Although Robert Stevens was the most frequent 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' director, with 44 episodes to his name, he was also one of the most inconsistent (Paul Henreid to me was also variable). A vast majority of his episodes were well worth watching, and there were excellent episodes such as "Our Cook's a Treasure", "One for the Road" and "The Glass Eye". There were misfires as such, with "Shopping for Death" and "The Hidden Thing" immediately springing to mind in my head.
"The Foghorn" is one of the well worth watching episodes, not just of Stevens' output but also for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' in general. It is not one of Stevens' best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes and it is also not one of his worst (nowhere near in the case of the latter), there is also better and worse in the series overall as well. "The Foghorn" is instead a solid middle effort, which was the category most of his episodes fell in. Which is actually not too bad a position to be in.
It isn't perfect. While very unexpected, the ending didn't have the same amount of atmosphere and emotional impact as the rest of the episode. Would have liked more eeriness and emotion from it.
Low budget does show at times, especially in the threadbare looking sets and editing that doesn't always flow.
However, "The Foghorn" is superbly acted. With it being an absolutely terrific showcase for Barbara Bel Geddes, who would be even better in a series high point "Lamb to the Slaughter", very powerful in a touching and intense way. She has quite magical chemistry with dashing yet enigmatic Michael Rennie and their characters are interesting psychologically. Stevens' direction is some of his most accomplished and assured for the series.
While the production values aren't perfect, the photography is suitably moody and has some elegance. Hitchcock's bookending is suitably ironic and the theme music has lost none of its devillish quality. The episode is quite talky in spots, especially early on, but it didn't feel overly so and it all intrigued. The story is genuinely eerie but also has a tragic undercurrent that is incredibly moving.
Concluding, very well done. 8/10.
"The Foghorn" is one of the well worth watching episodes, not just of Stevens' output but also for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' in general. It is not one of Stevens' best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes and it is also not one of his worst (nowhere near in the case of the latter), there is also better and worse in the series overall as well. "The Foghorn" is instead a solid middle effort, which was the category most of his episodes fell in. Which is actually not too bad a position to be in.
It isn't perfect. While very unexpected, the ending didn't have the same amount of atmosphere and emotional impact as the rest of the episode. Would have liked more eeriness and emotion from it.
Low budget does show at times, especially in the threadbare looking sets and editing that doesn't always flow.
However, "The Foghorn" is superbly acted. With it being an absolutely terrific showcase for Barbara Bel Geddes, who would be even better in a series high point "Lamb to the Slaughter", very powerful in a touching and intense way. She has quite magical chemistry with dashing yet enigmatic Michael Rennie and their characters are interesting psychologically. Stevens' direction is some of his most accomplished and assured for the series.
While the production values aren't perfect, the photography is suitably moody and has some elegance. Hitchcock's bookending is suitably ironic and the theme music has lost none of its devillish quality. The episode is quite talky in spots, especially early on, but it didn't feel overly so and it all intrigued. The story is genuinely eerie but also has a tragic undercurrent that is incredibly moving.
Concluding, very well done. 8/10.