Dr Richard H. Thorndyke is a psychiatry professor appointed to run a prestigious mental hospital in California after his predecessor dies in shady circumstances. Once there he starts to suspect foul play and is contacted by the daughter of a patient who insists her father is being held against his will ...
This is a truly wonderful, lovingly crafted satire of the films of Alfred Hitchcock, filled with sly references, dazzling recreations of famous scenes, themes and characters from his suspense classics, chiefly The 39 Steps, Spellbound, Vertigo and Psycho, although there are nods to many others (The Birds gag is wonderful). Some of the pastiche is broad but some is also very subtle; for example, the shower scene from Psycho is a riot, with one of the funniest punchlines in any movie, but did you spot that the montage of shots of Van Patten driving through the rain with oncoming headlights glaring at him also comes from Psycho ? The comedy is both beautifully staged and beautifully played - everyone is good, but the late great Kahn in particular is simply wonderful. She really could be a Hitchcock blonde - she's Madeleine Carroll / Kim Novak / Eva Marie Saint - and she plays cool, elegant, neurotic, scared with fearless hilarity. Best of all, even if you haven't seen any Hitchcock films, the movie is still hilarious in its own right, with a wonderfully harebrained plot, some great schtick (the lounge-lizard act, the cocky-doody psychiatry convention discussion, the Yiddish airport security double-act) and more than enough hilarious moments to keep you smiling throughout. My personal favourite gag is the beautifully-framed tracking shot into the French doors of the dining-room; only Brooks could come up with such an inspired moment. Also unforgettable is the fabulously romantic string score by John Morris, which is simply irresistible movie music and drives the film so much higher. Written by Brooks, Clark (the neck-pain / werewolf patient), DeLuca (the teeth-braces killer) and Levinson (the psychotic bellboy), this is a wonderful satirical but easy-going comedy classic, not to be missed.
This is a truly wonderful, lovingly crafted satire of the films of Alfred Hitchcock, filled with sly references, dazzling recreations of famous scenes, themes and characters from his suspense classics, chiefly The 39 Steps, Spellbound, Vertigo and Psycho, although there are nods to many others (The Birds gag is wonderful). Some of the pastiche is broad but some is also very subtle; for example, the shower scene from Psycho is a riot, with one of the funniest punchlines in any movie, but did you spot that the montage of shots of Van Patten driving through the rain with oncoming headlights glaring at him also comes from Psycho ? The comedy is both beautifully staged and beautifully played - everyone is good, but the late great Kahn in particular is simply wonderful. She really could be a Hitchcock blonde - she's Madeleine Carroll / Kim Novak / Eva Marie Saint - and she plays cool, elegant, neurotic, scared with fearless hilarity. Best of all, even if you haven't seen any Hitchcock films, the movie is still hilarious in its own right, with a wonderfully harebrained plot, some great schtick (the lounge-lizard act, the cocky-doody psychiatry convention discussion, the Yiddish airport security double-act) and more than enough hilarious moments to keep you smiling throughout. My personal favourite gag is the beautifully-framed tracking shot into the French doors of the dining-room; only Brooks could come up with such an inspired moment. Also unforgettable is the fabulously romantic string score by John Morris, which is simply irresistible movie music and drives the film so much higher. Written by Brooks, Clark (the neck-pain / werewolf patient), DeLuca (the teeth-braces killer) and Levinson (the psychotic bellboy), this is a wonderful satirical but easy-going comedy classic, not to be missed.