The scenes on the screen flit between the orchestra and the key players in the crime. Flutes replace the sobs of a beautiful blonde by the double doors. Violin strings play the smirk of a man who readies his pistol in the shadows. His companion takes heavy breaths in time with trombones, her expression tense. Drums roll thunderously as the protagonist rushes from door to door. Pounding, pulling, pushing. All is drowned out by the crescendo of music, a tune that swirls and dips with the movement of the camera lens, following the build up and eventual collision of these moments. The barrel of the gun exposes its metal body. As the cymbals crash, viewers in Brattle Theater leap out of their seats and audibly gasp. Who says Hitchcock's suspense doesn't stack up to contemporary thrillers?
A decent crowd of students and seasoned movie enthusiasts filled the seats of Brattle Theater's showing of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956) in Cambridge on Saturday evening, many remaining afterwards for the next film in the double feature, the ever-popular "North by Northwest" (1959). Brattle's recent "Repertory Series: Hitchcock's "50s," was sponsored by the Harvard Coop. The films represent just a taste of Hitchcock's extensive filmography, a list that includes over 50 masterpieces. The '50s represented a "golden decade" in Hitchcock's career, in which he experimented with new techniques, utilized his existing strengths as a filmmaker and churned out some of his most popular masterpieces: "North by Northwest," "Vertigo" (1958) and "Psycho" (1960). Get to the theater on the early side and you may even catch the black and white "Psycho" trailer, starring Hitchcock himself.
Over 50 years later, Hitchcock's classics still lure audiences into their well-paced and carefully-constructed drama and suspense. Surely Brattle has intended to show the films in a way in which the director would have wanted: on a large, encompassing screen audiences can dive in to, surrounded by merely darkness and the reactions of other viewers. The Hitchcock experience is truly heightened in this atmosphere. Throughout "The Man Who Knew Too Much," hearty laughs at especially clever lines (or occasionally at Jimmy Stewart's most dramatic moments) rang through the room. A few tension-filled moments made viewers literally jump in their seats and sent hands sailing to their mouths in disbelief.
Hitchcock's thriller brought a range of age groups, but all had a common appreciation for the simplicity of the film's suspense. A group of seven Boston University students were particularly engaged throughout the showing. One audibly gasped during a scene in which a pistol peeks out from behind a door frame to align with a young boy's unsuspecting head, much to the amusement of her friends. "You'd expect for a bullet to go through the kid's head in that scene," explained one of them. "It's cool to feel that suspense without the blood and gore of a lot of movies today." The group said that "The Man Who Knew Too Much" was only their second experience at the Brattle Theater, but that they enjoyed seeing older masterpieces like "The Shining" (1980) and "The Princess Bride" (1987) at equivalent theaters.
An older couple from North Cambridge, on the other hand, said they come to Brattle often and describe their taste in movies as "indie" and "eclectic." When asked what makes Hitchcock's thrillers so entertaining many years later, they said "His films don't rely on special effects. Despite knowing what's going to happen — even when Hitchcock tells us someone will be shot — we're still interested." It is this quiet, understated but masterful camerawork which brings the Brattle audience to see Hitchcock instead of the newest installment of "Saw." Long live Hitchcockian suspense.
Be sure to bring a student ID or stop by early for the matinee price: either will get you in for $7.50 instead of $9.50. Though the double feature makes for a marathon sitting, you'll make the most of your cash by staying for both films. The series ends on Thursday evening with "To Catch a Thief" (1955) and "Dial M for Murder" (1954). Check the calendar on www.brattlefilm.org for more details or to purchase tickets.
