Psycho
Hitchcock’s classic showed all the masters usual flair for suspense but with a touch of the macabre not found in his previous work. Anthony Perkins is so good as Norman Bates he’ll be forever remembered for the role.
This was the first film to take its inspiration from real life ‘Psycho’ Ed Gein but far from the last.
The Barbarian and the Geisha
One of John Wayne’s most underrated films; he plays Townsend Harris, the first US consul to Japan. While certain liberties are taken with the real life events (the Geisha Harris falls in love with was only 17 for one) it has has an authentic air thanks to its predominantly Japanese cast. This was unusual for the time, only two years before we had Marlon Brando made up to look oriental in The Teahouse of the August Moon, and it says a lot for director John Huston that he didn’t go down that route.
Wayne and Huston apparently didn’t get on, even coming to blows but that in no way impacted on what appears on screen. It’s an epic love story beautifully filmed and superbly acted. It’s told from the perspective of the Geisha played by Eiko Ando who does a terrific job, hard to believe she never made another film.
The Longest Day
This is a film about big stars and big spectacle and when it sticks to that it works well. However, its attempts at small-scale human drama fall mostly flat although there is one moment at the end that works extremely well (although that’s thanks to one of the aforementioned big stars.)
