"Back for Christmas" is the fourth episode of the series to be directed by the "master of suspense" himself. Expectations were high, seeing as Hiitchcock is one of my all time favourite directors and because of his previous episodes "Revenge", "Breakdown" and "The Case of Mr Pelham" are among the best episodes of Season 1, "Breakdown" in fact being one of my favourite episodes of the whole series. Great to see John Williams in another one of his ten appearances on the series.
Despite not being one of my favourite 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' outings and despite it not being in the same ballpark as "The Case of Mr Pelham" and especially "Breakdown", "Back for Christmas" to me is still one of the better episodes of Season 1. Which was pretty mixed on the whole, with some fine episodes but also with a few lacklustre ones. While not a unique episode, "Back for Christmas" is well executed in almost every way and is very good.
Will agree that there is a little too much talk, which does bog down the momentum at points in the middle.
Also felt that it was a little lacking in the suspense and chills factors that made "The Case of Mr Pelham" and especially "Breakdown" so memorable.
It is though a well made episode, with better production values than the previous couple of episodes. The photography particularly has a good deal of atmosphere and style, as does the eerie lighting. The use of sound is ominous and the main theme (Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette") is memorably haunting. Hitchcock directs pretty impeccably and his bookending continues to entertain.
Script isn't perfect, but it provokes thought and doesn't take itself too seriously, while also not treating it as too much of a joke. The story on the most part absorbs and has some nice tension. The ending is entertaining and didn't come over as too predictable. Really liked the character complexity, the characterisation of the wife is interesting and the over-bearing-ness is not overdone. Williams is excellent in a different type of role to usual, very different from his role in 'Dial M for Murder'.
Overall, very good if not amazing. 8/10.
Despite not being one of my favourite 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' outings and despite it not being in the same ballpark as "The Case of Mr Pelham" and especially "Breakdown", "Back for Christmas" to me is still one of the better episodes of Season 1. Which was pretty mixed on the whole, with some fine episodes but also with a few lacklustre ones. While not a unique episode, "Back for Christmas" is well executed in almost every way and is very good.
Will agree that there is a little too much talk, which does bog down the momentum at points in the middle.
Also felt that it was a little lacking in the suspense and chills factors that made "The Case of Mr Pelham" and especially "Breakdown" so memorable.
It is though a well made episode, with better production values than the previous couple of episodes. The photography particularly has a good deal of atmosphere and style, as does the eerie lighting. The use of sound is ominous and the main theme (Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette") is memorably haunting. Hitchcock directs pretty impeccably and his bookending continues to entertain.
Script isn't perfect, but it provokes thought and doesn't take itself too seriously, while also not treating it as too much of a joke. The story on the most part absorbs and has some nice tension. The ending is entertaining and didn't come over as too predictable. Really liked the character complexity, the characterisation of the wife is interesting and the over-bearing-ness is not overdone. Williams is excellent in a different type of role to usual, very different from his role in 'Dial M for Murder'.
Overall, very good if not amazing. 8/10.