Think of characters like Elliott and E.T., who become an integral part of our childhood, and Jurassic Park, Indiana Jonas which transports us into a fantastical world that still severs its freshness and captivates the audience of all ages. Steven Spielberg’s filmography spans all emotional spectrum; for all emotions, Spielberg has a film.
In contrast, the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, astounded the world with a singular cinematic niche that demonstrated his exceptional ability to create unparalleled suspense in his iconic creations like Vertigo and Psycho and numerous others. In the recent TCM series, as every month, Spielberg selects a Hitchcock picture that conceals a dark secret behind its creation.
Steven Spielberg’s choice of Hitchcock film carries a traumatic past
Alfred HitchcockSteven Spielberg, for his September line-up on TCM, selects the Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man. As the Dark Knight’s words go, “These scars we have make us what we are.” For Alfred Hitchcock, there was a desperate, traumatic incident that acted as his way to the pedestal of Hollywood cinema. Spielberg to IndieWire narrates his dark past, which influenced him to the creation of The Wrong Man.
“When Alfred Hitchcock was just 5 years old, to teach him a lesson, his father had the local police station lock him in a cell for a few minutes. He told Alfred; ‘this is where naughty boys are sent to live.’ Hitchcock never got over this, and feared policemen and wrongful convictions for the rest of his life.”
Hitchcock movies are crafted in the same genre, and each stands out for its thrilling endeavors and pulse-pounding screenplays. As Spielberg points out, we can identify many similar characters, like wrongly accused men, mistaken individuals, and innocent punished, or killed.
In his 1956 classics, The Wrong Man is a departure from his normal suspenseful style and delves into the harrowing tale of an innocent man who mistakenly falls into the deadly, nightmarish legal system. His meticulous direction and Henry Fonda’s stunning performances created a perfect blend of realism and psychological tension. Therefore, Spielberg believes that since the film is based on a true story, it strongly reflects Hitchcock’s childhood trauma.
“What his father did to Hitchcock was intolerable, but maaay just have made him the Master of Suspense and one of the greatest filmmakers in film history.”
Other than Hitchcock’s movies, TCM includes movies of eminent Vincente Minnelli’s Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Douglas Sirk’s melodrama Imitation of Life (1959), and Gordon Douglas’s science fiction movie Them! (1954).
TCM or or Turner Classic Movies is a commercial-free cable channel that runs a library of curated classic films that has a continuous broadcast on a 24/7 loop. Since its inception in the ’90s, TCM has been regarded as a staple in the film industry, particularly among the individuals that dedicated to preserving the rich history of world cinema.
About a week after the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO ripped out the leadership team of Turner Classic Movies, a group of cinematic wizards, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson joined up to save the beloved channel and its cinematic legacy.
In their deliberate attempt to safeguard the great classics, each month either Spielberg, Scorsese, or Anderson will record a video sharing their reactions to TCM selections. . this initiative provides a great way to learn more about their influences and gain an understanding of cinematic history. As three have teamed together to commit to reviving old films, and it’s a cause for something to celebrate.
