if you can get. Michelle Tachenberg is simply adddorable.
Peter, I could look it up, but who is Seth Rogen? A comedian?
rauf, it must be good. I'll watch it. And you mean the picture of me with the camera spying reminds you of that movie?
Bob, oh yeah! I forgot about that show. There was that nice little stylized profile of him at the beginning and end. I don't remember anything about the shows. Were they kind of like "The Twilight Zone"?
Very cool post. I still think Peter could do the Carey Grant role!
my choice for top hitchcock movie would have to be vertigo, although psycho is rather special.
Yes Yes Ruth. That's the connection
Don, good idea! So many similarities, especially the sense of humor. When I did the little pose in the top photo, I thought how fun it would be to recreate more scenes. Lesley could help with costumes.
Gaz, I don't know if I've seen Vertigo all the way through. The other night we watched The Trouble with Harry, which is fun.
It was a dumb question, rauf, since I doubt that Harriet the Spy had a scene with a guy and a scarf about to strangle a woman on the telephone. But now I want to know the connection, so I'll have to watch it.
peter as Cary Grant, yes!! i thought it was a bit odd that Seth Rogan posed for that...
Rebecca, i will always and forever love and adore this film. i like the shot with Keira too, except that she hunches like Joan Fontaine never would. Rebecca reminds me of you mommy, because i watched it first with you.
very cool post. love you.
Did Tippi Hedren have any major roles after "The Birds" and "Marnie," or did Hitch manage to blacklist her from Hollywood?
Les, Grandma told me about "Rebecca" when I was an adolescent, way before I ever watched it. In Grand Ledge we didn't have access to old movies, no TV channel that played them, and obviously no video stores waaaay back then. I don't think I saw it the first time until I was well into my 20s, and I remembered every word my mom had told me about it. So I associate it with MY mommy.
Loring, www.imdb.com shows her working just about every year since "The Birds." She acted in "Her Morbid Desires" in one movie released this year, and another is in production: "The House of Good and Evil."
Think she's been type cast?
Oh, and I forgot that she was in "I Heart Huckabees." (2004)
She's done a lot of TV.
Wow, and I never knew she was Melanie Griffith's mom!
Yes yes. In "Working Girl" when Melanie gets her hair cut you can really see the resemblance.
i am confused now Loring, i thought Judy Garland was Melenie griffith's mom, being 60 is not good on my memory. i think i am wrong, Liza Minelli is Judy garland's daughter ?
Minelli and Melanie is the confusion.
Ruth, Guru Dutt was one of very few good film makers in india, they are very very few believe me. He was obsessed with his leading lady Waheeda Rahman. This chap had a wife Geeta Dutt, very good singer.
finally the film maker committed suicide. Waheeda Rahman continued to work in films. There have been a few cases of total block, not on emotional grounds but when actors are erratic or don't show up for shooting dates.
i love the subject of movies Ruth.
Ruth, please watch some amateur videos made by 'quiet library' on youtube, some of them are very good
http://www.youtube.com/user/QuietLibrary
Like spoof on poor Miss Teen S. Carolina, 'Der tourist' and 'blind date' are quite funny and well made for an amatuer
oh i forgot Ruth, Blazing sadddles who is that ? Yes Mel Brooks in 'High Anxiety' has some famous Hitchcock scenes. Very funny
To tell you the truth, i don't want to pay money and watch scary films i want only Mel Brooks and Harriet the spy
Ruth, Scorsese is a big fan of Hitchcock, he found some three and a half pages of a Hitchcock script
and made those scenes as Hitchcock would have made it. it is on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5nAxzH4OPs
Ohhhhh. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this post, Ruth. How fun! Vanity Fair sure did a fabulous job with these reenactments with current actors/actresses. And YOU in the top photo is just perfect for this post! YAAAAAY.
rauf, 'blind date' is so funny! hehehehe. I need to watch the others. And the Scorsese/Hitchcock project too, they did a good job with that! I know you know some Indian film makers, have you ever been on a movie set to watch production? When I started visiting my sister Susan in Chicago at about age 12, that was my first encounter with old movies, on WGN TV. My life changed! I started acting out roles in front of the mirror, hehe.
Melanie and Minelli hehe. Hollywood mothers and daughters. Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson. Who am I forgetting? And the sons too, Keifer and Donald Sutherland. Michael and Kirk Douglas.
Oh man, I love Mel Brooks. For the longest time I didn't know he was married to Anne Bancroft. I adore her. When I found out they were married, then I recognized her comic talent. (Helloooo, "The Graduate.") Did you see "The Producers" - the musical about Nazis? So funny. I can just watch him talk and laugh, I don't even need a movie. Oh, and he was hilarious in the TV show "Mad About You" in which he placyed Uncle Phil. But my fave is "Young Frankenstein."
I can't watch scary films. They haunt me for weeks, months, years. After I saw "Blair Witch" I couldn't go camping without freaking out.
Thanks, Boots! I love things like this, because I like these old movies so much. The quality of film in the '50s and 60s is delicious, and they did a good job capturing that, I think. I'm glad you enjoyed it too.
Yes they were, but better, always had some sort of twist, watching them now.
Bob, it would be fun to watch them now, as an adult.
I love Hithcock movies! And I beleive you that you weren't spying on anyone ;)
Not sure I have a favourite, but Psycho, of course, comes to mind.
Drowsey, it's a good one, but I prefer the ones that aren't quite so disturbing. We watched "Rear Window" again last night, one I can handle.
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