Alfred Hitchcock? François Truffaut? Grace Kelly? Sam Mendes? Question for Quote Investigator: Director Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense and horror. For decades his filmmaking techniques have been closely studied by other directors, screenwriters, and critics. One observer uncovered a disquieting connection between Hitchcock’s portrayal of homicide and intimacy: The murder scenes are filmed …
Tag Archives: Alfred Hitchcock
Quote Origin: It Was Shaw Who Advised Young Playwrights To Gear the Length of Each Act To the Endurance of the Human Bladder
Alfred Hitchcock? George Bernard Shaw? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Enthusiastic critics treat films as elevated objects of art, but the famous director Alfred Hitchcock once insightfully remarked on the pragmatic limitations placed on commercial movies by human biology. He stated that the proper length of a film was dependent on the endurance of the …
Quote Origin: Drama Is Life with the Dull Bits Cut Out
Alfred Hitchcock? Leonard Lyons? François Truffaut? Steven Rattner? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Thrill master Alfred Hitchcock made a brilliant observation about storytelling requiring the excision of “dull bits” or “boring bits” from a narrative. Would you please help me to find a citation that presents the precise phrasing for this remark? Reply from Quote …
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Quote Origin: Hitchcock Is a Gentleman Farmer Who Raises Gooseflesh
Ingrid Bergman? Alfred Hitchcock? Stephen King? Stefan Kanfer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I once heard a remarkably apt description of a director who created horror films: That auteur is a farmer who raises gooseflesh. Gooseflesh is also referred to as goose bumps or horripilation. Would you please tell me the name of the director …
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Quote Origin: MacGuffin Is the Term We Use To Cover All that Sort of Thing: To Steal Plans or Documents, or Discover a Secret, It Doesn’t Matter What It Is
Alfred Hitchcock? Elbert Hubbard? Theodore Parker? François Truffaut? Question for Quote Investigator: The influential English film director Alfred Hitchcock employed the term MacGuffin when he discussed the plots of his movies. He also told a peculiar story to explain the meaning of the term. Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: In …
Wordplay Origin: No Stone Unturned. No Tern Unstoned. No Stern Untoned
Ogden Nash? James Nelson Gowanloch? Frank Colby? Arthur Knight? Alfred Hitchcock? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular creator of light verse Ogden Nash once crafted a poem that playfully altered a common phrase describing a thorough search: “no stone unturned”. The comical transformation produced “no tern unstoned” and “no stern untoned”. Did Nash originate …
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Quote Origin: The Country Is a Damp Sort of Place Where All Sorts of Birds Fly About Uncooked
Oscar Wilde? Alfred Hitchcock? Joseph Wood Krutch? Margo Coleman? Bennett Cerf? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Anyone who has grown tired of reading idealized and overly sentimental visions of nature will enjoy the following skewed definition: Nature is where the birds fly around uncooked. These words are credited to Oscar Wilde, but I haven’t found …
Dialogue Origin: “Which Is My Best Side, Do You Think?” “You’re Sitting On It”
Leon Shamroy? Alfred Hitchcock? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to Hollywood legend a vain actor or actress was deeply concerned about being photographed in a flattering manner. The following words were exchanged with a famous director: “You’re not photographing me with my best side to the camera.” “But how can I when you’re sitting …
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Quote Origin: All Actors Are Cattle
Alfred Hitchcock? Leonard Lyons? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest movie directors of the twentieth century in my opinion. A controversial quotation about actors has long been attributed to him: All actors are cattle. Did he really say this? Who was he speaking to? Reply from Quote Investigator: There …