Vertigo

Hitchcock is reminding me of De Palma - psychedelic colours and extreme close-ups. It's jarring and we feel completely enchanted by the orchestral score; the trance-like state we are in as a result of the music/imagery combined. We are only at the credits.

Remnants of other filmmakers spring to mind instantly. As someone late to experience Hitchcock, I cannot help but think predominantly of our current filmmakers (Wes Anderson, Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson) and in my eyes Hitchcock reminds me of them, but the truth is that Hitchcock came before, and so like all great artists, they stole from the best and made it their own.

Its precision stands out to me most. The set-design and the ability for each shot to stand alone as one and be enjoyed as it is. I've screen-grabbed a scene, any scene at random and saved it as a Wallpaper - regardless of the events in the plot, we are able to marvel at the care taken on each set piece and the composition of every shot. We notice that little is cut out of the scene, and we have a wide scope into the setting of our characters. He is Master of the two-shot. This method of filmmaking is classic, and we understand the beauty of 'less is more.'

Something about this film, or his style, I cannot decide which, but I feel like I am watching a play, as though this is a recording of a theatre production. The precision Hitchcock has with framing each shot, one third character, two thirds set - it feels spacious and uncluttered (like we'd view a play) which makes the juxtaposition of his close-ups so jarring and we are made to notice the significance of its use. But his use of pans and tilts are genius, how frequently he pulls back and forth in such a slow and careful way, not losing his characters out of frame.

This could be a comedy. I would be ready to believe it is. It's quirky, much like Woody Allen's work. I screen-grabbed a scene from Allen's Café Society to compare the cinematography of the two films and they share such a similar resemblance.