It was 1988 when I found myself in love with the movies. A student at Long Island University, I randomly selected American Film as an elective course where we were assigned to critique the works of two directors. I was fortunate to have been assigned two of the masters – Martin Scorsese and Alfred Hitchcock. Both are geniuses who have left a significant mark on film history with their ‘signature films.’
Martin Scorsese – “Taxi Driver”
In 1976, Martin Scorsese introduced us to the twisted anti-hero Travis Bickle (portrayed brilliantly by Robert De Niro). Bickle, who works as a taxi driver in the evenings to cope with his insomnia, gravitates from a depressed loner at the start of the film to a belligerent vigilante by its end. Through a series of violently random acts, Bickle is eventually hailed a hero in the media despite being an emotional time bomb.
When I first viewed “Taxi Driver” as a teen in the early eighties, it became reminiscent of my childhood growing up in New York City during the same period of time. I could say the same of Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” Son of Sam, the violence on the streets and in the subways, drugs, prostitution were all part of the ‘New York scene.’ It was a sharp contrast to Broadway and the “New York, New York” sung by Sinatra.
But that was Scorsese’s brilliance – the ability to take the ordinary and make us care even under the worst of circumstances.
Alfred Hitchcock – “Psycho”
A woman steals $40,000 and flees to California. Being forced by heavy rain to rest for the evening, she encounters a quirky motel owner who lives on the grounds with his mother. Subsequently, she feels guilty about taking the money and decides to return the stolen loot. The woman is then murdered in the infamous shower scene. Audiences were as shocked at the macabre sequence of events as they were with the main character being knocked off mid-film.
Such was Alfred Hitchcock.
In all his films, you heeded the unexpected. Besides, who other than the Master of Suspense could get away with killing the film’s main character forty minutes into the film?
Hitchcock could be summed up by two of his most infamous quotes:
“Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.”
On people and thrillers: “they like to put their toe in the cold water of fear.”
references: Yahoo Movies