Actually, I was thinking about "Strange Case" specifically. I had forgotten that Durgnat did a Psycho book. You might also take a look at Pauline Kael whose backhanded compliments to Hitch are nastier than any pan. g On 10/31/2010 11:56 AM, Ken Mogg wrote: > Hi Peter - > > A seminal, but nonetheless slanted, 'anti-Hitchcock' article was > Australian poet and critic Charles Higham's "Hitchcock's World" in > 'Film Quarterly' many years ago. > > For a recent critique of Hitchcock's attitude to women in his films, > see a piece in 'The Guardian' by 'Bidisha': > http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/21/alfred-hitchcock-women-psycho-the-birds-bidisha > > (I have to say that it is seriously mis-guided, and that far more > perspective comes from Bidisha's readers in the Comments section, so > be sure to read that too!) > > The same article prints, alongside, a link to another, 2008 'Guardian' > piece on Hitchcock's sadism that is marginally better. > > But you are treading dangerous ground, mate! Robin Wood's observation > long ago, 'Hitchcock was too sophisticated for the sophisticated', > still applies! > > When the other day I sent the URL for the Bidisha article to an > English friend who writes for 'Sight and Sound', he responded that > Hitchcock sometimes set himself up for criticism by some of his - > joking - comments in interviews, such as his 'torture the heroine' > remark (from the French playwright Sardou). Actually, it's still not > bad advice for a working screenwriter, etc.! But, quite seriously, > you must not miss what I call the (at least) 'dual vision' of Hitchcock. > > To my English friend, I noted the gist of my recent chapter on > "Hitchcock's literary sources" forthcoming in 'Companion to Hitchcock' > (Wiley/Blackwell): > >> My chapter (on Dickens, o.c., and Flaubert, and the literary >> Symbolists, and Chesterton, and a score of others) made much of the >> notion of 'Romantic irony' and 'dualistic vision' and dealing in >> paradox as Chesterton did - Chesterton, who inherited from countless >> 19C writers a pessimistic outlook but which he soon stood firmly >> against, with what he called his '/anti/-pessimism'. Being both >> pessimistic and anti-pessimistic (and dualistic in other ways) - >> /that's/ Hitchcock for you, I think! > > I agree with George Robinson's post to you that Raymond Durgnat 'has > some interesting and quirky things to say about the director' - > though not just in his PSYCHO book but also his earlier 'The Strange > Case of Alfred Hitchcock'. But even Durgnat could, at times, be not > sophisticated enough! > > I am reading Norman Holland's piece on VERTIGO that he posted here for > you, Peter. It looks very interesting although - as Norm said - it > isn't negative! > > Metta - KM > http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~muffin/news-home_c.html > > > > > > ---- > To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF > Screen-L > in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask] > -- Man is the only [creature] that kills for fun; he is the only one that kills in malice, the only one that kills for revenge [. . .] He is the only creature that has a nasty mind. -- Mark Twain ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]